Science capital linked to STEM career dreams among Abu Dhabi students

A survey of 429 middle and high school students in government schools in Abu Dhabi has found a significant positive relationship between students’ science capital and their aspirations for science-related careers. The study, published on September 1, 2026, in ECNU Review of Education, is the first to apply the concept of science capital in the United Arab Emirates context. Science capital encompasses the social, cultural, and economic resources that shape a person’s relationship with science, including attitudes toward the subject, confidence in engaging with it, participation in science-related activities, exposure to science through media, connections with people who have scientific knowledge, and an understanding of the value of science qualifications.

The research was conducted by Martina Dickson, Dean Cairns, Ye Cao, Jennifer M. Robinson, and Melissa McMinn. To investigate how these resources relate to career ambitions, the researchers surveyed students using a questionnaire with 11 items adapted to the UAE context to measure different aspects of science capital. Students were also asked whether they would like to pursue a job involving science in the future. The team used exploratory factor analysis to examine the structure of the science capital measure and logistic regression to assess its relationship with career aspirations.

The results suggest that the science capital scale is a meaningful and reliable measure in the UAE context. Students reported particularly positive views of science’s practical value: 90 percent agreed that a science qualification could help them obtain a wide range of jobs, while 83 percent said science was useful in everyday life. Teachers emerged as an important source of encouragement, with 82.3 percent of students agreeing that their teachers encouraged them to continue studying science. However, opportunities to engage with science outside the classroom appeared more limited. Only 26.4 percent of students reported that they were currently members of, or had previously participated in, an after-school science club.

The central finding was a significant positive relationship between science capital and students’ aspirations for science-related careers. The statistical model explained 39 percent of the variation in career aspirations, highlighting science capital as an important factor associated with students’ plans for the future. The study comes at a moment when encouraging more young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has become a national priority as the UAE works to build a knowledge-based economy.

The findings also point to the distinctive role of schools in shaping students’ relationship with science. In the UAE sample, school-related influences appeared more prominent than family influences in shaping students’ science attitudes and dispositions. This differs from patterns reported in earlier UK research, where family and parental influences have played a prominent role in young people’s engagement with science. The authors suggest that teachers in the UAE may be particularly well placed to help students recognize the range of educational and career opportunities that science can offer.

Subject of Research: The relationship between science capital and science career aspirations among middle and high school students in Abu Dhabi

Article Title: From the classroom to future careers: how science capital shapes STEM aspirations in Abu Dhabi

Article References: From the classroom to future careers: how science capital shapes STEM aspirations in Abu Dhabi. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: science capital, STEM careers, career aspirations, Abu Dhabi, UAE, science education, students, teachers, ECNU Review of Education, survey research, logistic regression, school science