The evidence regarding the effectiveness of STEM support programs for K-12 students to spark their interest in the STEM field is mixed. The goals and contents of support programs vary and mostly cover short intervention periods. So far, not many studies exist that cover different learning characteristics of students in long-term STEM support…

This paper investigates the impact of students' month of birth (MOB) on their university career choices. Specifically, we analyze whether the oldest students in their academic cohorts show more aspirational preferences when expressing their first choice of university degree. Using administrative records for students in a large university district…

Women's academic careers are shorter, slower, and progress less than those of men. We investigated gender differences in thinking about leaving an academic career across career stages. Our analysis of data from an online survey of academics in the Czech Republic (1657 individuals) showed that in men, the trajectory of such considerations gradually…

Purpose: This study explores the role of proactive decision-making in enhancing academic motivation and career calling among university students in Central Asia. It aims to investigate how proactive traits and cognitive skills influence career calling and academic persistence while examining the moderating effects of demographic factors.…

This article explores the question, 'what motivates the choice of teaching as a profession?' Availability of adequate teachers, professionally qualified in institutions of higher education to meet the curricular and structural challenges of school education, is a critical policy concern. This article is based on a study of 54 student-teachers…

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society includes the careers and career decision-making of emerging adults. This impact could influence how emerging adults approach careers and work-life balance. Vocational anticipatory socialisation examines how sources of career information influence the career decision-making process. With the COVID-19…

Low interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) among high school students in general and women in particular is a highly prevalent phenomenon in many industrialized countries. This study analyses whether study counselling--guiding students to select a major in higher education through self-exploration and fostering their…

Both, educators and policy makers have expressed growing concerns over the low levels of math and science achievement among American students and the decline in the numbers of young people moving into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers (Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century, 2007; National Science…

To explore the differential impact of job automation for different groups of primary and secondary school students, an analysis of variance was conducted using survey data on the occupational aspirations of British school students (aged 7-18) and probability statistics derived from a model of job automation. Results indicated that students aged…

Pupils' subject choices at the level of secondary education critically determine the tertiary fields of study that they can pursue. This study used multinomial logistic regression models to investigate the extent to which the final report card grades of ninth-grade students predicted their choices of subject combinations at the senior general…

The under-representation of women in male-dominated STEM fields is a worldwide concern. However, there are other academic fields, like some non-STEM degrees, where female students are over-represented. Previous research has identified five critical factors influencing student participation rates: career choice, satisfaction, self-esteem,…

This paper presents the findings from a survey conducted on primary students to map their views toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Greece according to their urban or rural setting and gender. The sample included 281 primary students from different public schools in Attica and 69 primary students from a…

This study aims to unpack one element of the logics of gendered educational choices, namely how cultural beliefs about gender can shape young people's judgements about gendered educational tracks. Through a survey experiment conducted among secondary school students in Oslo, Norway, we assess respondents' judgements about fictitious students'…

This study investigated the perception of role model attributes of women and men sport professors, how these attributes influence the choice of academic role models, and how such role models affect career objectives. The study draws on social cognitive (career) theory. Data were collected with a quantitative online survey (N = 792) targeted at…

To examine the combined effects of maths anxiety (MA), maths self-efficacy (MSE), and maths interest (MI) on STEM career choice, we analysed self-report data from 7908 Twins Early Development Study participants, collected at ages 16 (MSE, MI), 18 (MA) and 21 (STEM career choice). When analysed in the same model, MSE did not independently predict…