The influence of parent’s expectations and children’s early skills on children’s future STEM career prospects
La influencia de las expectativas de los padres y las habilidades tempranas en las perspectivas de futuras carreras STEM de los niños y niñas
María Francisca Morales
,
María Francisca del Río
,
Ana María Espinoza
Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, (2024), 56, pp. 189-198.
Received 6 June 2024
Accepted 16 September 2024
Introducción: Este artículo investiga indicadores de las expectativas de carrera en el área STEM entre niños y niñas de educación básica en Chile, con un foco en el papel de las expectativas profesionales de los padres, las habilidades tempranas de los niños y niñas (comunicación, habilidades cognitivas, socioemocionales y funciones ejecutivas), y los efectos moderadores del género y el nivel socioeconómico de la familia. Método: Con datos de la Encuesta Longitudinal de la Primera Infancia aplicada en Chile en 2017, el estudio incluye a 2959 niños y niñas de 10 a 12 años. Las expectativas profesionales, tanto de los niños y niñas como de los padres, se midieron con preguntas abiertas. La evaluación de las habilidades tempranas de los mismos niños y niñas se llevó a cabo en el 2012, cuando tenían entre cinco y siete años, utilizando el Inventario de Desarrollo de Battelle y pruebas de Dígitos Inversos. Resultados: Los hallazgos mostraron que los niños, especialmente aquellos con madres con niveles educativos más altos y que tienen expectativas STEM para sus hijos, tienen más probabilidades de tener expectativas futuras de optar por carreras STEM. También se encontró un efecto de moderación significativo, indicando que las expectativas de los padres tienen una asociación más fuerte con las preferencias profesionales STEM de las niñas, y de los niños y niñas con nivel socioeconómico medio-bajo. No se observaron resultados significativos en la asociación entre las habilidades tempranas de los niños y niñas y a las expectativas STEM posteriores. Conclusiones: El estudio sugiere que las estrategias educativas que involucran la participación familiar son importantes para fomentar oportunidades profesionales equitativas en el área STEM.
Palabras clave:
STEM, expectativas profesionales, habilidades de comunicación, habilidades cognitivas, habilidades socioemocionales, funciones ejecutivas, brechas de género.
Introduction: This paper investigates indicators of STEM career expectations among middle school children in Chile, with a focus on the roles of parental career expectations and children’s early skills (communication, cognitive, socio-emotional skills, and executive functions), and the moderating effects of gender and family socioeconomic status. Method: Using data from the Chilean ‘Encuesta Longitudinal de la Primera Infancia’ 2017 wave, the study involved 2959 children from 10 to 12 years of age. Both children’s and parents’ career expectations were measured through open questions. The assessment of the same children’s early skills was conducted in the 2012 wave when the children were from five to seven years of age, using the Battelle Developmental Inventory and the Backward Digit Span tests. Results: Findings revealed that boys, especially those with mothers with higher educational levels who have STEM expectations for their children, are more likely to expect to continue STEM careers in the future. A significant moderation effect was also found, indicating that parental expectations have a stronger association with girls’ and lower-middle SES children’s STEM career preferences. No significant results were observed for children’s early skills on later STEM career expectations. Conclusions: The study suggests that educational strategies involving family engagement are important for fostering equitable STEM career opportunities.
Keywords:
STEM, career expectations, communication skills, cognitive skills, socio-emotional skills, executive functions, gender gaps.
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