Fitting the STEM interests of middle school children into the RIASEC structural space

Abstract

This paper aims to explore middle school children's interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the context of Holland’s model of vocational interests. The participants comprised 627 students aged 13 years, equally distributed by gender. The results showed that boys expressed stronger STEM interests than girls, with the most pronounced differences in engineering and technology. Most STEM interests fit along the People–Things dimension, while interest in science inclined toward the Ideas pole. We suggest that career counselors assess different STEM interests individually and invest efforts in retaining girls in STEM fields by providing gender-responsive career guidance.