School Belonging and STEM Career Interest in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Science Identity

BackgroundFemales are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields all over the world. To encourage more girls to choose STEM majors and careers, it is critical to increase their interest in STEM careers. Many studies have investigated the factors that influence females' entry into STEM fields, but few studies have explored the gender differences in the relationships between these factors. Therefore, based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory, this study explored the gender differences in the effects of environmental factors (school education, informal education, social support, and media) on high school students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM careers perceptions.ResultsA questionnaire survey was conducted among 1240 high school students in Hunan Province, China, and the results of t-test, regression analysis, and structural equation model multi-group comparison showed that: Firstly, the scores of male students in all the dimensions except for STEM career perception were significantly higher than those of female students. Secondly, the environmental factor that had the greatest effect on male and female students' interest in STEM careers was different. Finally, there were gender differences in the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM careers perceptions between environmental factors and interest in STEM careers.ConclusionsThis study revealed the influence mechanisms and gender differences in male and female students' interest in STEM careers in the context of Chinese Confucian culture, and the conclusions are as follows: (1) Male students' interest in STEM careers was significantly higher than that of female students; (2) The environmental factors that had the greatest effect on male and female students' interest in STEM careers were social support and media, respectively; and (3) Environmental factors could affect male students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM career perception, while environmental factors could affect female students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating role of STEM self-efficacy. Finally, the mediating mechanisms of STEM self-efficacy and STEM career perception between environmental factors and interest in STEM careers, and the importance of STEM self-efficacy for female students were discussed.

Studies have shown that various factors (the role of formal education, informal education, and community) contribute to the lack of participation in STEM and STEM careers. This research aimed to understand the multi pathways of factors contributing to the interest in STEM careers (STEM careers in physical sciences and STEM careers in life sciences). This research was a survey research which administered a questionnaire randomly to 1485 secondary school students (14 years of age). Data analysis was based on the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) to test the hypothesized model. A model containing five constructs, namely environmental factors (learning experiences, media, social influences), self-efficacy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics respectively, perceptions of STEM careers and interest in physical sciences and life sciences STEM careers was proposed in this research. The results show that students’ interest in life sciences based careers is influence by their self-efficacy and perceptions of the career. Meanwhile, students’ interest in physical sciences based careers is influence only by their self-efficacy and not influence by their perceptions of the career. The need to improve students’ self-efficacy through STEM learning experiences is imperative to ensure continued interest in STEM careers. Key words: environmental factors, life sciences STEM careers, perceptions of STEM careers, physical sciences STEM careers, self-efficacy, social cognitive career theory.

Despite pervasive educational efforts, student interest in STEM careers continues to decline in many countries. The present study seeks to better understand this phenomenon by examining how internal factors (gender) and external factors (school grades, grade level, family size) relate to Kazakh students' STEM career interests. To this end, a newly developed instrument (STEM Career Interest Survey) based on social cognitive career theory was used to assess interest in STEM careers among middle‐ and secondary students in Kazakhstan. The survey was completed by a sample of 396 Kazakh students in grades 7 to 12. Our statistical analyses revealed that (1) female students were generally less interested in STEM careers than male students; (2) students with higher grades in physics classes were significantly more interested in STEM careers than low‐performing students; (3) students at higher grade levels were generally more interested in STEM careers than those in lower grade levels; (4) the number of siblings was positively associated with student interest in mathematics careers; and, (5) family support and role models were significantly correlated with student STEM career interest. Our findings suggest that student development of interest in STEM careers constitutes an epigenetic phenomenon that involves complex interactions between internal factors (e.g., self‐efficacy) and external factors (e.g., gender stereotypes). Based on this, it is argued that the promotion of student interest in STEM careers is a multifaceted problem whose resolution requires, among other things, dispelling stereotypes in students' sociocultural context through systematic renegotiation of traditional gender‐technology relations characteristic of a country's culture.

ABSTRACTPre-college student participation in science fairs, robotics competitions, computing contests and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competitions increases every year in the United States. This is despite the fact that little is known about the relationship between STEM competition participation and career interest in STEM. Through logistic regressions, this study addresses three main research questions: Controlling for student background variables and prior STEM career interest, does participating in a STEM competition increase the likelihood of STEM career interest at the end of high school? Does the field of competition (robotics, engineering, science fair, information technology) a student participates in influence the sub-discipline of STEM career interest? And, what is the relationship between the number of competitions participated in and the probability of interest in a STEM career? The study uses data from the ‘Outreach Programs and Science Career Intentions’ survey (N = 15,847), a large-scale sample of university students enrolled in mandatory English courses. Our data reveal three results of interest. First, students who participate in STEM competitions are more likely to express interest in a STEM-related career at the end of high school than are students who do not participate, even when students’ prior career interest in STEM is controlled for. Second, the relationship between competition participation and interest in a STEM career appears to be domain specific. Third, the impact of competition participation on pursuit of a STEM career is three times stronger when students compete in more than one competition. These findings suggest that competitions are an effective way to foster career interest in specific STEM careers.

This study aims to explore middle school students' attitudes towards STEM fields and their interest in STEM careers in terms of gender. Furthermore, this study examines the relationship between middle school students’ attitudes towards STEM fields and their interest in STEM careers. Seven hundred and seventy four students from 10 cities located in 6 geographical regions of Turkey completed the STEM Attitude Scale and STEM Career Interest Survey. It was determined that middle school students’ attitudes towards STEM were not statistically significant in terms of gender. In addition, it was found that students’ interest in STEM careers differed in terms of gender. When the scores of attitudes towards engineering and technology fields and the interest in careers in these fields were compared in terms of gender, significant difference in favor of male students was found. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the middle school students' attitudes towards STEM fields and their interest towards STEM careers was determined. Results indicate that approximately 43% of the total variance of interest towards STEM careers stems from attitudes towards STEM fields. The results obtained from this study will give an insight into how to shape the aims and applications of the future STEM education programs.

Social cognitive career theory posits that career interests and decisions are influenced by individual, contextual, and behavioural factors. This research aims to assess the impact of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities on students’ interest and aspirations in STEM careers. Additionally, the study aims to explore the critical factors that might shape students’ STEM career aspirations. The research used a quantitative approach, with pre- and post-test measures for a cohort of 191 Portuguese secondary school students, using the Career Interest Questionnaire (CIQ). The results showed that STEM activities increased the intentions of non-STEM students to pursue educational opportunities that could potentially lead to a scientific career. Males, in contrast to females, showed a significant increase in their intentions to pursue educational opportunities that could eventually lead to a scientific career. Furthermore, gender along with the personal goals and positive perceptions of STEM careers were identified as significant predictors of the students’ STEM career aspirations. These results highlight the critical role of STEM education in developing and sustaining students’ interest in STEM careers. Integrated STEM activities should be developed in the early stages of education to enhance students’ confidence in STEM and mitigate the gender gap.

Background Students’ interest in STEM careers is governed by various factors: (i) family influences, (ii) out-of-school time learning experiences, (iii) inside-of-school learning experiences, and (iii) media influences. Previous studies often investigate the direct influence of these factors, collectively known as environmental factors, on students’ interest in STEM careers. Purpose This study explains the role of self-efficacy on environmental factors that affect students’ interest in STEM careers through a structural equation model. Sample This study involved 14-year-old secondary school students who were selected based on cluster sampling and a total of 1800 students were chosen. However, only 1485 responses were considered valid for analysis. Design and Method Survey design was utilised in the study. Structural equation modelling analysis was used to analyse the data. Result The results of the survey demonstrated that the effects of family influences and out-of-school time learning experiences on interest in STEM careers were fully mediated by self-efficacy except for media influences that affected interest both directly and indirectly via self-efficacy (partial mediator). Inside-of-school learning experiences did not affect self-efficacy and interest in STEM careers. Conclusion STEM learning experiences through informal modality are better predictors of students’ interest in STEM careers. Improving formal STEM learning is imperative to ensure that STEM careers are promoted to all school students in a systemic manner.

BackgroundThe studies of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career interests have progressed substantially over the recent years. However, the influence of career awareness on STEM career interests is an area that requires further discussion. Evidently, Chinese adolescents have limited awareness and interest in STEM careers in the context of the Chinese cultural milieu, which can potentially constrain their future career trajectories. This study explored the influence of career awareness on the STEM career interests of Chinese high school students, examining the mediating roles of self-efficacy and outcome expectations for STEM courses in this relationship. Additionally, it analyzes the impact of gender on the average levels and interrelations of these variables. A sample of high school students from both eastern and western regions of China (N = 2542) was selected, and data was analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach.ResultsThe findings indicate that while STEM career awareness impacts various types of STEM career interests, minor differences exist in these effects. Specifically, the influence of STEM career awareness on analytical STEM career interests is entirely mediated by self-efficacy and outcome expectations in STEM courses. However, for life-survival and life-healthy STEM career interests, this mediation is only partial, with respective effects accounting for 39% and 45%. Notably, significant mean-level differences exist between male and female students in STEM career interests and self-efficacy in STEM courses, yet the relationships among these variables remain consistent across genders.ConclusionsThis study underscores the pivotal influence of career awareness in molding STEM career interests, shedding light on the mediating functions of self-efficacy and outcome expectations within STEM courses. Through a gender-based analysis, it offers valuable insights into the differing inclinations of male and female high school students in the STEM realm, while also revealing consistent patterns in the relationships among these variables across genders. These findings underscore the necessity for heightened efforts to bolster STEM career awareness and fortify self-efficacy and outcome expectations within STEM courses, particularly in domains characterized by notable gender disparities, aiming to foster equitable advancement within the STEM disciplines.

Developing students’ interest in STEM careers in STEM education is important. This study explored the impacts of STEM instruction involving scientists or engineers on 224 Hong Kong students’ interests in STEM careers and their stereotypes about STEM professionals. The teachers who participated in professional development, namely “School-STEM professional collaboration”, implemented the STEM instruction with support from educational researchers and invited STEM experts. Throughout the STEM instruction, students were provided with STEM role models, and were engaged in authentic and hands-on activities to mimic the research work of invited STEM experts. Data were collected through pre- and post-surveys and were analysed using descriptive statistics, t tests, and ANOVAs. The results revealed increased interest in STEM careers, and more positive perceptions of STEM professionals among the students after the instruction. In addition, the impacts of the instruction were found to be influenced by gender-matching between students and STEM professionals. Girls were more likely to improve their interests and alter stereotypes with exposure to female role models. It can be concluded that the STEM instruction diversifying the stereotypes of STEM people can be beneficial to students. This study has implications for supporting more effective STEM education in primary schools.

The participation of high school students who have never achieved a 60:40 science-literature ratio until now. Malaysia just like any other country has taken steps to move in line with technological advances and computational thinking, so there are various programs based on STEM that have been made. However, like most educational programs that aim in students’ interest, the effectiveness of such programs still not clear in this STEM movement that it is more 'out of the classroom'. Although the learning environment is one of the indicators of the quality of education, the learning environment in the STEM field is less emphasized in the studies on STEM education especially in Malaysia. With this, a learning environment was developed that is STEM Based CLES and CIQ. This learning environment instrument is needed to help researchers assess the extent to which a particular classroom environment aligns with constructivism and STEM epistemologies, helping teachers to reflect on their epistemological barriers and refine student learning sessions. Accordingly, the STEM Based CLES and CIQ survey was used to identify the relationship between students’ perceptions of the learning environment and students' interest in STEM careers. The result shows that the students’ perceptions of the learning environment (sig=0.384) and student interest in a STEM career (sig=0.764) are not significantly different by gender, while the students’ perceptions of the learning environment (sig=0.193) and student interest in a STEM career (sig=0.000) are significantly different by school’s location. The correlational analysis shows the scales of the CLES learning environment have significantly weak relations towards student interest in a STEM career (r=0.316), while, the scales of STEM learning environment has a moderate significant relation towards the student interest in a STEM career (r=0.628). However, this study’s result shows that there is no correlation between the learning environment and students’ academic performances (r=-0.130).

This study explores the relationship between career interests and self-efficacy in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) among young girls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Employing a quantitative research design with a correlational approach, we utilize the S-STEM survey to measure changes in students’ STEM subject efficacy and their interest in STEM careers. Our sample comprises 671 middle and high school female students from 49 schools, representing a diverse cross-section of the population. The findings indicate that female students exhibit high levels of STEM self-efficacy and have a strong preference for medicine as a career choice. While the overall interest in STEM careers among students is moderate, there are notable variations in interest across different STEM fields. Importantly, a positive and significant correlation was observed between female students’ interest in STEM careers and their self-efficacy in STEM. This research holds important implications for the promotion of STEM education and careers among female students. By recognizing the unique context of Saudi Arabia and the perspectives of young girls in Riyadh, this study offers a fresh perspective on the factors influencing STEM career aspirations and highlights the importance of fostering self-efficacy beliefs among female students.

With the highly demand of national development and labor market, more high-level talents are needed to engage in STEM careers. STEM career interest is an important predictor to students' STEM choices, it has attracted the attention of researchers. However, little is known about how STEM competitions affect students' career interests and their persistence in STEM. Therefore, the current study surveyed the views of 71 alumni who participated in STEM competitions at the high school, mixed methods was employed. The quantitative findings suggest that alumni acknowledge that competitions increase their interest in STEM careers. Although there is no significant difference in their choice of STEM majors compared to those who did not participate in the competition, the proportion of their continuing to participate in STEM activities and likelihood of pursuing STEM careers in the future is higher. Qualitative data show that students have access to more STEM resources through competitions, gained STEM knowledge, improved STEM skills, and had a positive feeling of STEM, which have promoted them to generate or maintain a STEM career interest, and on this basis, it is possible to choose STEM-related majors in universities, participate in STEM-related activities, and expect to engage in STEM careers in the future, forming a path of sustainable development in the STEM field. Our findings provide insight that STEM competitions are an important factor in increasing students' interest and persistence in STEM careers, and we suggest the development of STEM competitions can be further strengthened in the future.

The underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is a global problem that demands urgent attention, and Kazakhstan is no exception. Despite efforts to close the gender gap in STEM education, only 32% of undergraduate students in Kazakhstan's STEM programs are female, indicating that more needs to be done to address this issue. To tackle this problem, a groundbreaking study was conducted using machine learning techniques to analyze a dataset of female high school students in Kazakhstan. The innovative use of machine learning allowed the researchers to extract patterns and identify the most influential factors that shape Kazakh female students' interest in STEM careers. This is a step forward in the field, as the use of machine learning to address this issue is rare. The study's findings highlighted the importance of self-efficacy, parental support, and the availability of role models in STEM fields as key factors that influence Kazakh female high school students' interest in STEM careers. Based on these findings, programs that focus on increasing self-efficacy, parental involvement and support, and exposure to successful STEM professionals and role models can be implemented to encourage more female students to pursue STEM careers.

Little research has been done to examine the impact of informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning on middle school students’ career aspirations. Participants included 507 incoming fifth through eighth graders from underrepresented populations in STEM fields, which were recruited at three sites. Data collected included semi-structured interviews, session reflection forms, and surveys administered before and at the end of the STEM summer learning experience. Social Cognitive Career Theory was used to examine the extent middle school students’ experiences at a STEM summer learning experience influenced their interest in STEM careers. Quantitative data were examined related to self-efficacy. Self-efficacy scores after the STEM learning experience were significantly higher than initial self-efficacy scores and justified further qualitative analyses. A deductive approach was used to analyze the qualitative data. The themes of role models, influence of the STEM summer learning experience, applicability of STEM, and empathy were revealed. Many students reported they were drawn to a specific STEM career because they wanted to help a person for whom they care about, such as a sibling with an illness or a family member battling cancer. This study demonstrates the need to provide all students the access and opportunity to engage in authentic, hands-on learning experiences that connect STEM to their daily lives, increase their interest in STEM, and introduce them to different STEM careers so they make more informed decisions about future STEM career choices and suggests that the role empathy plays in fostering students’ interest in STEM be further examined.

In Turkey, it is predicted that the need for STEM employment in the 2016-2023 period will be close to one million and that about 31% of this need will not be met. Therefore, the identification of students’ interest in STEM careers in middle-school is regarded as important. The aim of this research was to identify the interest of middle-school students in STEM careers. The sample of the research was made up of 892 students who received education in four middle-schools in the Aegean region of Turkey. In this research which was of the descriptive survey model, the STEM Career Interest Questionnaire was used to collect data. As a result of research, it was determined that the interest of male students in STEM careers is more positive compared to the female students. It was found that the interest in careers in terms of grade level did not display any differences in the area of technology, whereas it displayed differences in the areas of science, engineering and mathematics. In addition, it was identified that the interest in STEM careers displayed differences in terms of grade level and that as the grade level increases, the interest in STEM careers decreases.