A Program-Based Comparative Study of Enjoyment of Mathematics Lessons and Career Aspirations of Upper Secondary Students under Math-Science and Math-English Programs According to Their Career Fields in Assumption College, Bangrak, Thailand
Keywords:
Enjoyment of Mathematics Lessons, Career Aspirations, Career Fields, Upper Secondary Students, Thailand.Abstract
This study was conducted on Math-Science and Math-English program students at Assumption College, Bangrak, Thailand, to examine their enjoyment of mathematics lessons, career aspirations and career fields sought, as well as their enjoyment of mathematics lessons according to their career fields. A population sample of 142 upper secondary students enrolled in the English program during the academic year 2018-2019 at the target school, participated in this study. For data collection purposes, two research instruments were used: the Questionnaire on Enjoyment of Mathematics Lessons (QEML) (adaptation of TOSRA, originally developed by Fraser, 1981) and the Career Aspiration Scale-Revised (CAS-R) (Gregor & O’Brien, 2015). Upon data collection, both the QEML (used to determine the participants’ enjoyment of mathematics lessons) and the CAS-R (used to determine the participants’ career aspiration and sought-after career fields) were found to be reliable instruments. In order to test the hypotheses of this study, the collected data were statistically analyzed, performing independent samples t-test and a 6 (career field) ´ 2 (academic program) factorial analysis of variance. It was found that there was a significant difference in the enjoyment of mathematics lessons held by the participants, according to their academic program. However, no significant difference was found in the career aspirations between Math-Science and Math-English program students. The study also revealed that the interaction between the career field and the academic program had no statistically significant effect on the enjoyment of mathematics lessons of the participating students. Based on the research findings, recommendations for teachers, school administrators, students and future researchers are provided.
References
Anwar, M., Iqbal, H. M., & Harrison, C. (2012). Students’ attitude towards science: A case of Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9(2), 3-9.
Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44(9), 1175-1189.
Betz, N. E., & Hackett, G. (1981). The relationship of career-related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28(5), 399-402.
Brown, D. (2002). The role of work and cultural values in occupational choice, satisfaction, and success: A theoretical statement. Journal of Counseling & Development, 80(1), 48-56.
Crumb, C., Moore, C., & Ramos‐Wada, A. (2011). Who wants to have a career in science or math? Exploring adolescents' future aspirations by gender and race/ethnicity. Science Education, 95(3), 458-476.
Domenico, D. M., & Jones, K. H. (2007). Career aspirations of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 25(1), 24-33.
Eppler, M. A., & Harju, B. L. (1997). Achievement motivation goals in relation to academic performance in traditional and nontraditional college students. Research in Higher Education, 38(5), 557-573.
Fraser, B. J. (1981). TOSRA: Test of Science-Related Attitudes: Handbook. Hawthorn, Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Hackett, G., & Betz, N. E. (1981). A self-efficacy approach to the career development of women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 18(3), 326-339.
Hansen, L. S. (1976). Career development education: Humanizing focus for educators. Journal of Career Education, 3(1), 42-48.
Kim, Y. H., O’Brien, K. M., & Kim, H. (2016). Measuring career aspirations across cultures: Using the Career Aspiration Scale with young Korean women. Journal of Career Assessment, 24(3), 573-585.
Krumboltz, J. D. (2009). The happenstance learning theory. Journal of Career Assessment, 17(2), 134-154.
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2002). Social cognitive career theory. Career Choice and Development, 4(2), 255-311.
Linderman, A. J. (2010). Seventh grade student career aspirations and academic achievement. Educational Research Information Centre, 1(3), 17-25.
National Research Council. (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academies Press
Nyacomba, K. Z. (2017). Relationship between students’ mathematics achievement and career aspirations in secondary schools of Kandara sub-county, Kenya (Unpublished master’s thesis). Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sells, L. W. (1973). High school mathematics as the critical filter in the job market. Proceedings of the Conference on Minority Graduate Education (pp. 37-49). Berkeley, CA: University of California.
Uusimaki, L., & Nason, R. (2004). Causes Underlying Pre-Service Teachers' Negative Beliefs and Anxieties about Mathematics. International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education.
Watt, H. M. (2004). Development of adolescents' self‐perceptions, values, and task perceptions according to gender and domain in 7th‐through 11th‐grade Australian students. Child development, 75(5), 1556-1574.
Webb, A. M. (2014). A cross-cultural analysis of the Test of Science Related Attitudes (Unpublished master’s thesis). Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA.
Welch, A. G. (2010). Using the TOSRA to assess high school students’ attitudes toward science after competing in the first robotics competition: An exploratory study. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 6(3), 53-57