The effects of student gender,race, and achievement on career exploration advice given by canadian preservice teachers

This study investigated the effects of gender, race, and achievement on ratings of appropriateness of occupations and classifications of occupations (people, data, things) suitable for future exploration by ninth-grade students. The subjects (N=125; 106 females, 19 males), advanced undergraduate education students, were each asked to evaluate a case folder in which gender (female, male, not stated), race (Native, non-Native), and achievement (higher average, lower average) were systematically varied. Subjects gave ratings of appropriateness for future exploration of occupations on 5-point Likert-type scales. The occupations rated also represented three classifications (data, people, things), yielding a second dependent variable. Analysis was accomplished using two four-way analyses of variance. The attribute most influencing ratings was achievement. However, the three-way interactions of gender, race, and achievement limit direct interpretation of the data, and suggest that complex combinations of student attributes influence teachers. The limitations of the present study are emphasized; the implications for advising young women and for future research are discussed.