Abstract:
Aspirations of students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) have been found to be positively correlated with their positive impressions of scientists and engineers. In this study, the influence of gender on self-efficacy in STEM field particularly in computer science, health related courses, engineering, agriculture and sciences was examined. The study adopted a mixed methods research design involves the integration of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The population of the study were students pursuing STEM courses in three selected public universities (University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT), and Egerton University). The study included three sampling techniques, namely, purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analysed. A simple linear regression analysis shows R value of 0.590, indicating a moderately positive correlation between career self-efficacy and enrolment. The R Square value of 0.230 implies that 23% of the variance in enrolment can be explained by career self-efficacy alone. The findings further revealed that career self-efficacy had a negligible explanatory power in predicting students' course completion status in STEM-oriented programs. The low pseudo R- square values (Cox and Snell R² = 0.005; Nagelkerke R² = 0.009) indicate that career self-efficacy alone accounts for less than 1% of the variance in students’ academic progress. This study concludes that career self-efficacy plays a significant but limited role in influencing students’ decisions to enrol in STEM-oriented courses. Career self-efficacy alone does not sufficiently predict course completion; Universities should implement multifaceted support systems. This should include academic advising, psychosocial counselling, and learning support services that address the diverse challenges students face throughout their academic journey.
