Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ Career Aspirations in Science and Mathematics

Year 2022, Volume: 39-1 Issue: 1, 1 - 30, 12.09.2022

Nurcan Kahraman

https://doi.org/10.52597/buje.898597

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine secondary school students' desire to pursue a career in science and mathematics in 2011 and 2015, taking into account gender differences, and to examine how variables related to students' socioeconomic status, motivation and performance predict the desire of female and male students to pursue a career in science and mathematics. The number of books, study environment at home and parents’ educational levels were analyzed as SES variables. While motivational variables were students’ self-efficacy and task value beliefs, performance related variables were their achievement and engagement. The data of the eighth-grade students from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 and 2015 were analyzed. To investigate the year differences of girls’ and boys’ career aspirations in science and mathematics, Chi-Square test was performed. In addition, logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relation between students’ SES, motivation, performance and career aspirations for 2011 and 2015 data separately. The results have indicated that students’ motivation was the strongest and the most common predictor of career aspirations in science and mathematics for boys and girls.

Keywords

career aspiration, TIMSS, science, mathematics

Kız ve Erkek Öğrencilerin Fen ve Matematik ile İlgili Kariyer İsteklerindeki Eğilimler

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı ortaokul öğrencilerinin, 2011 ve 2015 yılarında, fen ve matematik ile ilgili kariyer yapma isteklerini cinsiyet farklılığını göz önünde alarak incelemek ve öğrencilerin sosyoekonomik durumu, motivasyonu ve performans ile ilgili değişkenlerin kız ve erkeke öğrencilerin fen ve matematik alanlarda kariyer yapma isteğini nasıl tahmin ettiğini incelemektir. Evdeki kitap sayısı, çalışma ortamı ve anne-babanın eğitim seviyesi sosyoekonomik durum göstergesi olarak kabul edilmiştir. Motivasyon değişkenleri öz-yeterlik ve değer verme olarak ele alınırken, öğrenci performansı ile ilgili değişkenler başarı ve katılım olarak ele alınmıştır. Bu çalışmada, TIMSS 2011 ve 2015 verisi kullanılmıştır. Kız ve erkek öğrencilerin fen ve matematik ile ilgili kariyer yapma isteklerindeki yıl farklılığını incelemek için Ki-kare testi yapılmıştır. Ayrıca, kız ve erkeklerin 2011 ve 2015 teki SES, motivasyon, performans değişkenleri ve kariyer yapma isteği arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemek için her yıl verisi ile ayrı ayrı lojistik regresyon analizleri yapılmıştır. Bulgulara göre, motivasyon, kız ve erkek öğrencilerin kariyer yapma isteğini tahmin etmede en güçlü ve ortak değişkendir.

Keywords

kariyer yapma isteği, fen, matematik, TIMSS

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