STEM Career Aspirations Research Articles

‘I enjoy it a bit, but I wouldn’t want to do it in the future’: pupil aspirations for STEM careers in lower secondary school

ABSTRACT At a time when the focus of school science policies in many nations is to encourage more pupils to study science for longer, a better understanding of who is and is not interested in STEM careers will play an important role in shaping the guidance that schools can provide their pupils and the interventions that seek to inspire more young people to remain in the science stream. This paper explores the career aspirations of more than 4000 pupils at the end of lower secondary school in the UK. It considers the relationship between career aspirations, pupil characteristics, and school-based factors linked to enjoyment of and motivation for learning about science. The findings show that most pupils enjoy and look forward to studying science and feel that they are successful at it whether they aspired to a career in STEM or not. The study also confirmed the multi-dimensional nature of STEM career aspirations in which underlying inequalities, particularly linked to gender and ethnicity, were very much apparent. The complexity of these relationships confirms what decades of initiatives have told us – that increasing the number of young people who study science and later enter the highly skilled STEM labour market is no easy task.

Exploring career interest and STEM self-efficacy: implications for promoting gender equity.

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.

School students’ aspirations for STEM careers: the influence of self-concept, parental expectations, career outcome expectations, and perceptions of STEM professionals

ABSTRACT This study examined the processes that contributed to students’ aspirations for STEM careers and unpacked the relationships between students’ self-concept in science and mathematics learning, perceived parental expectations, perceptions of STEM professionals, career outcome expectations and STEM career aspirations. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse quantitative survey data of 2,477 primary and secondary school students studying in seven Asian regions (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mainland China, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore). The results demonstrated that students’ self-concept, perceptions of STEM professionals, and their career outcome expectations all significantly and positively predicted their aspirations for STEM careers. However, this study failed to establish a direct relationship or positive correlation between perceived parental expectations and STEM career aspirations. Students’ self-concept negatively predicted their career outcome expectations related to seeking parental approval. While no significant positive effects of perceived parental expectations on career aspirations were found, an indirect effect of perceived parental expectations on STEM career aspirations via career outcome expectations was observed. Moreover, career outcome expectations mediated the relationships between students’ STEM career aspirations and their perceptions of STEM professionals more strongly than self-concept. The implications of these results for STEM education are discussed.

STEM Exposure and STEM Career Aspirations to Senior High School Students in Davao Doctors College, Inc.

STEM Exposure and STEM Career Aspirations to Senior High School Students in Davao Doctors College, Inc.

Children Challenging Industry: improving young pupils’ engagement with science through links with industry

ABSTRACT Perceptions of science, industry and related careers are not well-understood in children below age 11, with many potentially influential factors needing research. The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration at the University of York has run the Children Challenging Industry programme (CCI) since 1996. The CCI consists of components designed to place curriculum science in a real-world context, aiming to improve knowledge about and attitudes towards STEM-focused industry, pupils’ STEM career aspirations and attitudes towards science. Professional development for teachers and training for industry partners are also important elements of the CCI, but they are not the focus here. In this evaluative study, 508 children aged 9-11 from 23 English primary schools in two UK areas, completed pre- and post-intervention online questionnaires in the academic year 2019-2020 to gather quantitative and qualitative data on their perceptions. The quantitative data were compared across different groups and time points, and qualitative data was explored thematically. The data suggest that the CCI generally positively increased children's experiences of science learning, particularly where baseline awareness of industry was low. The outcomes showed that the positive impact of the CCI on attitudes towards science, and knowledge of industry, including STEM careers in industry, was statistically significant.

Would a career in science suit me? Students’ self-views in relation to science and STEM career aspirations

ABSTRACT Educational reform efforts and contemporary research have consistently called for enhancing young people’s interest in STEM study and career choices. In response to this challenge, we utilise and extend Social Cognitive Career Theory to examine the development of secondary school students’ self-views in relation to science and STEM career aspirations over a period of 5 years. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews at eight different times and analysed using content analysis. The findings showcase dynamic relationships between students’ self-views and career aspirations, influenced by opportunities for science engagement, the social context and family-related factors. Family backgrounds and expectations, innate resources, gender differences, science-related experiences associated with context and time were found to have a critical role. The findings speak to the need for future longitudinal research, from secondary school to career paths. Such research can enhance our understanding of the developing relationship between self-views and career aspirations, potentially facilitating stronger identification with science and relevant career aspirations, benefiting curriculum design.

League of VetaHumanz SuperPower Pack Program: Introducing Young People from Diverse Backgrounds to STEM Learning Activities and Veterinary Science Careers.

League of VetaHumanz uses a nationwide network of university-community partnerships to provide veterinary STEM learning experiences for children who are more likely to lack access to enriching, supplemental educational opportunities due to systemic barriers based on their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. To include participation beyond in-person programming, SuperPower Packs, self-guided, learning experiences, were developed. Leveraging social cognitive career theory and the "Batman Effect," SuperPower Packs are designed to build self-efficacy, and seed STEM and veterinary science career aspirations by engaging children in STEM learning through connections with a veterinary role model. Four SuperPower Packs were developed. Beginning in the fall of 2021, for 17 months, 16,655 SuperPower Packs were distributed to children in 23 states. A small portion of children who received the game (3.8%, N = 614, 6-12 years old) returned evaluation surveys that measured activity engagement, likelihood of role model identification and demographics. Participants indicated variation in their experiences, but mean scale scores show desirable perceptions of engagement (MRange = 2.38 - 2.90/3) and role model identification (MRange = 2.15 - 2.94/3). These positive learning and role model experiences help set the stage to encourage youth to pursue similar learning and career opportunities in the future.

STEM learning opportunities and career aspirations: the interactive effect of students’ self-concept and perceptions of STEM professionals

BackgroundStudents’ positive perceptions of scientists or engineers have been reported to be positively related to their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career aspirations. However, other research indicates that positive perceptions of experts in these fields might not necessarily lead to students’ pursuit of STEM careers. Self-concept, defined as one’s perceived abilities in specific academic domains, likely plays a moderating role in the relationship between perceptions and career aspirations according to the motivational theory of role modelling. Moreover, students’ perceptions of STEM professionals might be sourced from STEM-related media and school experiences. Therefore, through running a moderated mediation model, this study examined whether and how the influences of media consumption and school STEM learning opportunities on career aspirations would be mediated by perceptions of STEM professionals, and whether the mediation effect would be conditional on students’ self-concept.MethodsData were collected through an online survey of 608 primary and secondary school students from Hong Kong, and were analysed using structural equation modelling.ResultsResults revealed that the students’ positive perceptions of STEM professionals were positively associated with their career aspirations, and mediated the links from media consumption and school opportunities to career aspirations. In addition, this mediated pathway depended on STEM self-concept, such that perceptions of STEM professionals were only linked with STEM career aspirations for adolescents with average or high levels of self-concept.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest the need to pay attention to the STEM perceptions and self-concept interaction while designing and implementing learning activities to connect a diversity of students with STEM careers. It is not only important to foster students’ self-concept, but also to enrich their knowledge of diverse occupations, so as to help diversify their perceptions that being professionals in these fields is desirable and attainable, and to eventually inspire more student engagement and participation in STEM.

A longitudinal examination of the relations between motivation, math achievement, and STEM career aspirations among Black students

The current study explored individual and gendered differences in Black students’ motivation for learning mathematics using three key Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) constructs (expectancies of success, interest, and importance). It also evaluated whether math motivational profiles in 6th grade or 10th grade predicted math achievement and STEM career aspirations in 10th grade among Black students while controlling for prior math achievement. Black students (n = 408, 55% female) attending schools in a metropolitan area of Tennessee, USA and mostly from families surviving economic marginalization completed surveys and math achievement assessments across middle and high school. Latent Profile Analysis identified three profiles of math motivation in 6th grade, including a profile of high motivation across constructs, and Black girls were less likely to be in the high motivational profile than Black boys. Profile membership in 6th grade predicted 10th grade math achievement. In contrast, math motivation profiles in 6th grade did not predict STEM career aspirations in 10th grade. Parallel analyses for concurrent relations in 10th grade were similar, except that there were no gender differences in profile prevalence. Overall, findings suggest that SEVT is useful for understanding motivation and academic performance among Black students when a person-centered analytic approach is used, but more work is needed to expand the theory to understand the development of Black students’ STEM career aspirations.

High School Students’ Perceptions of the Role of Social Support in Cultivating Their Interests in and Aspirations to STEM Degrees and Careers—A Middle Eastern Case Study

This case study intends to comprehend students’ perceptions of social support in cultivating their interests and aspirations for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM) degrees and careers. Survey-based quantitative research was employed, incorporating data from 1426 high school (grade 11th–12th) students in Qatar. The survey instrument encompassed four dimensions, i.e., (1) participants’ demographics, (2) STEM interests, (3) STEM supports/barriers and (4) STEM career aspirations to understand students’ perceptions. Spearman’s Rho correlation test demonstrated a positive correlation between students’ perceived social support (from family, teachers, and society) and their STEM interests (p < 0.01). Findings from the Mann-Whitney U test illustrated that females perceived enhanced social support (from teachers and society) in Qatar (p < 0.05). Even though teachers and society have been the stimulus to developing students’ STEM interests, there is still room to implement a policy for the consequential influence in constructing students’ STEM career aspirations. Thus, we believe these findings would urge policymakers to design tools that enable teachers and society to nurture, cultivate and sustain interest in STEM among the youth to meet Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

A quasi-experimental study of the impact of college-run science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career days on American students’ STEM career aspirations

ABSTRACT This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of participation in college-run STEM career days on American high school students’ STEM career aspirations. Data were collected from a nationwide retrospective cohort survey of 15,847 U.S. college students who provided information about their experiences during high school. Accounting for self-selection effects and a robust set of controls, results showed that students who participated in a college-run STEM career day during high school had 1.3 times the odds of expressing STEM career aspirations compared with a control group. We found that STEM career days were equally effective in promoting American students’ STEM career aspirations across background characteristics, levels of academic preparation, and prior STEM interest. Results suggest that policymakers and educators should seriously consider implementing STEM career days for high school students as an evidence-based strategy to effectively increase STEM career interest.

High school students' STEM interests and career aspirations in Qatar: An exploratory study

This study sought to explore high school students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related disciplines and careers in the context of Qatar. Quantitative data was collected using a survey of 1492 high school students in grades 11–12. The normality tests (Shapiro-Wilk test and Kolmogorov Smirnov test) revealed the non-normal distribution of data, leading to employing non-parametric analyses, including Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis H, and logistic regression. Results indicated that whereas students' interest in mathematics and science subjects was aligned with their likelihood to pursue STEM careers, however, their interest in engineering and technology doesn't line up with their STEM career aspirations. The findings also revealed the variability of students' STEM interests across gender and nationality. In general, female students exhibited higher STEM interests than their male counterparts, while specially expatriates were more inclined toward STEM than Qatari nationals. Overall, these findings postulate the need to improve the exposure of males in general and Qatari nationals specifically to STEM fields of study, particularly the subjects of engineering and technology, to meet the goals of Qatar's National Vision 2030.

STEM-oriented primary school children: participation in informal STEM programmes and career aspirations

ABSTRACT It has been found that participation in informal, year-long STEM programmes for primary school children encourages further STEM learning and motivates STEM career aspirations. To date, no previous research has investigated such programmes. The study's goals were to collect and analyse demographic data about the 3rd-6th grade participants in such programmes (N = 276), to identify the reasons that led them to participate in the specific programmes (e.g. science, computers, robotics) and (3) to map their career aspirations. Qualitative data were obtained from two open-ended questions and analysed through summative content analysis. Key findings included: More boys participated in the programmes than girls; younger students participated more than older students; predominant motivations cited for participating in the programmes were interest and enjoyment as opposed to practical utility concerns; more 5th-6th graders cited utility concerns than 3rd-4th graders; about 1/3 of the participants had STEM career aspirations; more 5th-6th graders aspired to STEM careers than 3rd-4th graders; more 3rd-4th grade boys aspired to STEM careers than girls. We concluded that participation in these programmes signifies entry into STEM career pathways at a much earlier age than previously reported.

Correlates of adolescents’ STEM career aspirations: the importance of academic motivation, academic identity, and gender

Correlates of adolescents’ STEM career aspirations: the importance of academic motivation, academic identity, and gender

The influence of UAE schools initiatives on high-school students’ STEM career aspirations

Students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career aspirations are influenced by the cultural, cognitive, and contextual factors that affect their self-efficacy, outcomes, expectation, motivation, interests, and choices (Lent et al., 1994). This study investigates the influence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) schools on high school students’ STEM career aspirations. UAE schools are considered the cultural factor, where many new initiatives and policies take place, such as the science, technology, and innovation policy and new high school equivalency policy. In this study, the students’ STEM career aspirations involved the cognitive factor and the contextual factor. The participants were high school students (n<sub>1</sub>=330) and teachers (n<sub>2</sub>=10) from different schools across UAE. A concurrent mixed-methods approach used quantitative data (online survey) and qualitative analysis (semi-structured interviews). The results reveal new initiatives in schools have a strong positive impact on students’ STEM career aspirations. However, some gaps occurred where recommendations were made.

Science Identity and Its Implications for STEM Retention and Career Aspirations Through a Research-Based First-Year Biology Seminar

Science Identity and Its Implications for STEM Retention and Career Aspirations Through a Research-Based First-Year Biology Seminar

STEM career aspiration: does students’ social identity matter?

ABSTRACT Students’ social identity is considered to have profound effects on their learning and academic performance, but there was a lack of research on whether students’ social identity would also influence their aspirations to pursue STEM careers. This research studied the associations between the social identity of students and their aspirations to engage in STEM careers. Nearly 4,000 Hong Kong students from three key learning stages participated in a survey related to their STEM aspirations. Data analysis using multiple regression and structural equation modelling showed that local and national identity were predictive of STEM career aspirations. Moreover, students’ sense of contribution to the nation and local society, as well as the perceived value of STEM professionals were mediators of the impact of their social identity on their STEM career aspirations. The implications provide insights for policymakers and educators to formulate appropriate curricula benefiting students’ social identity development as well as their STEM aspirations.

Challenges for parents of color in children's STEM career aspiration

A wide range of resources have been utilized to promote interest and motivation of students of color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professions. Parents have a critical role in supporting their children's career interest and development; however, little literature exists on the unique experiences and challenges faced by parents of color who are involved in their children's career exploration in STEM professions. This phenomenological qualitative study examined the experiences of parents of color regarding their (a) knowledge and beliefs about STEM professions, (b) unique challenges in supporting their children's STEM career interest, and (c) experiences with school counselors in promoting their children's STEM career trajectory. Five resulting themes are discussed, and implications are provided for school counselors.

Investigation of STEM Subject and Career Aspirations of Lower Secondary School Students in the North Calotte Region of Finland, Norway, and Russia

This study investigates the suitability of the STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS) to measure secondary school students’ aspirations towards STEM subjects and careers. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the initial structural validity of the adapted STEM-CIS survey, where the science subscale was extended to four science disciplines, to align with the way science is taught in Finland and Russia. The results indicate that the interest in STEM subjects in general is not at a high level in any of the countries. There is a traditional gender gap regarding STEM subjects in every dimension, which favors females in biology and males in technology and engineering. STEM stereotypes among students—due to low exposure to STEM professions at school—can explain students’ low interest despite high self-efficacies. Our study shows that we must increase informal learning opportunities inside and outside school and improve career counselling for students so that they will be more informed of STEM career opportunities.

Maintaining secondary school students’ STEM career aspirations: the role of perceived parental expectations, self-efficacy, and cultural capital

ABSTRACT There have been increasing concerns about the significant decline in teenagers’ intentions to pursue STEM subjects or careers. This study examined how students’ perceptions of parental expectations, STEM cultural capital, mathematics/science self-efficacy, gender, and parents’ jobs were associated with STEM career aspirations and tested whether these associations differed by school level. Data were collected from 1,864 junior and 665 senior secondary students in Hong Kong via an online survey. Results indicated that, perceived parental long-term expectations were closely linked to STEM career aspirations, whereas, perceived parental short-term expectations were closely linked to self-efficacy. Out-of-school STEM experiences and STEM media consumption both had positive impacts on aspirations and shaped different aspects of students’ perceived parental expectations. Additionally, significant gender differences were found in STEM media consumption, self-efficacy, and aspirations. These relationships mainly were invariant across school levels. However, the indirect paths from STEM media consumption to aspirations via self-efficacy varied significantly between junior and senior secondary students. Based on these findings, this study argues for the essential role of perceived parental expectations in shaping STEM career aspirations for teenagers. STEM cultural capital may be more productive and supportive if it promotes teenagers’ interpretations of parental expectations and their mathematics and science self-efficacy.