Using Structural Equation Modeling to Investigate Students' Career Awareness in Science

One of the goals of education is to enable young adults to become critical evaluators of their career pursuits. Recognizing this, the objectives of this study were to: (1) develop a model of the relationships among some of the variables underlying students’ career awareness in science, and (2) evaluate the model using PISA 2006 data for the United States and Canada. Results revealed that for both the USA and Canada, students’ self–efficacy in science had the largest direct effect on their science proficiency. Additionally, how students perceived their science school subjects in relation to career and job prospects contributed the most to their career awareness. Findings from this study have a potential to inform educational policies and suggest mechanisms to raise students’ career awareness and motivation to pursue careers in science