ERIC Number: EJ921614
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8326
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Who Wants to Have a Career in Science or Math? Exploring Adolescents' Future Aspirations by Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Moore, Chelsea; Ramos-Wada, Aida
Science Education, v95 n3 p458-476 May 2011
Our study utilizes data from a national cohort of eighth-grade students to consider how different gender and racial/ethnic subgroups compare to White males in their likelihood to aspire toward a science or math occupation and examine the roles that self-concept, enjoyment, and achievement may play in shaping disparities at this early point in occupational trajectories. We find that the importance of enjoyment, self-concept, and achievement in explaining disparities in science career aspirations relative to White males varies according to the female subgroup considered, such that no singular story applies to females across different racial/ethnic backgrounds. For math, White and Hispanic females remain approximately half as likely as White males to aspire to a math occupation regardless of all indicators we consider. Finally, Black and Hispanic adolescent boys have generally comparable aspirations toward future careers in science and math as their White male peers, despite notably large differences in achievement. We discuss implications of our results for future research on equity. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure, and 8 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Science Careers, Race, Gender Differences, Occupational Aspiration, Grade 8, Ethnic Groups, Self Concept, Role, Mathematics, White Students, Hispanic American Students, African American Students, Academic Achievement, Equal Education, Career Choice, Regression (Statistics), STEM Education, Student Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A