Social Cognitive Factors, Support, and Engagement: Early Adolescents’ Math Interests as Precursors to Choice of Career

The authors examined the central hypothesis that students' early perceptions of support and sense of engagement in math classes and math activities strongly influence the broadening or narrowing of their math interest. The focus was on the first wave of qualitative data collected from 5th-, 7th-, and 9th-grade students during the 2007-2008 academic year as part of a longitudinal study. Findings indicate the importance of using group work and extrinsic motivation in middle school math classes to broaden interest; peer classroom behavior was often a detractor of math interest. Keywords: social learning and cognitive theory, math interest, middle school students With the need for a stronger global workforce in the United States, careers and education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have been declared national priorities (National Science Board [NSB], 2007). For older high school and college students, high math and science self-efficacy and positive outcome expectations have been shown to have a strong association with specific educational and career interests (Hackett & Betz, 1981). These beliefs have a strong negative influence on some women's choices to pursue STEM-related majors and careers. By contrast, limited information is available on the role of other factors on early, pre-high school career interests. In fact, little is known about children's career development at all (McMahon & Watson, 2008; Porfeli, Hartung, & Vondracek, 2008). Few studies have examined the relationship of social cognitive factors and support to STEM choices with young people in late childhood and early adolescence. Furthermore, few studies have focused on the ways that math engagement, in addition to perceived support from peers, teachers, or parents, might influence the development of STEM interests, particularly mathematics interest, among middle and high school students. In this article, we present qualitative findings from the 1st year of a 3-year study designed to characterize STEM interests, goals, and behaviors among girls and boys in late childhood and early adolescence. We focused on mathematics as the critical foundation and early filter for later STEM-related educational and career options. More specifically, the research we present in this article examined student perceptions of support and barriers to the development of math interests and the perceived influence of math engagement. Given that the development of math interest is complex and highly phenomenological, based on each person's experiences and meaning making, qualitative inquiry is the most appropriate approach for examining these perceptions. Social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) acknowledges human agency in the career development process through the key mechanisms of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal goals. The theory further positions career-related interest, choice, and performance within the interlocking developmental processes of academic and career interests, goals, and performance (Lent, 2005). The first two processes (i.e., interest development and goal development) are most directly related to STEM-related interests in pre- and early adolescence. Children and adolescents are exposed to a variety of educational, recreational, and peer environments; experiences; and activities (e.g., math classes, mechanical tasks, computer activities). These also influence later career interests and choices (Lent, 2005; Lent et al., 1994). Parents, teachers, peers, and others sometimes unintentionally encourage young people to pursue some activities or tasks and to achieve expected levels of performance (Lent, 2005; Lent et al., 1994). Through repeated encouragement and concomitant practice, children cultivate some skills, forming positive self-efficacy beliefs and a set of positive outcome expectations related to the associated tasks (Lent, 2005; Lent et al., 1994). …