STEM ATTITUDE DISPARITY: THE IMPACT OF LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN VOCATIONALLY-ORIENTED POLYTECHNIC AND UNIVERSITY ON STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY, EXPECTANCY-VALUE, AND CAREER INTEREST

TitleSTEM ATTITUDE DISPARITY: THE IMPACT OF LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN VOCATIONALLY-ORIENTED POLYTECHNIC AND UNIVERSITY ON STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY, EXPECTANCY-VALUE, AND CAREER INTEREST
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2024
AuthorsXu, S-R, Zhou, S-N
JournalJournal of Baltic Science Education
Volume23
Issue5
Start Page979-989
PaginationContinuous
Date PublishedOctober/2024
Type of ArticleOriginal article
ISSN1648-3898
Other NumbersE-ISSN 2538-7138
Keywordscareer interest, expectancy-value, learning experiences, self-efficacy, STEM attitude
Abstract

Learning experiences are widely recognized as crucial in developing students’ attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Vocationally-oriented polytechnics and universities provide distinct learning experiences that may significantly influence students’ STEM self-efficacy, expectancy-value and career interest. The study explores how the unique learning experiences shape students' STEM attitudes among 487 students during their fourth semester at vocationally-oriented polytechnic and university. The S-STEM survey was adopted as the measurement instrument. The result showed that university students displayed a more favorable overall STEM attitude compared to students enrolled in vocational-oriented polytechnic. University students demonstrated greater STEM self-efficacy than polytechnic students, but no significant difference in STEM expectancy-value was detected between the two groups. From the perspective of inter-group comparison, university education consistently fostered students a heightened sense of STEM self-efficacy, expectancy-value and career interest in science, whereas vocationally-oriented polytechnic education boasted its unique strengths in cultivating robust attitudes and career interests towards science and engineering/technology. However, students in both institutions exhibited a relatively less positive attitude towards learning mathematics. The findings highlight the importance of learning experiences in shaping students' STEM attitudes and career interests.

URLhttps://oaji.net/articles/2023/987-1729496070.pdf
DOI10.33225/jbse/24.23.979
Refereed DesignationRefereed
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