Perceived Difficulty of School Science and Cost Appraisals: a Valuable Relationship for the STEM Pipeline?
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| Title: | Perceived Difficulty of School Science and Cost Appraisals: a Valuable Relationship for the STEM Pipeline? |
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| Authors: | Toma, Radu Bogdan1 (AUTHOR) rbtoma@ubu.es |
| Source: | Research in Science Education. Apr2022, Vol. 52 Issue 2, p553-565. 13p. |
| Subject Terms: | *School children, *Education costs, *Achievement motivation, Multiple regression analysis, Expectancy-value theory |
| Abstract: | The lack of students interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related careers calls for studies that identify variables affecting their career decisions. By drawing on recent conceptualizations of the cost domain first introduced in the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivations, this study investigated whether the perceived difficulty of school science predicted and affected elementary school students (N = 245) task effort and loss of valued alternatives experienced while engaging in a science-related course. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that students' perceived difficulty significantly predicted levels of cost experienced when studying science. Likewise, multi-factor ANOVAs revealed that students perceiving school science as a difficult subject reported significantly higher levels of task effort and loss of valued alternatives related to studying science. These findings suggest that the attitudinal dimensions of perceived difficulty play a promising role in the development of cost in science, which has valuable implications for repairing the leaky STEM pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | The lack of students interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related careers calls for studies that identify variables affecting their career decisions. By drawing on recent conceptualizations of the cost domain first introduced in the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivations, this study investigated whether the perceived difficulty of school science predicted and affected elementary school students (N = 245) task effort and loss of valued alternatives experienced while engaging in a science-related course. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that students' perceived difficulty significantly predicted levels of cost experienced when studying science. Likewise, multi-factor ANOVAs revealed that students perceiving school science as a difficult subject reported significantly higher levels of task effort and loss of valued alternatives related to studying science. These findings suggest that the attitudinal dimensions of perceived difficulty play a promising role in the development of cost in science, which has valuable implications for repairing the leaky STEM pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 0157244X |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11165-020-09963-5 |
