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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 0009-0004-6052-0398), Fan Yang
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
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  Data: From Inquiry-Based Science Teaching to Science Career Aspirations: Unequal Motivational Pathways in Western China
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jiali+Li%22">Jiali Li</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wenjing+Zhang%22">Wenjing Zhang</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Qian+Nie%22">Qian Nie</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6052-0398">0009-0004-6052-0398</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fan+Yang%22">Fan Yang</searchLink>
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  Data: 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
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 14
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Inquiry%22">Inquiry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Active+Learning%22">Active Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Science+Instruction%22">Science Instruction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Occupational+Aspiration%22">Occupational Aspiration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Efficacy%22">Self Efficacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+Differences%22">Gender Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethnicity%22">Ethnicity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Differences%22">Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Motivation%22">Student Motivation</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1002/sce.70053
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  Data: 0036-8326<br />1098-237X
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  Data: 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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        PageCount: 14
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Active Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Occupational Aspiration
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      – SubjectFull: Gender Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Ethnicity
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      – SubjectFull: Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Student Motivation
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      – SubjectFull: China
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      – TitleFull: From Inquiry-Based Science Teaching to Science Career Aspirations: Unequal Motivational Pathways in Western China
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            NameFull: Qian Nie
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