ERIC Number: EJ1303542
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Sep
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4308
EISSN: N/A
Understanding Science Career Aspirations: Factors Predicting Future Science Task Value
Journal of Research in Science Teaching, v58 n7 p937-955 Sep 2021
This study examined factors that have been shown to predict middle school students' (grades 6-8) task values (utility value related to engaging with science in the future). Using structural equation modeling students' (N = 1015) responses to a career aspiration survey were analyzed to determine relationships among the factors. The model of best fit showed that factors related to science capital (Exposure to STEM Practitioners, STEM Experiences, and Tool Access) are key in shaping both students' Science Achievement Value and their Perceptions of Family Task Achievement Value. Further, both Science Achievement Value and Perceptions of Family Science Achievement Value have a direct positive effect on youth Future Science Task Value. These findings document important ways in which youth access and exposure to science experiences, tools, and to scientists lay the groundwork for science motivation and ultimately to valuing future science tasks.
Descriptors: Science Careers, Science Achievement, Occupational Aspiration, Predictor Variables, Value Judgment, Family Influence, STEM Education, Middle School Students
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1252376; 1614468