Project

Gender specific STEM interests in preschoolers and primary school children - Are there sensitive periods for the promotion of STEM interests?

Goal: The development of vocational interests is an important task in childhood and adolescence. Vocational interests combined with self-efficacy expectations have been established as major factors for future career choices. Various studies show considerable gender differences in interests and self-efficacy expectations in sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These differences are one important factor to explain the lasting inequalities in the distribution of women and men in STEM majors and STEM occupations. However, it still remains unclear how these gender differences in STEM interests develop and crystallize across the life span. Since substantial gender differences can already be identified at the end of primary school, programs at secondary school level, that intend to foster girls STEM interests, are probably scheduled too late or should at least be complemented with programs and activities in primary school.

At what age level gender differences in interests precisely occur and whether there are certain sensitive periods for the promotion of STEM interests has not been established. We therefore want to investigate these research questions with a longitudinal study with preschool and primary school children.

Within this project the following research questions will be analyzed:

1. In the course of a longitudinal study the development of interest and competency beliefs are investigated over three years. On main focus lies on children's transition from preschool to primary school as well as from primary school to secondary school. First, we want to establish whether age-specific mean level exist and whether these differences can be attributed to differentiation processes. Second, we are interested to what extent STEM interests influence competency beliefs and vice versa.

2. Furthermore, our study wants to examine whether gender differences in vocational interests and competency beliefs can already be established in preschoolers and how these gender differences develop with age. Furthermore, we are interested how the transition to primary school and secondary school respectively influences gender differences in interests. Moreover, we want to establish whether gender differences exist in both self-descriptions as well as other perceptions (i.e., parents and teachers).

3. Last, this study expands past research with a focus on family characteristics as well as family activities. Therefore, parents' interest profiles as well as information on STEM family activities are gathered. We are interested how family activities as well as parental interest profiles foster the development of STEM interests in children.

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Project log

Katja Päßler
added a research item
This study examines the age and gender specific development of vocational interest across a three-year span with a sample of 541 students. At time of the first measurement, students were in fourth to sixth grade (mean age = 10.8 years; SD = 1.00) and 48.8% were girls. Results from the multilevel growth curve models showed that Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, and Social interests declined over time, while Enterprising and Conventional interests remained stable. Thus, our findings suggest that the disruption hypothesis, which assumes that the fundamental biological, psychological and social changes in the transition from childhood to adolescence are associated with a temporary decline in certain personality traits, can be extended to vocational interests. Although our analyses revealed gender differences on initial status for all RIASEC scales, there was no significant evidence for gender differences in interest development over time. Gender based differences in children were found to be smaller than those found in adolescents and adults. Contrary to our expectations, girls reported higher Investigative interests than boys. Analyses of profile elevation and differentiation revealed a decline of profile elevation but no concurrent increase in profile differentiation.
Katja Päßler
added a research item
Untersucht wurde die Entwicklung beruflicher Interessen von 248 Primarschülerinnen und Primarschülern der vierten bis sechsten Klasse aus der Deutschschweiz (M Alter = 10.8 Jahre, SD = 1.00). Entsprechend der «disruption hypothesis» verweisen die Ergebnisse auf eine Abnahme des praktisch-technischen, intellektuell-forschenden, sprachlich-künstlerischen, sozialen und konventionellen Interesses mit zunehmendem Alter der Kinder. Bereits im Primarschulalter lassen sich mit Ausnahme des unternehmerischen Interesses Geschlechtsunterschiede in allen RIASEC-Dimensionen nachweisen. Die Geschlechtsunterschiede fallen allerdings geringer aus als bei Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen. Entgegen den Erwartungen berichten Mädchen über ein stärkeres intellektuell-forschendes Interesse als Jungen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine Förderung von Interessen bei Kindern möglichst früh verankert werden sollte, bevor die allgemeine Begeisterungsfähigkeit von Kindern abnimmt und sich Geschlechtsunterschiede in beruflichen Interessen verfestigen.
Katja Päßler
added a research item
Der K-BIT misst kindliche Interessen anhand von 30 Items und hat als Konstruktionsgrundlage das Inventory of Children's Activities ICA-3 sowie das RIASEC-Modell (Holland, 1997), dessen sechs Dimensionen für die Fragebogen- und Bilderbuchversion des K-BIT übernommen worden sind: (1) Praktisch-technisch, (2) Intellektuell-forschend, (3) Sprachlich-künstlerisch, (4) Sozial, (5) Unternehmerisch und (6) Konventionell. Reliabilität: Für die Fragebogenversion liegen die interne Konsistenzen zwischen Cronbachs Alpha = .71 und Alpha = .81 und die Retestreliabilität zwischen rtt = .47 und rtt = .64. Bei der Bilderbuchversion sind die Reliabilitätskennwerte aufgrund des nur dreistufigen Antwortformats und des jungen Alters der Stichprobe eingeschränkt (Alpha = .33-.60, rtt = .30-.59). Validität: Im Rahmen der Testkonstruktion wurden Analysen zur Überprüfung der Konstruktvalidität durchgeführt. Der hypothesenkonforme Zusammenhang zwischen K-BIT und ICA-3 unterstützt die Annahme der konvergenten Validität. Die strukturelle Validität ist für die Fragebogenversion gegeben. Bei der Bilderbuchversion zeigt sich, dass die Interessenstruktur von Kindern unter neun Jahren noch nicht der von Erwachsenen entspricht. Der K-BIT kann unter folgendem Link heruntergeladen werden: https://www.testarchiv.eu/retrieval/PSYNDEXTests.php?id=9007683
Katja Päßler
added a research item
Der Bilderinteressentest für Kinder (K-BIT) ermöglicht die empirische Messung kindlicher Interessen in Anlehnung an Hollands RIASEC-Modell. Der K-BIT wurde an zwei Stichproben hinsichtlich Reliabilität, konvergenter sowie struktureller Validität überprüft.
Katja Päßler
added a project goal
The development of vocational interests is an important task in childhood and adolescence. Vocational interests combined with self-efficacy expectations have been established as major factors for future career choices. Various studies show considerable gender differences in interests and self-efficacy expectations in sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These differences are one important factor to explain the lasting inequalities in the distribution of women and men in STEM majors and STEM occupations. However, it still remains unclear how these gender differences in STEM interests develop and crystallize across the life span. Since substantial gender differences can already be identified at the end of primary school, programs at secondary school level, that intend to foster girls STEM interests, are probably scheduled too late or should at least be complemented with programs and activities in primary school.
At what age level gender differences in interests precisely occur and whether there are certain sensitive periods for the promotion of STEM interests has not been established. We therefore want to investigate these research questions with a longitudinal study with preschool and primary school children.
Within this project the following research questions will be analyzed:
1. In the course of a longitudinal study the development of interest and competency beliefs are investigated over three years. On main focus lies on children's transition from preschool to primary school as well as from primary school to secondary school. First, we want to establish whether age-specific mean level exist and whether these differences can be attributed to differentiation processes. Second, we are interested to what extent STEM interests influence competency beliefs and vice versa.
2. Furthermore, our study wants to examine whether gender differences in vocational interests and competency beliefs can already be established in preschoolers and how these gender differences develop with age. Furthermore, we are interested how the transition to primary school and secondary school respectively influences gender differences in interests. Moreover, we want to establish whether gender differences exist in both self-descriptions as well as other perceptions (i.e., parents and teachers).
3. Last, this study expands past research with a focus on family characteristics as well as family activities. Therefore, parents' interest profiles as well as information on STEM family activities are gathered. We are interested how family activities as well as parental interest profiles foster the development of STEM interests in children.