Understanding High School Subject Choice and the Decision to Pursue a Career in STEM

Abstract

The primary aim of this thesis was to gain a broad overview of students’ attitudes towards subjects and careers in the domains of science, technology, engineering, and maths. A secondary aim was to gain further understanding about the impact of the promotion and educational work carried out by Horizon Nuclear Power—a nuclear power company in North Wales. Chapter 1 begins with an overview of the current STEM education system in North Wales and some of the factors believed to influence attitudes towards STEM. Moreover, this
chapter outlines the work that Horizon Nuclear Power do. In Chapter 2 we present two complementary studies conducted in North Wales high schools. The first study analysed the results from an online survey with students in Year 7, Year 9, and Year 12 (N = 238). We found that the students did not view people who do well in STEM as “nerdy”, they felt encouraged by their parents to do well in STEM, and factors such as earlier attainment affected their decision to pursue STEM subjects for GCSE/A Level. Study 2 used focus groups (N = 25) to further explore the stereotypes that these students held in relation to STEM professionals. We found that the students held clear perceptions about what STEM professionals look like, act like, and what they do. Furthermore, this study outlined some of the potential driving factors behind post-14 subject choice and students’ understanding of further education and training. Chapter 3 aimed to take the viewpoint of students who had decided to pursue STEM training post-16, in the form of Horizon Nuclear Power’s technical apprenticeship scheme (N = 10). A thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed five
themes. These relate to the decision-making processes behind the decision to pursue a STEM pathway and the advantages associated with apprenticeship schemes. Finally, we discuss the outcomes of this thesis in Chapter 4. This includes the implications for Horizon Nuclear Power and directions for future research.

Date of Award	2018
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Bangor University
Sponsors	Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS)
Supervisor	Carl Hughes (Supervisor) & Stacey Hunter (Supervisor)