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Enhancing High-School Students’ Interest in Mathematics and Their Understanding of STEM Careers: The Role of the Muhibbah Summer Programme

Article Number: e2025365  |  Available Online: August 2025  |  DOI: 10.22521/edupij.2025.17.365

Mansour Saleh Alabdulaziz

Abstract

Background/purpose. This study aimed to determine the effect of a learning intervention comprising integrated career-based scenarios on students’ interest in mathematics and their understanding of STEM careers. The intervention was created by the Muhibbah Summer Programme (MSP) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  This was a residential summer programme hosted by the Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University (IAU). A multi-method approach was employed, consisting of a scenario evaluation using a relevance and interest (SERI) questionnaire and interviews conducted after each session.

Materials/methods. A multi-method approach was employed consisting of a scenario evaluation using a relevance and interest (SERI) questionnaire and interviews conducted after each session. The sample comprised 247 secondary-school students (82 males and 165 females), 25 of whom participated in the interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire data, and content analysis was performed to analyse the interview data.

Results. The results revealed that having the opportunity to actively engage in scientific investigations and interact with experts was an essential prerequisite for career-based scenarios to successfully enhance students’ situational interest and understanding of STEM careers. These results have crucial implications for pedagogical practice as they provide valuable information on how to design a career-oriented curriculum that increases both students’ interest in mathematics and their understanding of STEM careers.

Conclusion. The characteristics of the scenarios that could potentially trigger students’ SI and increase their understanding of STEM careers were as follows. Firstly, adopting a problem-based approach that integrates novel scientific practices to increase active engagement among students; secondly, transferring science concepts to a real-world personally relevant context so that students can identify the links between classroom discussions and genuine workplace environments; and thirdly, allowing students to interact informally with experts in order to integrate the STEM career component.

Keywords: Career-based scenarios, situational interest, interest in mathematics, STEM careers, Muhibbah Summer programme.

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