Examination of factors predicting secondary students’ interest in tertiary STEM education

Svetlana Chachashvili-Bolotin, Marina Milner-Bolotin, Sabina Lissitsa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

95 Scopus citations

Abstract

Based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the study aims to investigate factors that predict students’ interest in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in tertiary education both in general and in relation to their gender and socio-economic background. The results of the analysis of survey responses of 2458 secondary public school students in the fifth-largest Israeli city indicate that STEM learning experience positively associates with students’ interest in pursuing STEM fields in tertiary education as opposed to non-STEM fields. Moreover, studying advanced science courses at the secondary school level decreases (but does not eliminate) the gender gap and eliminates the effect of family background on students’ interest in pursuing STEM fields in the future. Findings regarding outcome expectations and self-efficacy beliefs only partially support the SCCT model. Outcome expectations and self-efficacy beliefs positively correlate with students’ entering tertiary education but did not differentiate between their interests in the fields of study.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)366-390
Number of pages25
JournalInternational Journal of Science Education
Volume38
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 Feb 2016

Keywords

  • STEM education
  • The Social Cognitive Career Theory
  • advanced secondary science studies
  • gender gap
  • interest in STEM fields in tertiary education
  • socio-economic gap

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