ER

Article http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2025.05.001

Factors Associated with Technology Learning and STEM Vocations in High School—The Case of Technovation Chile

TOTAL VIEWS: 553

M. Klingenberg*, C. Díaz, M. P. Rojas

Technology with a Woman's Name, Santiago 7800005, Metropolitan Region, Chile.

*Corresponding author: M. Klingenberg

Published: May 28,2025

Abstract

This study explores key factors associated with the development of technological thinking and preferences for STEM-related occupations among high school students in Chile, within the context of the Technovation program. We focus on three central indicators, which reflect on the main goals of the program: conceptual understanding of technology, systems thinking (defined as the ability to approach problems through logic and structured reasoning), and occupational preferences in STEM fields. Using pre- and post-program survey data, we assess the evolution of these indicators: while gender gaps persist in STEM career preferences, the program contributes to narrowing conceptual and systems thinking gaps. Also, our results indicate that students with stronger academic performance and higher problem-solving disposition tend to perform better in both technological dimensions, according to the pre-program survey data. The same factors, plus “evaluation of the Teamwork experience”, play a key role in the improvement of most of these indicators, comparing the trajectories between initial and closing performance.

References

Abí, A., García, J., & López, M. (2020). Predicting mathematics achievement in secondary education: The role of cognitive, motivational, and emotional variables. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 528. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00528

Berwick, C. (2019, October 25). What does the research say about testing? Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-does-research-say-about-testing

Brockhoff, S., & Weber, M. (2015). Towards empirically measuring patience. Universal Journal of Management, 3(12), 501-508.

https://doi.org/10.13189/ujm.2015.031207

Chin, C., & Brown, D. (2000). Learning in science: A comparison of deep and surface approaches. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(2), 109-138.
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2736(200002)37:2<109::AID-TEA3>3.0.CO;2-7

Demirel, M., Demirel, D., & Keles, E. (2015). A study on the relationship between reflective thinking skills towards problem solving and attitudes towards mathematics. In the 7th World Conference on Educational Sciences (WCES-2015), 05-07 February 2015, Athens, Greece.

Erdemir, N. (2009). Determining students’ attitude towards physics through problem-solving strategy. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 10(2).
https://www.eduhk.hk/apfslt/v10_issue2/erdemir/

Granato, S. (2023). Early influences and the choice of college major: Can policies reduce the gender gap in scientific curricula (STEM)? Journal of Policy Modeling, 45(3), 494-521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2023.03.002

Granese, L., Herrera, C., & Jiménez, R. (2023). Effects of the pandemic on the socioemotional well-being of children and adolescents in Chile and the world. Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP), Chile. https://www.cepchile.cl/

Ibrahim, N., Rahman, M., & Halim, M. (2023). Post-pandemic blues: Collaborative learning and communicative competence in English as a second language (ESL). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(4), 89-104.

https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i4/16828

Mohd, A., Noraini, I., & Mohamed, S. (2011). The effects of attitude towards problem solving in mathematics achievements. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 5(12), 1857-1864.

Prince, M. J., & Felder, R. M. (2006). The many faces of inductive teaching and learning. Journal of College Science Teaching, 35(5), 14-20.

Reardon, S. F., Fahle, E. M., Kalogrides, D., Podolsky, A., & Zárate, R. (2018). The relationship between test item format and gender achievement gaps on math and ELA tests in fourth and eighth grades. Educational Researcher, 47(5), 284-294.

https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18762105

Usan, A., Salavera, C., & Teruel, P. (2022). Self-efficacy, optimism, and academic performance as psychoeducational variables: Mediation approach in students. Children, 9(3), 420. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9030420

Wang, X. (2013). Why students choose STEM majors: Motivation, high school learning, and postsecondary context of support. American Educational Research Journal, 50(5), 1081-1121. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831213488622

Wickström, A., & Zeiler, K. (2021). The performativity of surveys: Teenagers’ meaning-making of the ‘Health Behavior in School-aged Children Survey’ in Sweden. Children & Society, 35(3), 428-444. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12416

World Economic Forum. (2020, October). These are the top 10 job skills of tomorrow - and how long it takes to learn them.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/top-10-work-skills-of-tomorrow-how-long-it-takes-to-learn-them/

Zakaria, E., Chin, C. L., & Daud, Y. (2004). The reliability and construct validity of scores on the attitudes toward problem solving scale. Journal of Science and Mathematics Education in Southeast Asia, 27(2), 123-139.

How to cite this paper

Factors Associated with Technology Learning and STEM Vocations in High School—The Case of Technovation Chile

How to cite this paper: M. Klingenberg, C. Díaz, M. P. Rojas. (2025). Factors Associated with Technology Learning and STEM Vocations in High School—The Case of Technovation Chile. The Educational Review, USA9(5), 475-489.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2025.05.001