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Making a career choice

A recently published study was interested in identifying the reasons why people pursue specific educational and career trajectories – like choosing a science, technology, engineering and mathematics major versus a non-STEM¹ major in college. We know that having a specific academic identity, like considering oneself a “math person”, is one of the reasons people choose a corresponding career path. The study aimed at finding out when some kids start to lean toward identifying this way. It focused on math and language arts because they are the most common subjects in the U.S. K-12 system²; for example, the SAT³ has two main sections: English and math. There is also a gender stereotype that reading is for girls and math is for boys.

The investigation team analyzed data involving 142 independent samples across the world, featuring almost 211,000 students from 16 countries and regions. This data includes self-reported confidence and interest in math and language arts from students in different grades. It was found that during primary school, students who reported high confidence and interest in language arts were also likely to report high confidence and interest in math.

However, as students progress though the school years, this pattern gradually changes. In high school, students who reported high confidence and interest in language arts reported lower confidence and interest, on average, in math, and vice versa. In other words, students become more likely to think that they’re either a math person or a reading person as they progress through their school years.

The study suggests that some students develop a misconception that they can only be either a math or a reading person as they move from primary to secondary school. This misconception can have a dark side: students might disengage from subjects that they perceive as their relative weaknesses even when they are actually good at these subjects relative to other students. In other words, the misconception found in our study can lead some students to miss out on educational opportunities.

(Sirui Wan. www.theconversation.com, 29.08.2022. Adaptado)

¹ STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

² the publicly-supported school years prior to college, from kindergarden to 12th grade.

³ a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States.