Gender differences in STEM careers: autonomy-supportive climate, metacognitive strategies, self-efficacy, and their impact on academic performance and satisfaction

Abstract STEM education has gained greater relevance in recent years, particularly due to the difficulties in managing the academic demands of these careers. Another significant challenge is that in a predominantly male environment like that of STEM fields, the academic experience of female students is often not the same as that of their male peers. In response to these problems, this research aims to analyze whether educational factors such as the use of metacognitive strategies and an autonomy-supportive climate influence self-efficacy and, in turn, how these factors impact student performance and satisfaction. Furthermore, it aims to assess whether the relationships within this model vary by sex using a multigroup SEM analysis. In the results, the hypothesized general SEM model demonstrated good fit indices. The model also met invariance criteria,, which allowed a multigroup structural equation model to be performed. The predictors of academic self-efficacy were found to be the autonomy-supportive climate and learning strategies for both sexes. Among the predictors of academic satisfaction, self-efficacy was found only for women, and autonomy-supportive climate was found only for men. Finally, self-efficacy and autonomy-supportive climate were found to be predictors of performance only for women. The results open valuable questions about how academic variables differentially shape the academic experience of men and women in STEM careers, with possible cultural explanations.