Background: The construction industry remains male dominated, despite the efforts of business and educational institutions to attract women into construction careers. Previous research has examined why female university students study construction management or engineering. To complement this knowledge, there is an opportunity to understand why so…

There is an identified shortage of mathematics and science teachers across Australia and many of these teachers leave the profession within 3 to 5 years of graduating. This paper provides important insights on what motivates people to become science and mathematics teachers in Australia. Data drawn from two surveys, one investigating why students…

Indigenous academics are a minority within the academy, with the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics, staffing and student numbers well established. A growing body of literature examines the motivations of Indigenous peoples who enrol in and complete university degrees; however, there is a dearth of literature examining the…

Rapid advances in technology have resulted in a worldwide drive to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforces to remain internationally competitive and ensure economic prosperity. Despite this, there is ongoing debate about the best strategies for promoting STEM literacy and building national STEM competencies.…

This research qualitatively explores the career choices of Tasmanian university students currently studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree. Essential contributors to students choosing agricultural science as their preferred university course were interventions in key decision-making years that revised expectations around what a career…

A concern commonly raised in literature and in media relates to the declining proportions of students who enter and remain in the "science pipeline", and whether many countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have enough budding scientists to fill research and industry positions in the coming years. In addition, there is concern…

This paper explores teaching in higher education through poetic transcription in order to illustrate the range of influences that shape the ways in which we teach. Through using poetry, this paper examines dimensions such as the past, emotion, humour and uncertainty, which are important aspects of teaching that are sometimes sidelined by more…

This paper reports on an exploratory investigation of the perceptions of information and communication technology (ICT) as a field of study and work in German secondary schools. A total of 160 students from five secondary schools in Lower Saxony participated in the study in February 2007, and four teachers of the students were interviewed. The…

Explores the role of prestige, sex type, and vocational interests in influencing compromise in career decision making among Australian youth (N=287). Results indicated basic proportions concerning the relative influence of the three variables are supported. However, a variety of compromise strategies were identified. (Author/ABB)

Focuses on reasons why so few females hold leadership positions in physical education (PE) in Australian secondary schools. Results from in-depth interviews with 27 female PE educators reveal stereotypic attitudes and expectations regarding gender roles as barriers. Career decision making was found to be influenced by female instructors' personal…

A study examined psychological and contextual influences on the courses of Australian women's lives and careers. Data were obtained from two sources: (1) the Career Development Project (CDP), a longitudinal study of 3,000 Australian men and women who were selected from an initial sample of 17-year-olds in 1973 and whose educational and career…

The experiences of 9 of 13 institute managers at 1 technical and further education (TAFE) institute in New South Wales, Australia, were examined to enhance understanding of the experiences of institute managers in open-ended interviews. The interview questions focused on the following aspects of the job of institute manager: main reasons for…