Is Career-Choice Intention Affected by ＂Situation＂? Analyzing TIMSS 2011 With Social Cognitive Career Theory

Abstract

Understanding the reasons for selecting mathematics as their intended career can help students become familiar with their own goals and help teachers encourage their students to achieve ＂talent development.＂ By using data from TIMSS 2011 (2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science) on 5,042 eighth-grade students from Taiwan, the current study confirmed the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and accounted for situational variables, such as school, teacher, and parent characteristics. The partial least squares structural equation modeling results confirmed the main path hypotheses of SCCT and demonstrated that math outcome expectations and interests have a direct effect on the students` career-choice intention, whereas self-efficacy has an indirect effect. SCCT included situational variables to demonstrate that teacher instruction had moderate implications on self-efficacy and an indirect effect on the career-choice intention, with regard to student interests, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. Other situational variables, such as school atmosphere and parental support, had little-to-no effect on the career-choice intention. Finally, some conclusions and suggested applications were stated.

瞭解選擇數學領域的原因，可讓學生評估自己、教師鼓勵學生，以此達到適性發展的目的。本研究以國際數學與科學教育成就趨勢調查2011年八年級5,042位學生資料，進行社會認知生涯理論驗證，接著加入學校、教師和父母情境影響變項，採取部分最小平方法結構方程式模型進行分析。研究結果顯示：符合社會認知生涯理論的興趣模型和選擇模型主要路徑假設，數學職業選擇意圖受結果期待與學習興趣的直接影響，而自我效能則是產生較多間接影響；加入情境因素後，只有教師教學對自我效能具中等重要性，但要透過學習興趣、自我效能或結果期待來對數學職業意圖產生影響，直接影響的效果量偏低；其他如「學校氣氛」和「父母協助」等因素，其直接或間接影響效果也都微乎其微。本研究依據研究結果，提出相關建議。