Ph.D. training is an important mechanism for developing scientists who will serve our knowledge-based society. Because the quality of students who join Ph.D. programs significantly impacts the outcome of Ph.D. training, students' career choices at this initial stage--whether to proceed to Ph.D. or not--are of crucial interest. This study…

Women are still in the minority in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields in many countries, including Japan. Parental gender role attitudes are a potential influence on whether high school girls choose STEM fields and which fields they choose. However, this has not yet been closely examined in the Japanese context. We used…

This paper describes how the patriarchal structure of Japanese society and its notions of women, femininity, and gendered stereotypes produced strong cultural barriers to increasing the participation of females in science education. Baseline data on attitudes toward science and the perceptions of gender issues in science education, academic major…

Describes studies that utilized questionnaires and interviews to explore the factors affecting the career choices of students. Reveals differences between scientists and nonscientists with regard to their preferred learning styles and relates these differences to career choice and self-perception. (DDR)