Thisstudy employed Stirling engine and cup speaker projects in STEM project-based
learning, using social cognitive theory and SCCT as the foundation for developing a
model through SEM verification. We found that female high school students’ STEM
self-efficacy and professional commitment to engineering is influenced most strongly
by female engineer role models, followed by female gender role beliefs. For the girls
who participated in the STEM projects, observing or learning from the successful
examples of female engineer role models gave them the experience of vicarious learning,
further devoting themselves to STEM projects and improving their evaluations
of their own abilities in STEM. Meanwhile, the results enhance the female high school
students’ evaluation of the engineering field, as students can develop enthusiasm and
confidence in studying engineering as a result of having female engineer role models.
The elevation of personal STEM ability would further affect their selection intentions
in the profession of engineering. In addition, when female high school students identify
with the perspectives of women’s self-development and gender equality, they would
be less constrained by traditional female roles and would show greater self-confidence
12 Liu, Lou, Shih
in the engineering field. Gradually, the students would have more interest in and enthusiasm
for learning about engineering or working in the field. Thus, for female high
school students, an expansion of female gender role beliefs and an increase in female
engineer role models would enhance personal STEM self-efficacy and would further
affect their selection intention for the engineering profession. In other words, in the
model of professional commitment to engineering among female high school students,
the variables in female gender role beliefs, female engineer models, and STEM selfefficacy
have good explanatory power. The cross-theoretical model developed in this
study can indeed use female gender role beliefs and female engineer role models to
predict STEM self-efficacyand professional commitment to engineering among female
students.