Middle‐ and secondary‐school students' STEM career interest and its relationship to gender, grades, and family size in Kazakhstan

Bibliographic Data

ID21392881
AuthorsNuri Balta (0000-0002-6364-5346, Suleyman Demirel University Almaty Kazakhstan), Nursultan Japashov (Department of Solid state Physics and Nonlinear Physics Al‐Farabi Kazakh National University Almaty Kazakhstan), Aizhan Mansurova (0000-0001-6544-5340, Department of Physics, Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics Almaty Kazakhstan), Katerina Tzafilkou (0000-0003-4092-6492, University of Macedonia Thessaloniki Greece, corresponding author), Alandeom W Oliveira (0000-0003-2418-0299, State University of New York at Albany Albany USA), Robert L Lathrop (0009-0007-9280-8224, University at Albany, State University of New York), Rob Lathrop (State University of New York at Albany Albany USA)
Year2023
Volume107
Issue2
Pages401-426
Publication date2023-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sce.21776
OpenAlexW4307923828
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited93

Despite pervasive educational efforts, student interest in STEM careers continues to decline in many countries. The present study seeks to better understand this phenomenon by examining how internal factors (gender) and external factors (school grades, grade level, family size) relate to Kazakh students' STEM career interests. To this end, a newly developed instrument (STEM Career Interest Survey) based on social cognitive career theory was used to assess interest in STEM careers among middle‐ and secondary students in Kazakhstan. The survey was completed by a sample of 396 Kazakh students in grades 7 to 12. Our statistical analyses revealed that (1) female students were generally less interested in STEM careers than male students; (2) students with higher grades in physics classes were significantly more interested in STEM careers than low‐performing students; (3) students at higher grade levels were generally more interested in STEM careers than those in lower grade levels; (4) the number of siblings was positively associated with student interest in mathematics careers; and, (5) family support and role models were significantly correlated with student STEM career interest. Our findings suggest that student development of interest in STEM careers constitutes an epigenetic phenomenon that involves complex interactions between internal factors (e.g., self‐efficacy) and external factors (e.g., gender stereotypes). Based on this, it is argued that the promotion of student interest in STEM careers is a multifaceted problem whose resolution requires, among other things, dispelling stereotypes in students' sociocultural context through systematic renegotiation of traditional gender‐technology relations characteristic of a country's culture

Career development · Career Pathways · Context (archaeology) · Geography · Mathematics education · Medical education · Pedagogy · Phenomenon · Political science · Politics · Promotion (chess) · Social cognitive theory · Career Development and Diversity · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Medicine · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy · Social Psychology