# School Belonging and STEM Career Interest in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Science Identity

## TL;DR

This study explores how feeling a sense of belonging in school influences Chinese students' interest in STEM careers, with science identity playing a mediating role.

## Contribution

The study reveals how school belonging and science identity interact to influence STEM career interest in a non-Western context.

## Key findings

- School belonging significantly predicts higher STEM career interest among Chinese high school students.
- Science identity partially mediates the relationship between school belonging and STEM career interest.
- Science interest is the strongest component of science identity in this mediation.

## Abstract

Adolescents’ sustained engagement in STEM fields is critical for cultivating future scientific talent. While school belonging—a key form of emotional support perceived by students within the school environment—has been widely studied, its specific influence on STEM career interest, particularly within non-Western educational systems, remains insufficiently understood. Drawing on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study examines how school belonging, as a contextual affordance, shapes STEM career interest among Chinese high school students, and whether science identity, as a person input, mediates this relationship. Utilizing data from 451 students in a science-focused Chinese high school, multiple regression analyses demonstrated that school belonging significantly predicts higher STEM career interest. Science identity partially mediated this relationship, with science interest emerging as the strongest mediating component, followed by competence/performance beliefs; external recognition had a comparatively weaker effect. These findings suggest that fostering school belonging in science-oriented environments may support adolescents’ interest in STEM careers, both directly and indirectly through the development of science identity. From a cultural perspective, the study further sheds light on the mechanisms underlying students’ interest in STEM careers, and highlights the potential of inclusive environments that support the development of students’ sense of belonging and identity in promoting their long-term engagement in STEM fields.