Publication

Gender Differences in Conceptualizations of STEM Career Interest: Complementary Perspectives from Data Mining, Multivariate Data Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling

Description

Data gathered from 325 middle school students in four U.S. states indicate that both male (p < .0005, RSQ = .33) and female (p < .0005, RSQ = .36) career aspirations for being a scientist are predictable based on knowledge of dispositions toward mathematics, science and engineering, plus self-reported creative tendencies. For males, strong predictors are creative tendencies (beta = .348) and dispositions toward science (beta = .326), while dispositions toward mathematics is a weaker (beta = .137) but still a significant (p < .05) predictor. For females, significant (p < .05) predictors ordered by strength of contribution are dispositions toward science (beta = .360), creative tendencies (beta = .253) and dispositions toward mathematics (beta = .200). Additional analyses indicate that engineering appears to be more closely aligned with STEM career aspirations for females than for males. These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge indicating that at the middle school level major contributors to choosing a path toward a STEM career differ for boys versus girls.

Publications

Author and publisher information is provided below. Note that many publishers charge a fee or membership for full access. Permission/access must be requested through the publisher or author directly.

PUBLICATION DETAILS

Type
Article
Author
G. Knezek
R. Christensen
T. Tyler-Wood
D. Gibson
Publisher
Journal of STEM Education
Topic(s)
Accessibility
Cultural Relevance, Equity, and Diversity
STEM Career Opportunities and Workforce Development
STEM Content and Standards
Youth Motivation and Interests in STEM
File Attachment(s)
Publication Year
2015
Additional Disciplines
Bioscience - general
Computer Science - general
Engineering - general
Environmental Science - general
Mathematics - general