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Rural Appalachian High School Students' College-Going and STEMM Perceptions
Pamela H Rosecrance1, Danielle Graham1, Sam Manring1
1Pamela H. Rosecrance, Danielle Graham, Sam Manring, Katherine D. Cook, and Erin E. Hardin, Department of Psychology, and Melinda M. Gibbons, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Rural Appalachian students aspiring to science careers show higher confidence. Young women demonstrated greater college-going self-efficacy than young men in this study.
Area of Science:
- Education
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) provides a framework for understanding educational and career development.
- Rural Appalachian students face unique challenges in accessing higher education and STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medical) opportunities.
- Understanding the perceptions of college-going and STEMM careers is crucial for addressing educational disparities in underserved regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine key Social Cognitive Career Theory variables related to college-going and STEMM careers among rural Appalachian high school students.
- To investigate differences in these perceptions based on gender, prospective first-generation college student status, and STEMM career aspirations.
- To inform interventions aimed at reducing educational and vocational inequalities in rural Appalachia.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to 892 10th and 11th graders from three rural Appalachian high schools.
- Analysis of perceptions related to Social Cognitive Career Theory variables, gender, first-generation status, and STEMM career aspirations.
- Statistical comparison of scores across different demographic and aspiration groups.
Main Results:
- Young women reported higher college-going self-efficacy than young men.
- Students with STEMM career aspirations scored higher on all measured variables compared to those without.
- No significant differences were found between genders on most variables, suggesting similar perceptions regarding college and STEMM careers.
Conclusions:
- STEMM career aspirations are strongly linked to positive perceptions of college-going and related factors in this population.
- The study highlights the need to consider "unsure" first-generation status as a distinct group in future research.
- Findings underscore the importance of targeted support to reduce educational and vocational inequalities for rural Appalachian youth in STEMM fields.
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