Although personal inputs and contextual variables in social cognitive career theory (SCCT) are recognized as key factors that affect career interests and choices, research has given minimal attention to the role of these variables in a collectivistic culture context. We present a study examining science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career decision-making process of 12 Taiwanese high school students aged 15–17, using a consensual qualitative research method. The data analysis resulted in four domains: personal input, contextual variables, outcome expectations, and self-efficacy identified by SCCT. These results provide a foundation for future research on cross-cultural STEM career development. Implications highlight the importance of counselors in encouraging students of collectivistic culture background to pursue STEM careers.
BanduraA. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191–215. doi:10.1037/0033-295x.84.2.191
2.
BanduraA. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
3.
BanduraA. (1994). Self-efficacy. In RamachaudranV. S. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71–81). New York: Academic Press(Reprinted in H. Friedman [Ed.], Encyclopedia of mental health. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998).
4.
BernhardE.SilkeL.ManuelaP. (2017). The impact of gender stereotypes on the self-concept of female students in STEM subjects with an under-representation of females. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1–10. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00703
5.
Byars-WinstonA. M.FouadN. A. (2008). Math and science social cognitive variables in college students: Contributions of contextual factors in predicting goals. Journal of Career Assessment, 16, 425–440. doi:10.1177/1069072708318901
6.
ChaoR. (1996). Chinese and European American mothers’ beliefs about the role of parenting in children’s school success. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 27, 403–423. doi:10.1177/0022022196274002
7.
ChenW.HoH. (2012). The relation between perceived parental involvement and academic achievement: The roles of Taiwanese students’ academic beliefs and filial piety. International Journal of Psychology, 47, 315–324. doi:10.1080/00207594.2011.630004
8.
ChouS.LiuE.LinM.LiuJ. (2015). Better peers, better scores? A study of twin junior high school graduates in Taiwan. Applied Economics, 47, 3462–3481. doi:10.1080/00036846.2015.1016209
9.
FalcoL. D. (2017). The school counselor and STEM career development. Journal of Career Development, 44, 359–374. doi:10.1177/0894845316656445
FouadN. A.SantanaM. C. (2017). SCCT and underrepresented populations in STEM fields: Moving the needle. Journal of Career Assessment, 25, 24–39. doi:10.1177/1069072716658324
12.
GistM. E.MitchellT. R. (1992). Self-efficacy: A theoretical analysis of its determinants and malleability. Academy of Management Review, 17, 183–211. doi:10.2307/258770
13.
HartungP. J.PorfeliE. J.VondracekF. W. (2005). Child vocational development: A review and reconsideration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 385–419. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2004.05.006
14.
HillC. E. (2010). Consensual qualitative research: A practical resource for investigating social science phenomena. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
15.
HillC. E.KnoxS.ThompsonB. J.WilliamsE. N.HessS. A.LadanyN. (2005). Consensual qualitative research: An update. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 196–205. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.196
16.
HillC. E.ThompsonB. J.WilliamsE. N. (1997). A guide to conducting consensual qualitative research. The Counseling Psychologist, 25, 517–572. doi:10.1177/0011000097254001
17.
HouH.HuangC. (2012). An analysis of Taiwanese aboriginal students’ educational aspirations. Higher Education Studies, 2, 79–99. doi:10.5539/hes.v2n2p79
18.
HowardK. A. S.CarlstromA. H.KatzA. D.ChewA. Y.RayC.LaineL.CaulumD. (2011). Career aspirations of youth: Untangling race/ethnicity, SES, and gender. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79, 98–109. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2010.12.002
19.
HuiK.LentR. W. (2018). The roles of family, culture, and social cognitive variables in the career interests and goals of Asian American college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65, 98–109. doi:10.1037/cou0000235
20.
LapanR. T.KosciulekJ. F. (2001). Toward a community career system program evaluation framework. Journal of Counseling and Development, 79, 3–15. doi:10.1002/8j.1556-6676.2001.tb01938.x
21.
LeeJ.-J.LeeK.-P. (2009). Facilitating dynamics of focus group interview in East Asia: Evidence and tools by cross-cultural study. International Journal of Design, 3, 17–28.
22.
LentR. W.BrownS. D. (2013). Understanding and facilitating career development in the 21st century. In BrownS. D.LentR. W. (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (2nd ed., pp. 1–28). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
23.
LentR. W.BrownS. D.HackettG. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79–122. doi:10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027
24.
LentR. W.BrownS. D.HackettG. (2000). Contextual supports and barriers to career choice: A social cognitive analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 36–49. doi:10.1037//0022-167.47.1.36
25.
LentR. W.LopezJ. A. M.LopezF. G.SheuH. B. (2008). Social cognitive career theory and the prediction of interests and choice goals in the computing disciplines. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73, 52–62. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2008.01.002
26.
LouS. J.ChenP. H.ShihR. C.TsaiH. L.TsaiH. Y. (2009). A study of STEM integrated teaching method applied in the nature and science technology field of junior high school (in Chinese). NPUST Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 3, 42–66.
MauW. C. (1997). Parental influences on the high school students’ academic achievement: A comparison of Asian immigrant, Asian Americans, and White Americans. Psychology in the Schools, 34, 267–277. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1520-6807(199707)34:3<267::AID-PITS9>3.0.CO;2-L
29.
MauW. C. (2003). Factors influencing persistence in science and engineering career aspirationsCareer Development Quarterly, 51, 234–243. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2003.tb00604.x
30.
MauW. C.BikosL. H. (2000). Educational and vocational aspirations of minority and female students: A longitudinal study. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78, 186–194. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2000.tb02577.x
31.
MayG. S.ChubinD. E. (2003). A retrospective on undergraduate engineering success for underrepresented minority students. Journal of Engineering Education, 92, 27–39. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2003.tb00735.x
32.
MethenyJ.McWhirterE. H.O’NeilM. E. (2008). Measuring perceived teacher support and its influence on adolescent career development. Journal of Career Assessment, 16, 218–237. doi:10.1177/1069072707313198
33.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq. (2002).
34.
O’BrienL. T.BlodornA.AdamsG.GarciaD. M.HammerE. (2015). Ethnic variation in gender-STEM stereotypes and STEM participation: An intersectional approach. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21, 169–180. doi:10.1037/a0037944
PattonM. Q. (2002). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (3rd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
37.
PhillipsonS.PhillipsonS. N. (2007). Academic expectations, beliefs of ability, and involvement by parents as predictors of child achievement: A cross-cultural comparison. Educational Psychology, 27, 329–348. doi:10.1080/01443410601104130
38.
RobnettR. D.LeaperC. (2013). Friendship groups, personal motivation, and gender in relation to high school students’ STEM career interest. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23, 652–664. doi:10.111/jora.12013
39.
RottinghausP. J.FalkN. A.ParkC. J. (2018). Career assessment and counseling for STEM: A critical review. Career Development Quarterly, 66, 2–34. doi:10.1002/cdq.12119
40.
RubinH. J.RubinI. S. (2012). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
41.
SadlerP. M.SonnertG.HazariZ.TaiR. (2014). The role of advanced high school coursework in increasing STEM career interest. Science Educator, 23, 1–13.
42.
SahinA.EkmekciA.WaxmanH. C. (2018). Collective effects of individual, behavioral, and contextual factors on high school students’ future STEM career plans. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 16, 69–89. doi:10.1007/s10763-017-9847-x
43.
SchultheissD. E. (2008). Current status and future agenda for the theory, research, and practice of childhood career development. Career Development Quarterly, 57, 7–24. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2008.tb00162.x
44.
SheuH.BordonJ. J. (2017). SCCT research in the international context: Empirical evidence, future directions, and practical implications. Journal of Career Assessment, 25, 58–74. doi:10.1177/1069072716657826
45.
ShinS.RachmatullahA.RoshayantiF.HaM.LeeJ.-K. (2018). Career motivation of secondary students in STEM: A cross-cultural study between Korea and Indonesia. International Journal of Educational Vocational Guidance, 18, 203–231. doi:10.1007/s10775-017-9355-0
46.
ShoffnerM. F.NewsomeD.Barrio MintonC. A.Wachter MorrisC. A. (2015). A qualitative exploration of the STEM career-related outcome expectations of young adolescents. Journal of Career Development, 42, 102–116. doi:10.1177/0894845314544033
47.
StipanovicN.WooH. (2017). Understanding African American students’ experiences in STEM education: An ecological systems approach. Career Development Quarterly, 65, 192–206. doi:10.1002/cdq.12092
48.
TienH. S. (1996). The vocational interest structure of Taiwanese high school students. Chinese Report of Guidance and Counseling, 4, 69–93.
49.
TienH. S. (1999). A qualitative analysis of career barriers perceived by women in Taiwan. Bulletin of Educational Psychology in Taiwan, 31, 89–107.
50.
TienH. S.WangY. (2016). Career counseling research and practice in Taiwan. Career Development Quarterly, 64, 231–243. doi:10.1002/cdq.12057
51.
TienH. S.WangY. F.LiuL. C. (2009). The role of career barriers in high school students’ career choice behavior in Taiwan. Career Development Quarterly, 57, 274–288. doi:10.1002/j.2161-0045.2009.tb00112.x
