Testing intersectionality of race/ethnicity × gender in a social-cognitive career theory model with science identity

J Couns Psychol. 2019 Jan;66(1):30-44. doi: 10.1037/cou0000309. Epub 2018 Oct 4.

Abstract

Using social-cognitive career theory, we identified the experiential sources of learning that contribute to research self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and science identity for culturally diverse undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and math (i.e., STEM) majors. We examined group differences by race/ethnicity and gender to investigate potential cultural variations in a model to explain students' research career intentions. Using a sample of 688 undergraduate students, we ran a series of path models testing the relationships between the experiential sources, research self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and science identity to research career intentions. Findings were largely consistent with our hypotheses in that research self-efficacy and outcome expectancies were directly and positively associated with research career intentions and the associations of the experiential sources to intentions were mediated via self-efficacy. Science identity contributed significant though modest variance to research career intentions indirectly via its positive association with outcome expectations. Science identity also partially mediated the efficacy-outcome expectancies path. The experiential sources of learning were associated in expected directions to research self-efficacy with 3 of the sources emerging as significantly correlated with science identity. An unexpected direct relationship from vicarious learning to intentions was observed. In testing for group differences by race/ethnicity and gender in subsamples of Black/African American and Latino/a students, we found that the hypothesized model incorporating science identity was supported, and most paths did not vary significantly across four Race/Ethnicity × Gender groups, except for 3 paths. Research and practice implications of the findings for supporting research career intentions of culturally diverse undergraduate students are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomedical Research* / education
  • Career Choice*
  • Cognition* / physiology
  • Engineering / education
  • Ethnicity / education
  • Ethnicity / psychology*
  • Female
  • Gender Identity*
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Male
  • Mathematics / education
  • Racial Groups / education
  • Racial Groups / psychology*
  • Self Efficacy
  • Students / psychology
  • Young Adult