Profiling of Aspiration and Interest towards STEM and TVET Careers among Lower Secondary Students: A Malaysian Case Study

Abstract

Education system in Malaysia continues to develop and expands to meet the demands of 21st century that strongly advocates the use of technology in teaching and learning. As such, basic education gives greater emphasis on two fields; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) and TVET (Technology & Vocational Education Training) in order to encourage school students to pursue higher education in STEM and TVET fields. The purpose of this study is to identify profiling of career aspiration and interest of students in both fields. Using Career Exploration Test adapted from Self Directed Search (SDS) with 90 items to evaluate six types of career interests: Realistic (R), Investigative (I), Artistic (A), Social (S), Enterprising (E) and Conventional (C), 138 form one from a particular secondary school in Hulu Langat district were sampled as respondents to this case study. Findings showed that the pattern of dominant traits of interest were Social (S), Investigative (I), and Realistic (R). In general, there was no difference between female and male students. However, for Realistic (R) dimension, majority of male students were dominant as compared to female students. Further findings also showed the existence of high congruency between aspiration and interest for career dimensions of Social (S), Investigative (I) and Realistic (R). This study has implications for schools and related stakeholders to conduct career development programs especially to nurture the interests among students in STEM and TVET among Form One students.