04. Kolesnikova E.M., Kudenko I.А. Schoolchildren’s Perceptions of STEM Professions and Careers in Russia: Results of a Pilot Study

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DOI: 10.15507/1991-9468.108.026.202203.449-465

Schoolchildren’s Perceptions of STEM Professions and Careers in Russia: Results of a Pilot Study

Elena M. Kolesnikova
Senior Researcher, Institute of Sociology – Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (bld. 5, 24/35 Krzhizhanovskiy St., Moscow 117218, Russian Federation), Cand.Sci. (Sociol.), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2174-2524, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Irina A. Kudenko
Principal Evaluator, Kudenko Consulting Ltd. – Global Evaluation and Research Services (16-18 Duke Street, Berkshire RG1 4RU, UK), Cand.Sci. (Geography), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2110-8806, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Absrtact
Introduction. The world of work is undergoing a global shift fuelled by technological innovation, demographic changes and environmental problems. This heightens the demand for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) competencies which are seen as a catalyst for social and economic development. The purpose of this study was to investigate learner views on STEM professions, the learners’ overall attitudes regarding STEM, as well as their aspirations and willingness to choose a career in STEM and identify factors which are crucial in forming young people’s interests in studying STEM and pursuing STEM careers.
Materials and Methods. This pilot study was conducted in May 2019 across three schools in the Moscow region. The authors used a slightly modified version of the learner questionnaire used by the European study “ECB-inGenious” to investigate perceptions of STEM careers among Russian learners in grades 8–9 and 10–11.
Results. Overall, it was determined that a combination of intrinsic (cognitive and attitudinal) and extrinsic (social, cultural and economic) factors were responsible for learner engagement in STEM. Learners showed a strong awareness of STEM’s significance to society and displayed positive perceptions of STEM careers, although jobs in industry appeared less popular than those in other areas of STEM. Some factors, such as a learner’s personal experiences of STEM in and out of the classroom can even play a decisive role in shaping aspirations towards STEM careers. Younger learners expressed more enthusiasm for STEM careers than their older counterparts. Learners enrolled in classes specialising in STEM and learners whose parent(s) worked in STEM-related professions showed stronger positive attitudes to STEM careers.
Discussion and Conclusion. To make an informed decision, learners require practical information and advice regarding STEM careers; schools can play an important role in this process. This guidance must begin early, ideally from primary school when learners are more enthused and interested in learning about STEM careers. It is also advisable for learners to be given more opportunities to join extracurricular STEM activities; consequently, a learner’s understanding of STEM subjects is expanded outside the academic curriculum which can spark a longlasting interest in the subject. Additionally, STEM subjects’ curriculums require enriching with real-life examples and should be contextualised in terms of relevant careers. Finally, schools should be encouraged to organise regular engagements with STEM professionals.

Keywords: sociology of professions, engineer, reproduction of engineering personnel, STEM, school, career guidance, career choice, gender stereotypes, bayesian approach

Conflict of interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

For citation: Kolesnikova E.M., Kudenko I.А. Schoolchildren’s Perceptions of STEM Professions and Careers in Russia: Results of a Pilot Study. Integration of Education. 2022;26(3):449–465. doi: https://doi.org/10.15507/1991-9468.108.026.202203.449-465

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 02.11.2021; approved after reviewing 17.01.2022;
accepted for publication 26.01.2022.

Contribution of the authors:
Е. M. Kolesnikova – implementation of the part of the project presented in the article; justification of the concept of the article; literature review; preparation of the article; critical analysis of the text; analysis of the literature on the stated problem; participation in processing the results of the research; structuring the text of the article; generation of the conceptual idea and methodology.
I. A. Kudenko – justification of article concept; literature review; preparation of article text version; critical analysis of text; analysis of literature on stated problem; participation in processing of research results; structuring of article text; generation of conceptual idea and methodology; data curation.

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