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Math Self-efficacy and the Likelihood of Pursuing a STEM-Based Career: a Gender-Based Analysis

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Abstract

The attitudes teenagers have towards Math, as well as their knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)–based careers will affect their likelihood of pursing these careers in the future. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes that youth (girls and boys) aged 12–14 hold towards Math, their knowledge of Math, and Science requirements for future careers as well as their likelihood of choosing a STEM-based career. This research also examined the responses of girls who attended a week-long intensive Science summer camp compared with those who did not attend this camp. To do this, students’ attitudes and knowledge were explored using a gender-based analysis (GBA) in four sample groups: (1) public school boys, (2) public school girls, (3) public school girls who do well in math, and (4) a specialized sample of girls who had attended a female-only Science summer camp. Our results show that more grade 7 girls in Nova Scotian public schools feel tense doing Math problems compared with similarly aged boys, yet the average self-rating of getting good marks, learning Math quickly, and looking forward to Math were similar for girls and boys. Furthermore, girls had a better knowledge of careers that required Math and/or Science than boys. In relation to the Science camp, significantly more girls attending the Science camp indicated that they would be very likely to pursue a STEM career in the future, compared with girls, with equally good Math grades, in the non-camps group. These findings show that enabling girls to interact with female STEM professionals and to attend an all-girls Science dedicated camp significantly impacts their interest in STEM professions and is a concrete way in to break down stereotypes in male-dominated fields.

Résumé

Les attitudes des adolescents envers les mathématiques, ainsi que leurs connaissances des carrières dans les sciences, la technologie, l'ingénierie et les mathématiques (STEM) influeront sur la probabilité qu’ils entreprennent une carrière dans ces domaines dans l'avenir. Le but de cette étude était d'examiner les attitudes des jeunes (filles et garçons) âgés de 12 à 14 ans à l'égard des mathématiques, leur connaissance des exigences en mathématiques et en sciences pour de futures carrières, ainsi que la probabilité qu’ils choisissent une carrière dans les STEM. Cette étude a également examiné les réponses des filles ayant participé à un camp d'été scientifique intensif d'une semaine comparativement à celles qui n'ayant pas participé à ce camp. Pour ce faire, les attitudes et les connaissances des élèves ont été étudiées à l'aide d'une analyse comparative entre les sexes (ACS) dans quatre échantillons : 1) garçons des écoles publiques, 2) filles des écoles publiques, 3) filles des écoles publiques qui réussissent bien en mathématiques et 4) un échantillon spécialisé de filles ayant participé à un camp d'été scientifique réservé aux filles. Nos résultats indiquent que davantage de filles de septième année dans les écoles publiques de la Nouvelle-Écosse se sentent tendues lorsqu'elles font des problèmes de mathématiques comparativement aux garçons d'âge similaire. Cependant, l'auto-évaluation moyenne pour obtenir de bonnes notes, apprendre les mathématiques rapidement et avoir hâte de faire des mathématiques était similaire pour les filles et les garçons. De plus, les filles avaient une meilleure connaissance que les garçons des carrières exigeant les mathématiques, les sciences, ou les deux à la fois. Par ailleurs, beaucoup plus de filles ayant participé au camp scientifique ont indiqué qu'elles seraient très susceptibles de faire carrière dans les STEM dans l'avenir comparativement aux filles du groupe n'y ayant pas participé dont les notes en mathématiques étaient aussi bonnes. Ces résultats indiquent que le fait de permettre aux filles d'interagir avec des femmes professionnelles des STEM et de participer à un camp scientifique réservé aux filles a un effet important sur leur intérêt pour les professions en STEM et constitue un moyen concret de briser les stéréotypes dans les domaines dominés par les hommes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Frederick French (Mount Saint Vincent University, Department of Education) for assistance with the survey tool design and insightful comments. We are grateful to the individuals who helped our team obtain parental consent forms and parents for providing consent for the children to participate in this study.

Funding

Funding was provided to (T. A. Franz-Odendaal) by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, B3M 2J6, Canada

    Tamara A. Franz-Odendaal

  2. Department of Business Administration, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, B3M 2J6, Canada

    Karen A. Blotnicky

  3. Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, B3M 2J6, NS, Canada

    Phillip Joy

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  1. Tamara A. Franz-Odendaal
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  2. Karen A. Blotnicky
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Correspondence to Tamara A. Franz-Odendaal.

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This research was approved by Mount Saint Vincent University’s Research Ethics Board (File # 2011-106) and permissions were obtained from school board superintendents and parents/guardians.

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Franz-Odendaal, T.A., Blotnicky, K.A. & Joy, P. Math Self-efficacy and the Likelihood of Pursuing a STEM-Based Career: a Gender-Based Analysis. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 20, 538–556 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-020-00105-7

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