Are We Missing Opportunities to Encourage Interest in STEM Fields?

The disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have experienced problems in producing adequate numbers of graduates to meet workforce needs in these fields. Although entrance into the STEM fields has grown, this growth is not keeping pace with the overall needs of the labor market. Better understanding of the important influences in career considerations is crucial to help guide interventions aimed at improving career access in the STEM fields. The purpose of the study was to ascertain what factors were influential in developing an interest in career options among high school students. The study further sought to determine the knowledge of school personnel and parents about STEM careers, since they are often cited as key influences in students' choice of major. Last, the study sought input from current college students completing an engineering program on when they had made a decision to pursue their current major and the factors that influenced their choice. The top four influences on career choice reported by students were personal interest, parents, earning potential, and teachers in that order. These results are consistent with other studies that have indicated student interest, parents, and teachers played significant roles in the development of career interests by students. While parents and teachers represented strong influences on consideration of potential careers, their knowledge of STEM occupations was found to be limited. The authors suggest that students need to have knowledge about careers to ascertain if they are personally interested in a field. Without the support and encouragement of parents and teachers to explore options in STEM fields, many students may never even consider these fields. (Contains 4 tables.)