Our major goal is to investigate the origins of STEM interests, examining differences in the educational and career paths of those choosing STEM from those who do not as well as also looking within STEM, charting the pathway between those who enter engineering and physical sciences from those who enter the biological and social sciences. Specifically, we propose to investigate: whether experiences with STEM-related activities in and out of school during the elementary and secondary school years influence STEM-related occupational/educational planning and choices, and whether the associations between these experiences and outcomes vary across gender, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. We propose a five year project that relies on two existing, complementary, longitudinal datasets that include extensive measures of the experiences children and adolescents have with STEM-related activities and courses, as well as extensive measures of educational and career aspirations and planning, as well and educational course choices: (a) The Childhood and Beyond Study (CAB), which followed children from elementary school through high school describing every activity that children and their parents and teachers engaged in that relate to interests in STEM, as well as the children?s efficacy for and interest in STEM and non-STEM academic subjects and out of school activities, and (b) the Alfred P. Sloan Study of Youth and Social Development (SSYSD) that followed secondary school students over two years gathering intensive experiential data using the Experience Sampling Method in both STEM and Non-STEM related activities and classes. We hypothesis that both the performance feedback and emotional experiences associated with doing STEM related activities and courses will overtime influence individuals? expectations for success and interest in both STEM and non-STEM courses, college majors, and occupations, which in turn will influence individuals? educational and occupational choices. Initially, we will analyze the existing data to investigate the ontogeny of children and adolescents? sense of efficacy in and interest for STEM versus Non-STEM activities and the relation of these motivational beliefs to occupational aspirations and planning. In Phase 2, we propose to collect one wave of data on the educational and occupational choices these individuals made during their 20s and to investigate the link of those choices and pathways to earlier data.