Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling
Data gathered from 325 middle school students in four U.S. states indicate that both male (p < 0.0005, RSQ = 0.33) and female (p < 0.0005, RSQ = 0.36) career aspirations for "being a scientist" are predictable based on knowledge of dispositions toward mathematics, science and enginee...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2014
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| Online Access: | https://www.learntechlib.org/p/171343/ http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/75889 |
| _version_ | 1848763576035049472 |
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| author | Knezek, G. Christensen, R. Tyler-Wood, T. Gibson, David |
| author_facet | Knezek, G. Christensen, R. Tyler-Wood, T. Gibson, David |
| author_sort | Knezek, G. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Data gathered from 325 middle school students in four U.S. states indicate that both male (p < 0.0005, RSQ = 0.33) and female (p < 0.0005, RSQ = 0.36) career aspirations for "being a scientist" are predictable based on knowledge of dispositions toward mathematics, science and engineering, plus self-reported creative tendencies. For males, strong predictors are creative tendencies (beta = 0.348) and dispositions toward science (beta = 0.326), while dispositions toward mathematics is a weaker (beta = 0.137) but still a significant (p < 0.05) predictor. For females, significant (p < 0.05) predictors ordered by strength of contribution are dispositions toward science (beta = 0.360), creative tendencies (beta = 0.253) and dispositions toward mathematics (beta = 0.200). Additional analyses indicate that engineering appears to be more closely aligned with STEM career aspirations for females than for males. These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge indicating that at the middle school level major contributors to choosing a path toward a STEM career differ for boys versus girls. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:05:39Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-75889 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:05:39Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-758892019-07-03T06:39:30Z Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling Knezek, G. Christensen, R. Tyler-Wood, T. Gibson, David Data gathered from 325 middle school students in four U.S. states indicate that both male (p < 0.0005, RSQ = 0.33) and female (p < 0.0005, RSQ = 0.36) career aspirations for "being a scientist" are predictable based on knowledge of dispositions toward mathematics, science and engineering, plus self-reported creative tendencies. For males, strong predictors are creative tendencies (beta = 0.348) and dispositions toward science (beta = 0.326), while dispositions toward mathematics is a weaker (beta = 0.137) but still a significant (p < 0.05) predictor. For females, significant (p < 0.05) predictors ordered by strength of contribution are dispositions toward science (beta = 0.360), creative tendencies (beta = 0.253) and dispositions toward mathematics (beta = 0.200). Additional analyses indicate that engineering appears to be more closely aligned with STEM career aspirations for females than for males. These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge indicating that at the middle school level major contributors to choosing a path toward a STEM career differ for boys versus girls. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/75889 https://www.learntechlib.org/p/171343/ restricted |
| spellingShingle | Knezek, G. Christensen, R. Tyler-Wood, T. Gibson, David Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling |
| title | Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling |
| title_full | Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling |
| title_fullStr | Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling |
| title_short | Gender differences in conceptualizations of STEM career interest : Complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling |
| title_sort | gender differences in conceptualizations of stem career interest : complimentary perspectives from data mining , multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling |
| url | https://www.learntechlib.org/p/171343/ http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/75889 |