View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

STEM Fever but Hesitate to Choose? The Contextual Factors Influencing the STEM Career Choice of Female Undergraduate Students in China.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: STEM Fever but Hesitate to Choose? The Contextual Factors Influencing the STEM Career Choice of Female Undergraduate Students in China.
Authors: Li, Tong1 (AUTHOR) lt510@cam.ac.uk, Liu, Yifan2 (AUTHOR) yliu66@albany.edu
Source: Research in Science Education. Feb2026, Vol. 56 Issue 1, p141-164. 24p.
Subject Terms: *STEM education, *Vocational guidance, *Students, Self-efficacy, Family traditions, Asians
Geographic Terms: China
Abstract: Based on the Social Career Cognitive Theory model (SCCT), the purpose of this study was to understand undergraduate female students' STEM career choices and the factors that influenced their decision-making processes in a collectivist cultural environment. Using a qualitative approach and content analysis, the data from 21 semi-structured interviews was collected and analyzed. Four key themes, namely contextual factors, outcome expectation, self-efficacy, and career pathways, and several subthemes were identified to understand female students' persistence and career development in STEM majors. The findings of this research provide support for the SCCT framework, suggesting that female students' persistence in STEM can be predicted by their self-efficacy, with outcome expectations and contextual factors acting as influencing factors. The findings also highlight three main observations that should be emphasized by future research, including family factors in a collectivist culture, the impact of sexism on self-efficacy, and the way to overcome barriers in a Chinese context. The theoretical contributions and practical recommendations for improving the learning experience of female undergraduate students in STEM fields are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Research in Science Education is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: ehh
DbLabel: Education Research Complete
An: 191207465
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: STEM Fever but Hesitate to Choose? The Contextual Factors Influencing the STEM Career Choice of Female Undergraduate Students in China.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Tong%22">Li, Tong</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> lt510@cam.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Liu%2C+Yifan%22">Liu, Yifan</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> yliu66@albany.edu</i>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Research+in+Science+Education%22">Research in Science Education</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 56 Issue 1, p141-164. 24p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22STEM+education%22">STEM education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vocational+guidance%22">Vocational guidance</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Students%22">Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-efficacy%22">Self-efficacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+traditions%22">Family traditions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Asians%22">Asians</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Based on the Social Career Cognitive Theory model (SCCT), the purpose of this study was to understand undergraduate female students' STEM career choices and the factors that influenced their decision-making processes in a collectivist cultural environment. Using a qualitative approach and content analysis, the data from 21 semi-structured interviews was collected and analyzed. Four key themes, namely contextual factors, outcome expectation, self-efficacy, and career pathways, and several subthemes were identified to understand female students' persistence and career development in STEM majors. The findings of this research provide support for the SCCT framework, suggesting that female students' persistence in STEM can be predicted by their self-efficacy, with outcome expectations and contextual factors acting as influencing factors. The findings also highlight three main observations that should be emphasized by future research, including family factors in a collectivist culture, the impact of sexism on self-efficacy, and the way to overcome barriers in a Chinese context. The theoretical contributions and practical recommendations for improving the learning experience of female undergraduate students in STEM fields are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Research in Science Education is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=191207465
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1007/s11165-025-10257-x
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 24
        StartPage: 141
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: STEM education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vocational guidance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self-efficacy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family traditions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Asians
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: China
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: STEM Fever but Hesitate to Choose? The Contextual Factors Influencing the STEM Career Choice of Female Undergraduate Students in China.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Li, Tong
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Liu, Yifan
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0157244X
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 56
            – Type: issue
              Value: 1
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Research in Science Education
              Type: main
ResultId 1