Working students and major intention: Considering proximal contextual influences and entrance into STEM fields

Abstract

High demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and expertise continues in the U.S. workforce, and the shortages of workers in many STEM positions persist. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) proposes that in addition to the core SCCT predictors (i.e., self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and interests), proximal influences (i.e., external factors) will influence undergraduates’ intention to declare a STEM major. College costs are on the rise and many students feel compelled to work to mitigate these costs. Two proximal contextual influences that have not been adequately explored are students’ working hours and financial stress. Participants included 496 undergraduate students from a southcentral university with a substantial population identifying as Native American. Structural equation modeling and factor score regression were used across three time points to investigate the relative effect core SCCT predictors and students’ working hours have on intention to declare a STEM major and examine the moderating role of financial stress in these relationships. Results highlight the importance of making adequate financial resources available to students and augmenting their science identity, as both can impact entrance into STEM fields. The number of hours a student worked was not a significant predictor of STEM major intention but financial stress did moderate the relationship between science identity and STEM major intention. Theoretical and practical implications are given along with several future research directions.

Keywords: Social Cognitive Career Theory, Proximal Contextual Influences, Science Identity, Working Hours, Financial Stress, STEM