During the last decade, students’ selection of a STEM-related major has become strategically
important. Countries’ futures have become dependent on how successful they are in
developing STEM education programs attracting more students into STEM careers. Research
on STEM career choice tells us that factors inspiring students to choose STEM areas are
similar to the factors affecting students’ non-STEM career choices. For example, Maltese and
Tai (2011) categorized these three factors into three groups: (a) students’ high school experiences,
(b) classroom experiences, and (c) career aspirations. Another group of researchers,
Burkam and Lee (2003), developed a “pipeline” model to explain their observations that
students continuing with more advanced courses in mathematics were more likely to associate
course work with their personal interests and pursuit of a career in a STEM-related discipline.
In another study examining gender differences, Trusty (2002) found that female students
enrolled in advanced mathematics courses and male students who took physics in high school
were more likely to choose majors in mathematics and science, respectively. Another high
school-related research report found that male and female students with high grade point
averages (GPA) and educational aspirations were more likely to major in STEM (Ware and
Lee 1988). International research on the issue yielded similar findings with cohorts of tenth
grade students (Kidd and Naylor 1991). In this study, course enrollments and occupational
interests had the greatest direct effects on students’ STEM major contemplations.