Factors Associated with STEM Career Expectations of Greek 15-Year-Old Students

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Factors Associated with STEM Career Expectations of Greek 15-Year-Old Students
Language: English
Authors: Marianna Pagkratidou (ORCID 0000-0002-0161-1554), Michalis P. Michaelides (ORCID 0000-0001-6314-3680), Vasiliki Pitsia (ORCID 0000-0002-8172-0397), Anastasios Karakolidis (ORCID 0000-0002-7460-7759)
Source: Journal for STEM Education Research. 2025 8(1):59-87.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 29
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: STEM Careers, Occupational Aspiration, Student Attitudes, Foreign Countries, STEM Education, Student Educational Objectives, Data Analysis, Achievement Tests, International Assessment, Secondary School Students, Expectation, Work Life Expectancy, Science Achievement, Student Interests, Influences, Health Occupations
Geographic Terms: Greece
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Program for International Student Assessment
DOI: 10.1007/s41979-024-00124-1
ISSN: 2520-8705
2520-8713
Abstract: Science, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions offer competitive earnings, tend to be compatible with technological advances, and are predicted to remain in high demand in the future. Many countries, including Greece, have prioritised STEM education on their educational agendas, aiming to prepare students for careers in these fields. In this study, we investigated factors that may predict Greek students' STEM career expectations through analysing data from the 2015 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In doing so, we categorised the responses of 4910 15-year-old students to the question "What kind of job do you expect to have when you are about 30 years old?" into STEM and non-STEM professions, following a wide approach that included health and medical professions in the STEM category and a narrow approach that excluded these professions from the STEM category. Binary logistic regression results showed that student enjoyment of science, instrumental motivation, interest towards broad science topics, and their science performance were associated with their career expectations across both approaches; family economic, social, and cultural status was associated with students' career expectations within the wide approach only, while gender and achievement motivation were associated with students' career expectations within the narrow approach only. The differences in the factors predicting students' career expectations between the two approaches indicate that transparency in the definitions and operationalisations of STEM is needed within the relevant research.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://osf.io/9zxvh
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1458061
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Science, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions offer competitive earnings, tend to be compatible with technological advances, and are predicted to remain in high demand in the future. Many countries, including Greece, have prioritised STEM education on their educational agendas, aiming to prepare students for careers in these fields. In this study, we investigated factors that may predict Greek students' STEM career expectations through analysing data from the 2015 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In doing so, we categorised the responses of 4910 15-year-old students to the question "What kind of job do you expect to have when you are about 30 years old?" into STEM and non-STEM professions, following a wide approach that included health and medical professions in the STEM category and a narrow approach that excluded these professions from the STEM category. Binary logistic regression results showed that student enjoyment of science, instrumental motivation, interest towards broad science topics, and their science performance were associated with their career expectations across both approaches; family economic, social, and cultural status was associated with students' career expectations within the wide approach only, while gender and achievement motivation were associated with students' career expectations within the narrow approach only. The differences in the factors predicting students' career expectations between the two approaches indicate that transparency in the definitions and operationalisations of STEM is needed within the relevant research.
ISSN:2520-8705
2520-8713
DOI:10.1007/s41979-024-00124-1