Adolescents' motivation to select an academic science-related career: the role of school factors,individual interest,and science self-concept |
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| Authors: | Päivi H Taskinen Kerstin Schütte Manfred Prenzel |
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| Institution: | 1. Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germanyp.taskinen@uni-jena.de;3. Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Kiel, Germany;4. TUM School of Education, Munich, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Many researchers consider a lacking interest in science and the students' belief that science is too demanding as major reasons why young people do not strive for science-related careers. In this article, we first delineated a theoretical framework to investigate the importance of interest, self-concept, and school factors regarding students' career preferences. Then, we tested the expected effects on a sample of German 9th-grade students (N = 7,813). We focused on two school factors: the amount of (additional) science activities and the real-life applications in science classes. The multi-level analysis showed that school factors were highly relevant for the students' interest in science and science self-concept. In turn, interest in science and science self-concept affect the students' interest in science-related careers. We conclude that focusing on the link between individual and school characteristics is important for the understanding of students' interest in science-related careers. |
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| Keywords: | STEM careers secondary school career choice Germany science |
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