Pushed into STEM: Investigating the Racialization and Cultural Influences on East Asian Americans' Decisions to Major in STEM

Abstract

Asians are portrayed as model minorities, with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education proficiency and a natural aptitude for STEM occupations. While the Model Minority Myth portrays Asian Americans as naturally suited for technical and academic success, it ignores the diversity of their goals and can dehumanize individuals by channeling them into narrowly defined career paths. This study aimed to highlight the social justice implications of these dynamics, examining how societal stereotypes and cultural norms can limit personal agency, overshadow individual talents, and ultimately contribute to systemic inequalities by racializing Asians in STEM. This study used social cognitive career theory and Model Minority Myth as its framework and employed a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews to investigate East Asian Americans' career choices, focusing on how the intersection of cultural values with social and racial expectations shapes their career choices in STEM fields. This study argues that East Asian Americans' decisions to pursue STEM careers were influenced by a complex interplay of cultural values, familial expectations, and racialized perceptions. Although the Model Minority Myth is widely regarded as an external societal stereotype, this study discovered that it is actively reinforced within East Asian American communities themselves through family pressures, peer comparison, and communal definitions of success, which complicates individuals' career choices and identity formation. The findings from this study contribute to a broader understanding of the social and cultural pressures faced by Asian Americans, shedding light on the social justice mission embedded in fostering career diversity and freedom from racialized expectations. The study also advances social cognitive career theory by including the Model Minority Myth as a critical contextual variable, increasing the framework's ability to account for racialized stereotypes, cultural obligations, and the internalization of societal expectations, all of which have a unique impact on the career development of East Asian Americans.