From Club to College: The Impact of Science Clubs/Groups on High School Students’ Intentions to Pursue a STEM Major

Efforts to expand the number of STEM degrees in the U.S. have increasingly highlighted the importance of early and informal learning opportunities. This study investigates whether participation in high school science clubs influences students’ likelihood of planning to pursue a STEM major once enrolled in college. We apply a quasi-experimental research design to longitudinal data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). Our findings suggest that science club participation significantly increases the odds of entering college with plans to pursue a STEM degree, even after accounting for demographic, academic, psychosocial, and school-level factors. Students who participated in science clubs were nearly 40% more likely to plan to pursue a STEM major compared to similar peers who did not participate. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory, the results highlight how informal science learning can foster interest and confidence in postsecondary STEM pathways while also revealing persistent gender and racial disparities in students’ postsecondary plans.