Abstract

IJLTEMAS

International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering, Management & Applied Science (IJLTEMAS)

IJLTEMAS

2278-2540

IJLTEMAS

10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2026.150700060

Education

Attitude towards Mathematics and Science in Relation to STEM Career Aspirations among Senior Secondary School Students

Bashir Mir

Irfan

Department of Education, Central University of Kashmir, Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, India India

15 7 733 744 27 07 2026 01 08 2026

12 08 2026

Attitude Mathematics Science Career Aspirations STEM Education Senior Secondary Students Baramulla Jammu and Kashmir.

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the attitudes of senior secondary school students towards Mathematics and Science and investigate their relationship with STEM career aspirations in District Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. The study also sought to determine whether gender differences exist in students' attitudes and career aspirations. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A sample of 120 senior secondary school students (Classes XI and XII) was selected from four Government Higher Secondary Schools in District Baramulla using simple random sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire comprising items on attitudes towards Mathematics, attitudes towards Science, and STEM career aspirations. The collected data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 26). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to assess students' attitudes and career aspirations, while Pearson's Product Moment Correlation was employed to examine the relationship between attitudes and STEM career aspirations. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to determine gender differences. Statistical significance was tested at the 0.05 level. The findings revealed that students possessed moderately positive attitudes towards Mathematics (M = 3.74, SD = 0.61) and Science (M = 3.89, SD = 0.58), along with moderately high STEM career aspirations (M = 3.68, SD = 0.72). A significant positive relationship was found between attitudes towards Mathematics and STEM career aspirations (r = 0.592, p < 0.001), as well as between attitudes towards Science and STEM career aspirations (r = 0.664, p < 0.001). The study found no statistically significant gender differences in attitudes towards Mathematics and Science or in STEM career aspirations. The study concludes that positive attitudes towards Mathematics and Science play a significant role in fostering students' aspirations for STEM careers. Strengthening learner-centred pedagogy, laboratory experiences, teacher support, and career guidance programmes can enhance students' interest in STEM disciplines. The findings provide preliminary empirical evidence from District Baramulla and offer useful implications for educators, school administrators, curriculum planners, and policymakers in promoting STEM education and informed career decision-making.

References 1

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.

Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, mathematics performance, and mathematics anxiety. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14(2), 243–248.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.

Bong, M., & Skaalvik, E. M. (2003). Academic self-concept and self-efficacy: How different are they really? Educational Psychology Review, 15(1), 1–40.

Eccles, J. S. (2009). Who am I and what am I going to do with my life? Personal and collective identities as motivators of action. Educational Psychologist, 44(2), 78–89.

Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2020). From expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory: A developmental, social cognitive, and sociocultural perspective on motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101859.

Galende, N., Arrivillaga, A. R., & Madariaga, J. M. (2020). Attitudes towards mathematics in secondary school students: Personal and family factors. Culture and Education, 32(3), 505–531.

Government of India. (2020). National Education Policy 2020. Ministry of Education.

Gottfredson, L. S. (2002). Gottfredson's theory of circumscription, compromise, and self-creation. In D. Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 85–148). Jossey-Bass.

Hackett, G., & Betz, N. E. (1989). An exploration of the mathematics self-efficacy/mathematics performance correspondence. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 20(3), 261–273.

Kennedy, J. P., Quinn, F., & Lyons, T. (2020). The keys to STEM: Australian Year 7 students' attitudes and intentions towards science, mathematics and technology courses. Research in Science Education, 50(5), 1805–1832.

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122.

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2000). Contextual supports and barriers to career choice: A social cognitive analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(1), 36–49.

Ma, X., & Kishor, N. (1997). Assessing the relationship between attitude toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28(1), 26–47.

Makarova, E., Aeschlimann, B., & Herzog, W. (2019). The gender gap in STEM fields: The impact of the gender stereotype of math and science on secondary students' career aspirations. Frontiers in Education, 4, Article 60.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2019). PISA 2018 results (Volume I): What students know and can do. OECD Publishing.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023). Mathematics for life and work. OECD Publishing.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). PISA 2022 results (Volume V): Learning strategies, motivation and future readiness. OECD Publishing.

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2014). School goal structure: Associations with students' perceptions, engagement, and achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 17(4), 519–539.

Smit, R., Robin, N., & De Toffol, C. (2020). Explaining secondary students' career intentions for technology and engineering jobs using an expectancy-value model. Frontiers in Education, 5, Article 39.

Super, D. E. (1990). A life-span, life-space approach to career development. In D. Brown & L. Brooks (Eds.), Career choice and development (2nd ed., pp. 197–261). Jossey-Bass.

Tapia, M., & Marsh, G. E. (2004). An instrument to measure mathematics attitudes. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 8(2), 16–21.

UNESCO. (2021). Engineering for sustainable development: Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. UNESCO.

UNESCO. (2022). Global education monitoring report 2022: Gender report. UNESCO.

Wang, M. T., & Degol, J. L. (2013). Motivational pathways to STEM career choices: Using expectancy-value perspective. Educational Psychologist, 48(1), 22–39.

Wang, M. T., Eccles, J. S., & Kenny, S. (2013). Not lack of ability but more choice: Individual and gender differences in STEM career aspirations. Psychological Science, 24(5), 770–775.

Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 68–81.

Wigfield, A., Tonks, S., & Klauda, S. L. (2016). Expectancy-value theory. In K. R. Wentzel & D. B. Miele (Eds.), Handbook of motivation at school (2nd ed., pp. 55–74). Routledge.

Xie, Y., Fang, M., & Shauman, K. (2015). STEM education. Annual Review of Sociology, 41, 331–357.

Zeldin, A. L., Britner, S. L., & Pajares, F. (2008). A comparative study of the self-efficacy beliefs of successful men and women in mathematics, science, and technology careers. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(9), 1036–1058.