Intractable shortages of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers have prompted international policy efforts to recruit career changers to the profession. This research determines the significant influences on career changers' decisions to pursue or pass on STEM teaching careers. Surveys completed by 91 career changers…

This article seeks to understand women's underrepresentation in STEM professions by investigating the educational factors contributing to female students' identity development. The current study undertakes a comparative approach between STEM, and the most popular field of study with women, Management and Commerce. Data were collected from a…

Concerns have been raised about the employability of Science graduates, however undergraduate Science curricula rarely focus on building employability. Our goal is to harness existing Science-focused curricula to improve Science graduate employability. In this study we asked whether students could identify learning of employability literacies from…

Internationally, there is an under-supply of intellectual capital to provide for STEM-related employment. One contributing factor is the low number of female students selecting STEM school subjects and careers. Despite the literature recommending students engage in STEM activities earlier, many initiatives are not implemented until high school.…

Physiology graduates are well-positioned to pursue a career path in the high-demand healthcare industry, but students may lack awareness of the available opportunities. At Monash University, there has been a marked increase in student completion of the Physiology Major for the Bachelor of Science degree. Despite the projected employment growth…

Using data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, this paper compares the earnings premium and employment share of jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) across 11 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The results reveal that the STEM wage premium…

Using data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, this paper compares the earnings premium and employment share of jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) across 11 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The results reveal that the STEM wage premium…

Many countries face mathematics and science teacher shortages. There is a need for greater knowledge about eligible individuals' potential interest to teach and career motivations. We explored career motivations and interest in a teaching career, among 470 tertiary mathematics and science students from four Australian universities. Students with…

An explanation for the underrepresentation of women in mathematical fields is the communal goal congruity perspective; that women tend to value communal over agentic goals, perceived to not be afforded by mathematical careers. Less is known about how agentic and communal goals may interact to influence mathematical career trajectories. Analysing a…

This paper, the third in a series on Earth System Science Education, describes various pedagogical ways forward when science teachers are addressing the curriculum implications of the recent interdisciplinary field of Earth System Science (ESS). Parts I and II introduced the key ideas of ESS and the implications for the Australian Curriculum:…

Rapid advances in technology have resulted in a worldwide drive to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforces to remain internationally competitive and ensure economic prosperity. Despite this, there is ongoing debate about the best strategies for promoting STEM literacy and building national STEM competencies.…

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) focuses on education and seeks to promote inclusive, equitable, and quality education, providing opportunities for all. In this context, it seeks to promote intersectionality (gender and ethnicity) as a fundamental factor in education, and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics…

An inquiry approach to learning can have a positive impact on students' attitudes to science and their science literacy skills; two attributes that have been in steady decline internationally. The professional development of teachers in inquiry science is one way to ensure that teachers are equipped with effective strategies to teach science,…