Running Away From Math? Analyzing STEM Choice for the Study Program

• In Event: Emotions and Emotion Regulation in Mathematics: New Insights Into Antecedents And Outcomes

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of the present contribution is to investigate how the presence of mathematics in a study curriculum influences students’ university program choice. Specifically, we considered interindividual differences in math attitudes (i.e., math self-concept and self-efficacy), and math-specific (i.e., math anxiety) and broader emotional traits (i.e., neuroticism, general trait and test anxiety) to verify whether the impact of math anxiety on this choice is distinct from more general anxiety types.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework

Career choices, which are often preceded by the selection of a university program, result from the interplay of different contextual and individual factors. In the decisions between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and non-STEM careers, mathematics-related factors play a crucial role, as mathematics is a core knowledge in these disciplines. Mathematical skills alone do not drive the decision between STEM and non-STEM program enrollment. Instead, lower math anxiety and more positive math attitudes, such as math self-concept and math self-efficacy, are associated with a higher interest for science-related careers.
The question arises to which extent the presence of mathematics in a university curriculum influences program choice and how individual differences in math attitudes and emotions contribute to the importance of mathematics in this decision.

Methods

Students’ university programs were categorized based on their mathematics content into low, medium, or high math load. Participants rated how much the presence of mathematics influenced their study choice on a 9-point Likert scale, ranging from the willingness to avoid mathematics to the desire to pursue it (with the neutral option indicating that math did not play a role).
Math anxiety, math self-concept, math self-efficacy, neuroticism, general trait and text anxiety were assessed through self-report questionnaires. We used a person-centered approach, i.e., Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), to identify different profiles of these individual characteristics in our sample. We then tested whether these profiles differed in the influence of mathematics on study choice.

Data sources

We used an openly available dataset (AMATUS dataset, Cipora et al., 2024) consisting of 1049 respondents, of which 837 were included in the present study.

Results

The influence of mathematics on study choice varied by math load: students with low math load wanted to avoid mathematics, while students with high math load wanted to engage with mathematics. Moreover, students with low math attitudes and medium to high anxiety wanted to avoid mathematics. In contrast, students with high math attitudes and low anxiety wanted to study mathematics.

Scientific significance

These findings provide evidence that the amount of mathematics in a study curriculum is a pivotal element for career-related decisions. This highlights the importance of understanding the individual factors that shape whether mathematics is approached or avoided. In this context, math attitudes, and to a lesser extent math anxiety, should be targeted to promote participation in STEM fields.

Authors

• Maristella Lunardon, University of Tuebingen

• Christina Artemenko, University of Tübingen

• Serena Rossi, Loughborough University

• Hans-Christoph Nürk, University of Tübingen

• Krzysztof Cipora, Loughborough University