LIfe Goals, Gender Roles, and STEM Career Interest (GSE grant 2012-2015)

This study investigated how life goals and gender roles interact to effect changes in STEM career interests and college majors over the course of the college years. To achieve this goal we: a) systematically examined multiple aspects of communal goals, including marriage, family, and helping; b) investigated the impact of romantic relationship goals and the gender roles that accompany them in predicting women’s STEM interest; and c) examined how Biology majors, where women are more represented, compare to other STEM majors with respect to life goals and gender roles. The project met these objectives through a longitudinal study of over 2,200 college students at a state university in the southeastern United State who were considering a major in STEM. Second and 3rd year STEM students were surveyed about their life goals, perceptions of gender roles, and career interests at three time points approximately one year apart. A subset of women in serious romantic relationships and their partners completed additional measures about their expectations for their future work, relationship, and family roles. The research documented changes in majors and career interests and their association with changes in life goals and perceptions of gender roles. Both survey and experimental methods were used to measure these constructs.

本研究探讨了人生目标与性别角色的交互作用，及其在大学就读期间对科学、技术、工程与数学（STEM）领域职业兴趣及大学专业选择变化的影响。
为实现该研究目标，本研究开展了三项工作：a）系统考察了社群性目标的多个维度，涵盖婚姻、家庭与助人相关内容；b）探究了恋爱关系目标及其伴随的性别角色对女性STEM职业兴趣的预测效应；c）对比了女性占比更高的生物学专业与其他STEM专业在人生目标及性别角色认知上的差异。
本项目通过纵向研究达成上述研究目标：招募了美国东南部某州立大学中2200余名有意向攻读STEM专业的在校大学生。
以间隔约一年的三个时间点，对大二、大三的STEM专业学生开展追踪调查，调研内容涵盖其人生目标、性别角色认知与职业兴趣。
另有一部分处于稳定恋爱关系中的女性受访者及其伴侣，完成了额外测评工具，内容涉及对未来工作、恋爱关系与家庭角色的期望。
本研究记录了专业选择与职业兴趣的变化情况，并分析了其与人生目标及性别角色认知变化的关联。
本研究同时采用问卷调查与实验法对上述研究构念进行测量。