Factors Affecting High School Students’ Stem Career Interest: Findings from A 4-Year Study

Abstract

The present study focuses on the results of a four-year study that examined all four-year common participants' STEM major selection patterns. At the end of the fourth year, 626 open-enrollment charter school students were common participants in each year. We used quantitative method for the question 1 and 2 and a mainly qualitative focus for the question 3. Descriptive analyses revealed that CSS students had higher rates in STEM career interest in all categories including gender and race/ethnicity throughout each of the four years of the study. Being a male, having high science self-efficacy, and STEM club participation factors have a statistically significant effect on students' STEM major choice. For the question 3, students indicated that their parents and teachers, and courses taken in high school were their top three factors that influenced their STEM career selection.