The declining interest in STEM careers in the United Kingdom has raised concerns, prompting this study to explore the intricate relationship between social, cultural, and scientific identities and their impact on students’ inclination towards science and technology career pathways. Additionally, the study examines the associations between gender, gender-related job preferences, and career choices. Data were collected from 1,618 primary and secondary students in the UK. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including regression analysis and multivariate analysis, were employed for analysis. The key findings revealed a significant interaction effect between gender and gender-related job preferences. Social factors were identified as significant mediators, amplifying the influence of gender on career decisions and shaping gender-related job preferences. Cultural factors, particularly related to ethnicity, were found to shape job preferences, while religious affiliation did not exhibit a significant effect. Students’ perceptions of science, stereotypes associated with science professionals, and engagement in science extracurricular activities were positively correlated with a greater likelihood of expressing interest in STEM careers, demonstrating the influential impact of science factors on forming students’ STEM career choices. Interestingly, the type of education (primary or secondary) did not significantly impact job preferences, suggesting that preferences may become more refined or influenced by external factors as students progress in their education.

英国对 STEM 职业的兴趣下降引起了人们的担忧，促使本研究探讨社会、文化和科学身份之间的复杂关系及其对学生倾向于科学和技术职业道路的影响。此外，该研究还研究了性别、与性别相关的工作偏好和职业选择之间的关联。数据收集自英国的 1,618 名中小学生。采用描述性和推理性统计，包括回归分析和多变量分析进行分析。主要研究结果揭示了性别和性别相关工作偏好之间存在显着的交互作用。社会因素被确定为重要的中介因素，放大了性别对职业决策的影响，并塑造了与性别相关的工作偏好。研究发现，文化因素，特别是与种族相关的文化因素会影响工作偏好，而宗教信仰没有表现出显着影响。学生对科学的看法、与科学专业人士相关的刻板印象以及参与科学课外活动与表达对 STEM 职业兴趣的可能性呈正相关，这表明科学因素对形成学生 STEM 职业选择的影响。有趣的是，教育类型（小学或中学）并没有显着影响工作偏好，这表明随着学生教育的进步，偏好可能会变得更加精致或受到外部因素的影响。