The National Career Development Association recognized Mary Edwin’s article on STEM career aspirations among high school students in Career Development Quarterly. The article is a continuation of her two primary research interests – career development in schools and STEM career development. (Photo by August Jennewein)
The National Career Development Association celebrated professionals working to empower individuals to achieve their career goals July 14-16 during the NCDA 2020 Virtual Career Development Conference.
Mary Edwin, assistant professor in the Department of Education Sciences and Professional Programs at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, was among those honored as a NCDA 2020 Award winner. Edwin and her co-authors, Diandra J. Prescod and Julia Bryan, won Article of the Year for a piece published in Career Development Quarterly – the official journal of the NCDA.
“It’s very exciting and an honor to have this article win the award,” Edwin said. “CDQ is the flagship journal of NCDA, and as a career development researcher, having my work recognized on a national level highlights the importance of the work I’m doing around fostering career development in K-12 schools.”
The article, titled “Profile of High School Students’ STEM Career Aspirations,” was published September 2019 and examined STEM career aspirations in underrepresented populations.
Edwin and her co-authors analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of high school students and found a significant relationship between students’ aspirations and demographic variables. They also found differences in aspirations based on students’ race and gender. Their findings revealed a need for counselors to implement career interventions that address those disparities.
The article combines her two primary research interests – career development in schools and STEM career development. Her research on the former concerns early career development interventions and the development of school-based career interventions.
Her research on STEM career development has explored the role of career development interventions in promoting STEM career aspirations and retention for female and underrepresented minority students.
Edwin also recently contributed to UMSL’s COVID-19 Research Conversations series, joining Assistant Professors Jennifer Bumble and Shea Kerkhoff for a conversation on how issues related to the pandemic impact students.
“We are likely to see academic, social and emotional regression from schools being closed and from the loss of the way of life the students have gotten used to,” Edwin said during the discussion. “You will be seeing that trauma impact children’s brains – the way they think, the way they interact, the way they communicate.”
The NCDA provides professional development, publications, standards and advocacy to counselors and educators across the country. View a complete list of NCDA 2020 award winners here.
