Parents' occupations and stem vocational interests of high school students

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the extent to which parents' STEM careers can explain the vocational interests of senior high school students. The sample included 463 students (33% male) who provided information on their parents' occupations and completed a vocational interest questionnaire (PGI-S) through a larger online survey. As a measure of STEM interest, we used scores on the following PGI scales: Data Processing, Mechanical, Nature/Outdoors, and Things. Parents' occupations were coded into STEM and non-STEM categories. The results indicate significantly higher STEM interests in young men, with the exception of interest on the Nature/Outdoors scale. Small effects of father's occupation were found on the Things, Data Processing, and Mechanical scales. An analysis of the interaction between parents' occupations showed that on certain interest scales, the positive effect of the father's STEM occupation was present only if the mother had a STEM occupation. The effects of parental occupations did not differ for male and female students. The results outline the significance of parental STEM occupations as a form of STEM capital, the importance of examining the influence of both parents, and the heterogeneity of student STEM interests.