Gender differences in high school students' STEM career expectations: An analysis based on multi‐group structural equation model

Abstract

Gender gaps in STEM fields have been studied for a long time, and the primary focus has been on the relationship among social support (parents and teachers), STEM beliefs (STEM interest belief, self‐efficacy belief, and value belief), and STEM career expectations. Framed in Expectancy‐Value Models, this article aimed to explore how social support affects students' STEM career expectations directly and indirectly through STEM beliefs. Further, a gender study was conducted to examine the differences in structural relations between male and female student groups using multiple‐group structural equation modeling. A total of 798 10th grade students were surveyed in mainland China. The results showed that (1) male students performed better than female students in STEM career expectations, STEM value beliefs, STEM self‐efficacy beliefs, as well as parents' and teachers' support; (2) female students' STEM career expectations could be predicted by parental support, STEM value beliefs, and STEM interest beliefs, while male students' STEM career expectations were positively influenced by parental support, STEM self‐efficacy, and STEM interest beliefs. Hence, there were apparent gender differences regarding STEM interest beliefs, STEM self‐efficacy and their relationship toward future career expectations. Specifically, STEM interest beliefs were positively correlated with STEM career expectations of female students, whereas STEM self‐efficacy could only significantly influence male students' STEM career expectations.

Possible future selves in STEM: an epistemic network analysis of identity exploration in minoritized students and alumni

“…For example, students' emphasis on exploration of possible future selves through engagement with various STEM-related activities (taking action) aligns with previous scholarship (Burwell-Woo et al, 2015;Foster et al, 2019). The fact that students' active action-taking was heavily connected to their current interests in STEM also supports the key role of motivational factors such as personal interests in STEM participation (Gottlieb, 2018;Lv et al, 2022).…”

“…Research suggests that facets of identity exploration play a significant role in URMs' engagement with STEM in terms of future major/career aspirations and choices. These facets correspond to the identity exploration features discussed above, including (1) motivational constructs such as the interests and values one associates with STEM topics (e.g., Gottlieb, 2018;Lv et al, 2022), (2) STEM self-efficacy (e.g., Jiang et al, 2020;Turner et al, 2022), and (3) self-perceptions, or the ways a learner sees themself in STEM (e.g., Collins, 2018;Morton & Parsons., 2018). These identity-related constructs can be fostered by external factors such as social influences from family, friends, or mentors (e.g., Atkins et al, 2020;Tey et al, 2020), pre-college experiences with STEM (Miller et al, 2017;Phelps et al, 2018), exposure to STEM career knowledge (Blotnicky et al, 2018;Murcia et al, 2020), and campus environment (Castellanos, 2018).…”

On the effect of gender on secondary school students’ causal attributions to choose or abandon physics & chemistry

“…It has been reported that supplying information about STEM to parents improves their positive perceptions about this field and affects their children's future decisions about taking STEM courses, triggering their communication about the topic (Harackiewicz et al, 2012). Moreover, a recent study uncovered that parents' expectations and encouragement predict boys' STEM self-efficacy, which, in turn, is strongly correlated to STEM career expectations (Lv et al, 2022).…”

“…The lower number of women in STEM in comparison to men is a complex problem, in which many factors play a role (Blickenstaff, 2005;Brotman and Moore, 2008;Kelly, 2016;Lv et al, 2022). As this requires a holistic strategy to approach a solution, the effect of gender on students' decision of choosing science in general, and chemistry in particular, has been thoroughly studied at different levels in the last few decades.…”

STEM sense of belonging for 12-13 year-old talent search participants: Does gender matter?

“…Although STEM professionals are predominantly male, girls generally achieve higher grades in mathematics than boys. Higher grades are predictors of success in mathematics studies, which in turn is a strong indicator of success in STEM careers (Ly, Wang, Zheng, Peng, & Ping, 2022; Stoeger et al, 2013; Wang & Degol, 2017). Multiple studies investigating gender differences in math performance suggest comparable math ability, but slightly stronger female performance (Diekman et al, 2017; Lindberg et al, 2010; Voyer & Voyer, 2014).…”