2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The construction industry is facing a growing workforce shortage, further exacerbated by the underrepresentation of women. This shortage highlights the urgent need to recruit younger generations into construction careers while also promoting gender diversity. To address this issue, informal learning interventions, such as summer programs, offer unique opportunities to shape the career interests and aspirations of high school students. However, limited research has explored how such informal learning experiences can influence career development in the construction field, particularly in relation to gender differences. This study aims to examine the immediate effects of a two-week construction-focused summer program, which significantly integrates counter-stereotypical components, on high school students’ career attitudes toward construction, employing a modified Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) framework. The SCCT model in this research incorporates four key constructs, namely self-efficacy, outcome expectations, vocational interests, and career choice goals. It also accounts for the influence of personal demographics (e.g., age, gender, background) and contextual factors (e.g., family support, school influence). With a particular emphasis on gender differences, this study investigates how participation in such a program affects students' self-efficacy, outcome expectations, career interests and choice goals in construction fields. It also analyzes how students reacted to the integration of counter-stereotypical components in the program. Quantitative data was collected through pre- and post-program surveys assessing the four main variables from the SCCT model, as well as demographic information and contextual factors, such as parental support and school influence. Comparisons of pre- and post-program data indicated minimal overall changes in self-efficacy, outcome expectations, vocational interests, and career choice goals, with no statistically significant differences observed. Correlation analysis revealed vocational interests emerged as a significant predictor of career choice goals. Gender-specific analyses highlighted notable differences, where males exhibiting strong alignment between self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and career choice goals, while females showed strong relationships between self-efficacy and vocational interests but weaker or negative associations between other variables. These results suggest that the program may require further tailoring to address the unique needs and challenges faced by female students. Limitations of the study include a small sample size and an unbalanced gender distribution, which potentially influence the results and reduce statistical power. Future research should aim to recruit larger and more balanced samples to provide a more robust understanding of the impacts of informal learning interventions. The significance of this study for the construction education community is notable. By examining the impact of informal educational interventions on students' career attitudes, especially in underrepresented groups, this research offers critical knowledge for educators aiming to tackle labor shortages and enhance gender inclusivity in construction fields. The findings will be instrumental in designing gender-responsive programs that motivate students of all genders to explore professions in construction, ultimately fostering diversity and sustainability in the construction workforce.