In this study, Finnish ninth graders' and their school guidance counselors' views concerning ninth graders' perceptions of gender-appropriateness of occupations were examined. Special interest was placed on evaluating if ninth graders bring out any gender stereotypical perceptions regarding science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) occupations. The data were gathered with the aid of an online survey (246 pupils) and semi-structured interviews (7 school guidance counselors). Ninth graders referred mostly to masculine physical dimension when justifying certain occupations being more suitable for men than for women. Respectively, they referred mostly to gender-typical interest when justifying certain occupations to be more suitable for women than for men. Boys presented more gender stereotypical perceptions of occupations than girls did. Boys also considered their own gender affecting their occupational preferences stronger than girls did. Guidance counselors reported ninth graders' perceptions of occupations being still very gender-stereotypic and influencing on academic and occupational choices. To address occupational gender segregation, it is necessary to develop novel methods and materials recognizing gender stereotypes and demonstrating up-to-date STEM career knowledge.

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A dynamic test method for the measurement of the underwater sliding properties of model boats has been developed. Surface-modified model boats were examined to assess how the surface wettability properties affect sliding. Along with the surface properties, the influence of the boat shape was considered. We studied various coatings in the contact angle range of 3–162[Formula: see text] with two model boat shapes. The hydrophobicity of the surfaces influenced the sliding speed of the model boat depending on the boat shape. The method is applicable to study sliding properties of model boats with different surfaces in variable flow conditions.

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