Learners’ career choices in STEM education: A review of empirical studies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to systematically review articles on the career choices of learners and STEM. The first goal was to classify research on career choice and STEM to identify trends and gaps in the literature. The second goal was to summarize the findings related to learners’ career choices at STEM and interpret them according to what has been reported in the literature. In this study, the PRISMA method was used to review articles in the educational literature STEM. Sixty-seven articles published in indexed journals in SCOPUS that met the specified criteria were analyzed systematically. The results showed that 51 of 67 articles were involved in the analysis to review by researchers. The results also showed that the earliest article that addressed career choice and STEM was published in 2011, and most of the articles studied were published after 2017. The results also showed that most articles on career choice in STEM were conducted in the United States, Israel, and Spain. The preferred sample groups in research on career choice in STEM fields are mostly high school and undergraduate students. In addition, the studies were broadly classified into five categories, including the effects of STEM activities and the effects on teachers, the effects of some variables on learners’ career choices, the study of learners’ career choices, and parental attitudes. Based on the results obtained from this research, implications are made for future research.