This study explored the relationship between middle school students' mathematics- and science-related motivational dispositions and their attitudes toward STEM-related careers. To better understand these constructs, we regressed motivational variables from the Situated Expectancy-Value Framework (Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. 2020. From…

Purpose: This study aims to identify the main motivational factors that led practicing teachers to choose teaching as a profession in the United States and Turkey. Another purpose of this research is to investigate the possible significant difference between male and female teachers from the United States and Turkey considering motivational…

Teacher innovation is closely related to the improvement of basic education quality, and the cultivation of innovative talent for the nation. However, few studies have employed the causes of teacher innovation from the perspective of intrinsic motivation. To explore the factors and mechanisms affecting teacher innovation, we surveyed 421 middle…

Manufacturers have expressed concerns about talent shortages, citing the perceptions held by students/parents of the industry as a major contributing factor. At the same time, policymakers/educational leaders continue to call for STEM education programming to maintain competitiveness in such industries. Accordingly, manufacturers have launched…

This paper makes two contributions to the literature on social stratification in vocational attainment. First, we evaluate whether labour market literacy, as measured by knowledge about earnings in different occupations, is socially stratified. Second, we analyse whether differences in expected earnings between high-income and low-income…

Career choice and subject interests coincide as two significant factors for students to become driven in pursuing their academic and professional pathways. Though, literature studies revealed gender disparities in selecting educational tracks among students especially in the field of STEM. Hence, this study intended to analyze the gender…

This paper aims to examine the impacts of career guidance interventions on school students' career-related skills, knowledge and beliefs by combining relevant empirical studies conducted in the last 10 years. A random-effects meta-analytic technique was employed for this purpose. After screening, electronic databases using pre-defined eligibility…

STEAM is one of the teaching strategies frequently used in science education in recent years to ensure the development of students of different ages and characteristics. This study aimed to reveal the effect of STEAM-based activities on gifted students' STEAM attitudes, cooperative working skills, and career choices. For this purpose, a single…

This study investigates junior high school students' perspectives on improving manufactured products and their perceptions as users after participating in materials processing technology learning in Japan. Guided by recent changes in Japanese curriculum guidelines emphasizing real-world application, we conducted a web-based survey collecting 721…

This paper examines how male preservice teachers pursuing an elementary or middle level education certification perceive barriers and supports in their chosen major and future profession. To answer this question, the authors used a convenience sample of male undergraduate students at a mid-sized, private, liberal arts college. Sixteen male…

The aims of this research were to examine the changes in the students' perceptions of engineers, engineering as a profession, learning of engineering design processes (EDP), awareness of engineering branches, and their future career choices through Engineering Design Process activities with the 5E learning model. Sixty disadvantaged students…

Scientists are often described as smart and logical thinkers but lacking in the so-called "soft skills." Well-known TV series such as "The Big Bang Theory" and "Breaking Bad" have also shaped these stereotypical ideas in society. In the present study, a total of 1013 students in grades 8 and 11 were asked about…

An explanation for the underrepresentation of women in mathematical fields is the communal goal congruity perspective; that women tend to value communal over agentic goals, perceived to not be afforded by mathematical careers. Less is known about how agentic and communal goals may interact to influence mathematical career trajectories. Analysing a…

Although choosing a high school major is often adolescents' first significant career decision, little is known about the factors that enable adolescents to choose a high school major autonomously (i.e., a major that reflects their values and preferences) or the familial and individual constellations that affect this decision. The current study…

Motivated by discussions of skill mismatches on local German vocational educational and training (VET) markets, this paper analyses how occupational segments of VET entry of individuals with lower and intermediate secondary school degree relate to local labor market characteristics. The econometric analysis applies data from a survey conducted…