{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]],"date-time":"2026-04-06T18:17:43Z","timestamp":1775499463539,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]],"date-time":"2024-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727136000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","award":["UIDP\/04748\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/04748\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","award":["UIDB\/04107\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04107\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Education Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Gender disparity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a persistent global issue, with women being consistently underrepresented. Recent research indicates that inquiry-based practices may enhance students\u2019 interest in STEM careers and challenge gender-related STEM stereotypes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of STEM inquiry-based learning activities on students\u2019 interest in STEM careers, as well as on the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) dimensions (self-efficacy, personal goals, outcome expectations, interests, contextual support, and personal inputs), with a specific focus on gender. A quantitative approach was employed, whereby pre- and post-test measures were administered to a cohort of 190 Portuguese secondary school students, using the STEM Career Interest Survey. The results showed that, while the STEM inquiry-based learning activities did not alter the gender-based patterns of interest in STEM subjects and careers, they did contribute to a significant increase in students\u2019 interest in these areas. It was found that these activities were particularly effective in promoting female students\u2019 interest in STEM careers. A significant increase was observed in all SCCT dimensions, particularly in engineering, for female students. Additionally, no gender disparities were observed in self-efficacy in STEM areas. The results suggest that STEM inquiry-based learning activities are an effective approach to building students\u2019 confidence in STEM fields and stimulating their interest in STEM careers. This study reinforces the importance of inquiry-based practices in promoting a more equitable STEM education landscape.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci14101037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]],"date-time":"2024-09-24T03:49:46Z","timestamp":1727149786000},"page":"1037","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Investigating the Impact of STEM Inquiry-Based Learning Activities on Secondary School Student\u2019s STEM Career Interests: A Gender-Based Analysis Using the Social Cognitive Career Framework"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5678-3476","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Teresa","family":"Ribeirinha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Life Quality Research Centre, School of Education, Santar\u00e9m Polytechnic University, 2001-902 Santar\u00e9m, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1609-5764","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u00f3nica","family":"Baptista","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UIDEF, Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, 1649-013 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6205-4475","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marisa","family":"Correia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Life Quality Research Centre, School of Education, Santar\u00e9m Polytechnic University, 2001-902 Santar\u00e9m, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hsu, Y.-S., and Fang, S.-C. 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