• DOI:10.1080/09500693.2017.1360532
• Corpus ID: 42681444

When I grow up: the relationship of science learning activation to STEM career preferences

@article{Dorph2018WhenIG,
  title={When I grow up: the relationship of science learning activation to STEM career preferences},
  author={Rena Dorph and Meghan E Bathgate and Christian D. Schunn and Matthew A. Cannady},
  journal={International Journal of Science Education},
  year={2018},
  volume={40},
  pages={1034 - 1057}
}

• R. Dorph, Meghan E Bathgate, +1 author M. Cannady
• Published 13 May 2018
• Education
• International Journal of Science Education

ABSTRACT This paper proposes three new measures of components STEM career preferences (affinity, certainty, and goal), and then explores which dimensions of science learning activation (fascination, values, competency belief, and scientific sensemaking) are predictive of STEM career preferences. Drawn from the ALES14 dataset, a sample of 2938 sixth and eighth grade middle-school students from 11 schools in two purposefully selected diverse areas (Western Pennsylvania & the Bay Area of California) was used for the analyses presented in this paper. These schools were chosen to represent socio-economic and ethnic diversity. Findings indicate that, overall, youth who are activated towards science learning are more likely to have affinity towards STEM careers, certainty about their future career goals, and have identified a specific STEM career goal. However, different dimensions of science learning activation are more strongly correlated with different aspects career preference across different STEM career foci (e.g. science, engineering, technology, health, etc.). Gender, age, minority status, and home resources also have explanatory power. While many results are consistent with prior research, there are also novel results that offer important fodder for future research. Critically, our strategy of measuring affinity towards the specific disciplines that make up STEM, measuring STEM and health career goals separately, and looking at career affinity and career goals separately, offers interesting results and underscores the value of disentangling the conceptual melting pot of what has previously been known as ‘career interest.’ Study findings also have implications for design of science learning opportunities for youth.