STEM and Non-STEM Students’ Perception towards Work Environment and Career Prospect

Abstract

The Malaysian education system has undergone transformation to reinstate the significance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). All students at the upper secondary schools are given the chance to learn STEM subjects so that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for STEM careers despite streams of study at schools. Considering the importance of the new streaming system that divides students into STEM and non-STEM stream, it is not clear how students from both streams of studies perceive work environment and prospect of STEM careers. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine if there is a significant difference between STEM and non-STEM stream secondary school students’ perceptions towards STEM work environment and career prospect. Independent-samples t-tests was used to analyse data collected from 157 students from the East Coast of Malaysia. Though the effects of the results were small, this study found that students from different streams of study perceive working environment and career prospect in STEM differently. This research finding would offer insights to the authorities and policy makers to improve the new streaming system in the Malaysia to better prepare students for STEM careers.