From Inquiry-Based Science Teaching to Science Career Aspirations: Unequal Motivational Pathways in Western China
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| Title: | From Inquiry-Based Science Teaching to Science Career Aspirations: Unequal Motivational Pathways in Western China |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jiali Li, Wenjing Zhang, Qian Nie (ORCID |
| Source: | Science Education. 2026 110(4):1096-1109. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Inquiry, Active Learning, Science Instruction, Occupational Aspiration, Self Efficacy, Gender Differences, Ethnicity, Differences, Student Motivation |
| Geographic Terms: | China |
| DOI: | 10.1002/sce.70053 |
| ISSN: | 0036-8326 1098-237X |
| Abstract: | Guided by situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT), this study examines how inquiry-based science teaching (IBST) shapes students' science career aspirations (SCA) via motivational beliefs--science self-efficacy (SSE), intrinsic value (IV), and utility value (UV)--across gender and ethnic groups in western China. We analyzed matched teacher-student data (N = 4154 students, 222 teachers) using a 2-1-1 multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM). For male students, IBST was linked to SCA indirectly via IV and SSE, consistent with a canonical SEVT activation pathway. For female students, IBST showed a significant direct effect on SCA but no indirect effects via IV, UV, or SSE, suggesting additional social--contextual mechanisms not captured here. By ethnicity, Han students exhibited no significant IBST → SCA paths, whereas Tibetan students showed both a direct IBST → SCA link and an IV-mediated pathway, indicating that IV functions as a resilience mechanism under structural constraints. Uyghur students exhibited both direct and IV/SSE-mediated effects, reflecting an integrated instruction-motivation-aspiration pathway. Overall, the findings extend SEVT by foregrounding pathway heterogeneity across sociocultural groups and underscore the value of equity-oriented, culturally responsive IBST that attends to how instructional practices interact with contextually situated belief systems to shape science career trajectories. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508441 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Guided by situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT), this study examines how inquiry-based science teaching (IBST) shapes students' science career aspirations (SCA) via motivational beliefs--science self-efficacy (SSE), intrinsic value (IV), and utility value (UV)--across gender and ethnic groups in western China. We analyzed matched teacher-student data (N = 4154 students, 222 teachers) using a 2-1-1 multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM). For male students, IBST was linked to SCA indirectly via IV and SSE, consistent with a canonical SEVT activation pathway. For female students, IBST showed a significant direct effect on SCA but no indirect effects via IV, UV, or SSE, suggesting additional social--contextual mechanisms not captured here. By ethnicity, Han students exhibited no significant IBST → SCA paths, whereas Tibetan students showed both a direct IBST → SCA link and an IV-mediated pathway, indicating that IV functions as a resilience mechanism under structural constraints. Uyghur students exhibited both direct and IV/SSE-mediated effects, reflecting an integrated instruction-motivation-aspiration pathway. Overall, the findings extend SEVT by foregrounding pathway heterogeneity across sociocultural groups and underscore the value of equity-oriented, culturally responsive IBST that attends to how instructional practices interact with contextually situated belief systems to shape science career trajectories. |
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| ISSN: | 0036-8326 1098-237X |
| DOI: | 10.1002/sce.70053 |
