Why Struggle in STEM is a Sign of Success, Not Failure

Struggle isn’t a sign you’re not cut out for STEM—it’s proof that you’re on the right path. ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores how the way students perceive failure can shape their success in advanced STEM courses. Drawing on research from Dr. Xiaodong Lin-Siegler, this episode unpacks why learning about scientists’ struggles improves student motivation, how high-achievers define failure, and why the best problem-solvers aren’t those who never make mistakes, but those who know what to do next.

For additional thoughts from Director Alderdice, visit coreyalderdice.com.

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Learn more about ASMSA at asmsa.org/thrive.

Transcript

There’s a story we love to tell about science—the breakthroughs, the discoveries, the brilliant minds who changed the world. But there’s another side to that story, one we don’t talk about enough—the side that’s filled with wrong turns, failed experiments, and moments of doubt. And for high school students working their way through advanced STEM courses, that side of the story might be the most important one of all.

Because here’s the thing: even Einstein struggled. So did Marie Curie. And Alan Turing. And just about every great scientific thinker who has ever existed. It turns out, what separates those who make an impact in STEM isn’t just intelligence—it’s how they handle failure. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about today.

I just got back from the National Consortium for Secondary STEM School’s annual Leadership Summit.  This year’s event was in New York City with a topic of “Failing Forward.” I’ve been thinking alot about this topic over the past few days as well as research shared by one of the keynote speakers Dr. Xiaodong Lin-Siegler, a researcher at Columbia University.

She’s spent years studying how students react to challenges in STEM learning. Her work has shown that the way students perceive their struggles—whether they see them as failures or as part of the learning process—can make a huge difference in how well they perform.

In one of her most well-known studies, she and her team had high school students read stories about famous scientists. Some students read about the scientists' achievements, while others read about the intellectual and personal struggles they faced along the way. The results? Students who learned about the struggles—not just the successes—ended up performing better in science. They felt more connected to these scientists, more motivated to push through their own obstacles.

And this effect wasn’t just for the high achievers. In fact, the biggest impact was on students who were already struggling in science. Instead of seeing challenges as a sign that they weren’t “cut out” for STEM, they started seeing struggle as a normal and necessary part of the process.

This finding led Lin-Siegler and her colleagues to dig deeper. What exactly do students think of as “failure” in STEM? And how does that shape the way they approach their studies?

In a more recent study, her team asked high-achieving high school students to reflect on their experiences in STEM classes. What they found was fascinating. When students talked about their struggles, they didn’t just focus on grades. A lot of them saw failure in the moments when they didn’t understand a concept, when they got stuck on a problem, when they couldn’t figure out the right study strategy. It wasn’t just about the final score on a test—it was about the frustration of the process itself.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Some students labeled those moments as failures, while others didn’t. And that difference mattered. The students who called their struggles “failures” tended to focus more on performance outcomes—how they measured up, how they ranked, whether they were falling behind. Meanwhile, students who didn’t use the word “failure” focused more on learning—what they needed to adjust, what they could do differently, how they could get better.

And here’s the kicker: the students who reframed their struggles as learning opportunities, rather than failures, were the ones who performed better over time. They didn’t get discouraged as easily. They didn’t check out when things got tough. They adjusted, adapted, and kept going.

So what does this mean for students pushing through AP Physics, tackling complex math problems, or working on research projects where the answers aren’t always clear? It means the way you think about your struggles might be just as important as the way you solve them.

This idea—that struggle is part of the process, not a sign that something is wrong—has huge implications for STEM education. Because let’s be honest: too many students get the message that being “good” at STEM means getting things right the first time. That real talent means never having to struggle. But that’s just not how real-world science works.

Ask any engineer, any physicist, any data scientist—they’ll tell you that most of their work isn’t about instant success. It’s about testing ideas, running into roadblocks, and figuring out what to do next. The best problem solvers aren’t the ones who never get things wrong. They’re the ones who know what to do when they get things wrong.

That’s why some of the most successful scientists and innovators have had some of the biggest failures. The difference is, they didn’t stop there. They used those failures as fuel. They learned from them. They pushed forward.

And this isn’t just about making students feel better. It’s about building the kind of mindset that actually leads to success in STEM fields. If you can shift the way you think about struggle—if you can see it as part of the process instead of a sign that you’re not good enough—you’re going to be more persistent, more innovative, and ultimately, more prepared for the challenges ahead.

So if you’re a student working through an advanced STEM class right now, hitting concepts that feel impossible, running into problems that make you second-guess yourself—know that you’re in good company. Struggle isn’t a sign that you’re on the wrong path. It’s a sign that you’re actually doing the work.

And if you can start seeing those moments not as failures, but as part of the process, you’ll be in a much better position to succeed—not just in your classes, but in whatever comes next.

Because the truth is, even Einstein struggled. And if struggle was part of his journey, then maybe, just maybe, it’s supposed to be part of yours too.