什么样的高中生选择就读工科类专业?——基于全国性大样本调查数据的回溯研究

Who Majors in Engineering? An Empirical Study Based on National Representative Survey Data

我国新工科建设的推进对工程科技人才的吸引、选拔和培养提出了新的要求。本研究基于具有全国代表性的学生抽样调查数据,将专业选择动机纳入分析框架,采用广义结构方程模型(GSEM),就什么样的高中生选择就读工科专业这一问题进行了实证分析。研究结果表明,家庭社会经济背景相对弱势的高中生、男生更可能选择工科;社科和工科均不受内在动机较高的学生青睐,但都能吸引外部动机较高的学生,而对数理化的较强烈学习兴趣并不能提高学生相对于社科而选择工科的概率。各类因素对专业选择的影响效果随录取院校层级的不同而不同,在不同性别之间亦存在异质性。工科专业选择的性别隔离很可能是由于女生对工科缺乏了解、存在刻板印象所致,而父辈受教育程度在一定程度上弥补了相关信息的不足和偏差。应重视对高中生进行工程前沿和新工科建设相关的宣传和普及,培养高中生对于工科学习及工程实践的兴趣,为高中毕业生专业志愿填报提供必要辅导。

The New Engineering Construction project has set up new requirements for the attraction,selection and development of STEM talents.Based on the national representative undergraduate survey data,this article detects which factors cause high school students to major in engineering by employing a Generalized Structural Equation Model(GSEM).Results show that disadvantaged family background and male gender are significant indicators for majoring in engineering.Both social science and engineering majors are less likely to be chosen by students with strong intrinsic motivation but are more likely to attract those with strong extrinsic motivation.A strong interest in math,physics and chemistry in high school is not equivalent to increasing the chances of majoring in engineering over social science.University tiers and gender may also play a moderating role.Gender segregation reflected in choosing the engineering major is possibly ascribed to incomplete information and strong stereotype,which could be alleviated by father’s educational level.Relevant information and knowledge regarding engineering as well as the New Engineering Construction project should be popularized to high school students.Also,teachers should develop the interest of students in engineering learning and provide necessary guidance while students choose their majors.