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ERIC Number: EJ1017674
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1443-1475
EISSN: N/A
Assessing College Student Interest in Math and/or Computer Science in a Cross-National Sample Using Classification and Regression Trees
Kitsantas, Anastasia; Kitsantas, Panagiota; Kitsantas, Thomas
International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, v11 n2 p45-62 2012
The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the relative importance of a number of variables in predicting students' interest in math and/or computer science. Classification and regression trees (CART) were employed in the analysis of survey data collected from 276 college students enrolled in two U.S. and Greek universities. The results revealed that American students reporting high levels of barrier coping self-efficacy tended to show more interest in these fields. American students, however, with low barrier coping self-efficacy, low social or family influences, and low levels of self-efficacy for learning showed the least interest in math and/or computer science. In Greek students, the highest interest in math and/or computer science was observed among those whose parents had high expectations, expressed high barrier coping self-efficacy, and found mathematics to be useful. Overall, lower parental expectations and limited access to role models or mentors decreased their interest in these fields of study. Educational implications are discussed.
Australian and New Zealand Comparative and International Education Society. ANZCIES Secretariat, Curtin University, Box U1987, Perth, WA Australia. Tel: +61-8-9266-7106; Fax: +61-8-9266-3222; e-mail: editor@iejcomparative.org; Web site: https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/IEJ/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A