An Analysis of Gender Differences of Interdisciplinary STEM Students' Interest, Motivation, Self-Concept and Vocational Orientations

New interdisciplinary Computer Science (CS) sub-jects have been introduced in K-12 education worldwide in recent years, aiming to enhance students' interdisciplinary CS competencies. However, a persistent gender gap exists in various STEM jobs and subjects globally, with women being underrep-resented in these fields. Gender disparities manifest early in K-12 education, as female students are less likely to choose CS in higher grades. Numerous studies indicate lower motivation, interests, and self-concept among female students compared to their male counterparts. Some argue that interdisciplinary subjects have the potential to mitigate gender differences and attract a more diverse group of students. Therefore, the research objective was to investigate whether the new interdisciplinary STEM subject IMP (Informatics, Mathematics, Physics) could attract and retain more female students. N = 665 (male = 467, female = 176, other = 22) 10th grade students in Germany attending an interdisciplinary STEM subject called IMP were asked about their subject interests', motivation, self-concept, and vocational orientation. The results revealed no significant gender differences in vocational orientation. The hierarchical logistic regression analyses showed subject interest in CS and mathematics as significant predictors of the vocational orientation of IMP students. Gender was not a significant predictor in this study. The findings are discussed in the context of existing research and in terms of practical implications for schools.