Research Title

Expanding Female Students' Career Choices in the STEM Fields through a New Model of Articulation from High School to College - A Four - country Comparison （JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP19H01730）

The purpose of this research project is to consider which style of educational system increases female student participation in the STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors in higher education by focusing on the articulation between secondary and university education.

Many governments in advanced countries have established policies to promote women's participation in academic and occupational STEM fields in order to enhance diversity in human resources. However, there are still very few female students and workers in STEM-related fields.

Regarding the background of these circumstances, previous studies have tended to stress the psychological factors of females. However, this project will propose a unique perspective which concentrates on the educational connection from secondary to higher education systems.

The notion of “educational choice” by students is the behavior in which students select certain courses or majors from limited options. This lack of alternatives can be assumed to be caused by structural factors. This means that the kinds of options provided to girls will affect their educational choices and their future careers. This is the reason that the educational articulation system plays a critical role in female selection of a STEM field.

Thus, this research will consider a new articulation model between secondary and higher education in Japan through a comparative analysis of four countries which have different articulation forms: Germany, Singapore, China and The United States of America.