Investigation of middle school students views on STEAM fields and professions in terms of different variables

The primary objective of this study is to identify the terms that seventh-grade middle school students associate with STEAM fields and careers related to STEAM disciplines, as well as to examine their attitudes towards the subjects in the seventh-grade curriculum, their perceptions of 21st-century skills, and their interest in careers associated with STEAM disciplines. Furthermore, the study aims to explore potential differences in these variables based on demographic factors such as gender, type of school, and other related variables, as well as to investigate the relationships between these variables. The study population consists of seventh-grade middle school students enrolled in schools within the districts of Odunpazarı and Tepebaşı in Eskişehir during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. A sample of 489 students from six middle schools was selected using the snowball sampling method, a non-probability sampling technique. The research design was constructed employing relational and causal-comparative patterns, which are among the quantitative research methodologies. The data collection instruments utilized in this study include the "Attitude Scale for Subjects," the "21st Century Skills Scale," the "Career Form" and the "Word Association Test." The results revealed that the words associated with careers in STEAM disciplines exhibited considerable diversity. Students' attitudes towards the subjects were found to be slightly positive, but closer to a neutral stance. Moreover, the study examined whether there were differences in students' attitudes towards the subjects, their perceptions of 21st-century skills, and their interest in careers related to STEAM disciplines, based on variables such as gender, school type, awareness of STEAM education, and participation in STEAM-related education. Keywords: 21st-century skills, Word association test, Middle school students, STEM education, STEAM disciplines, STEM education, STEAM careers.