Abstract
In most societies, women are less likely to choose a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related study program than men. This problem persists despite numerous initiatives aimed at fostering the uptake of STEM subjects by women, who represent an underutilized source of talent in a time of great need for STEM professionals. Many reasons for women’s avoidance of the path into STEM-related areas have been discussed, including weaker mathematical skills, implicit gender stereotypes or structural deficits in school education. One variable which is presumably at the core of decisions regarding a specific study subject is motivation. We aim to look in greater depth at the basis for motivation by referring to self-determination theory (SDT). Here, we specifically focus on the needs for competence and autonomy which represent pivotal sources of motivation, effective performance and psychological well-being and are assumed to be positively correlated with academic achievement and perseverance. In line with previous SDT research, we assume that self-perceptions during STEM studies contribute to experiences of competence and autonomy and may be responsible for gender disparities. To examine whether and how a sex-specific perception of autonomy and competence influences decisions regarding STEM subjects, we conducted a survey study of Master’s students (N = 888; 461 female, 427 male), who were enrolled either in STEM or non-STEM subjects, and asked about students’ motivations, perceived competence (e.g., self-efficacy) and autonomy (e.g., volitional decision for a study major). The results revealed several main effects of study major and only a small number of interaction effects of sex and subject. For example, non-STEM students were more likely to enroll due to their stronger interest in their subject, signifying higher autonomy, while STEM students were more likely to select their subject according to their families’ wishes. The comparison between female and male STEM students revealed that males perceived more self-efficacy and reported more leadership aspirations while female STEM students have lower perceptions of their own competence, especially regarding perceived future competences.
Highlights
Despite economists’ repeated calls for more professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in both the short and medium term, the number of students deciding to enroll in STEM still does not meet the economic needs (Dasgupta and Stout, 2014)
The current study focused on self-perceptions of STEM and non-STEM students with a special focus on female STEM students in terms of their study motivation, competence and autonomy
While the current results indicate that STEM students experience different kinds of competence, and less autonomy than do non-STEM students, we were especially interested in potential gender differences which might help to explain the lack of women in STEM subjects (Shen, 2013; Dasgupta and Stout, 2014)
Summary
Despite economists’ repeated calls for more professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in both the short and medium term, the number of students deciding to enroll in STEM still does not meet the economic needs (Dasgupta and Stout, 2014). It has been found that the picture of a scientist is more congruent with the stereotype of a man than of a woman (e.g., Carli et al, 2016) This stereotype has often been found among adults, and even more impressively, it has been demonstrated in children: Using the draw-a-scientist method, in which children are instructed to draw a scientist, children consistently draw Caucasian males (e.g., Finson, 2002; Buldu, 2006; Losh et al, 2008; Miller et al, 2018). Women might be less motivated to decide in favor of STEM because according to stereotypes, they are expected to be less talented and interested in STEM professions
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