UC Irvine

Understanding the development of adolescents' math and science motivational beliefs is critical in supporting the sustainable development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the U.S. Drawing on Eccles' situated expectancy-value theory (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020), this dissertation examine the development of adolescents' math and science motivational beliefs and parental socialization process related to adolescents' math and science motivation during adolescence. Data were from the national representative longitudinal dataset of the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) of 2009 for both papers. Paper 1 examined the change in adolescents' math and science motivational beliefs from 9th grade to 11th grade using the Latent Change Score model. In this model, I examined how math and science motivational beliefs develop during high school and how math and science motivational beliefs are interrelated while they develop together. Paper 1 found that not all types of math and science motivational beliefs declined during high school as found in prior literature. And math and science motivational beliefs supported the development of each other during high school. Paper 1 also found that not only adolescents' 9th grade math and science motivations but the development of their math and science motivations predicted their later STEM choice. This study confirmed the mean-level differences in adolescents' math and science motivation, parental support, and college major choice at the intersection of gender and college generation status; however, the process level differences were subtle among the groups. Paper 2 examined the parent- and child-level predictors of parents' academic support. This paper examined two parent-level factors (i.e., parents' educational expectations for children and parents' STEM efficacy beliefs) and two child-level factors (i.e., children's STEM interest and math achievement) to understand what predicts parents' school-based involvement and STEM-specific support at 9th grade. Paper 2 found that parents' beliefs and children's math achievement were both positive predictors of parents' school-based involvement and STEM-specific support. Parents were more likely to provide more STEM-specific support to adolescents who were more interested in STEM. Additionally, this study found that parents of female and male continuing-generation college students would provide more parental support and have higher beliefs about adolescents compared to female and male first-generation college students. Both papers provided insights for policymakers and practitioners to focus on the development of adolescents' math and science motivation as well as the parental socialization of STEM motivation during high school.