Youth and Science

Setting

How do young people look at the poor interest of their peer group in exact sciences and in technical and engineering studies? In Flanders, several initiatives have been taken to try to motivate young people to choose a technical or an exact-scientific career. However, these young people themselves have hardly had a voice in the matter so far.
Therefore, this project is an attempt of IST to let the Flemish youth explain what brings them to choose such a discipline (and career) or not. By doing so, we can understand to what extent the incentives of the authorities to move young people in these direction fits in with their motives to do so or not.

Planning

1st step: a literature study, which consists of an inventory of the arguments used in Flemish initiatives to promote the science and technology sector, earlier (international) studies, and an inquiry into the factors that have an impact on their choice (moments), and referential frames with respect to the societal role of research and education.

2nd step: online survey with young people about their reasons and motives to choose an exact-scientific / technological (study) career or not. The results of this survey will be compared and confronted with the referential frameworks from the 1st step. From an analysis of the results, we should learn to what extent the arguments used in Flemish recruitment campaigns really respond to young people’s motives.

3rd step: a reflection and discussion on the results obtained in step 1 and 2, through some interactive exercises with a panel of young people. The objective of this confrontation is a more thorough and thoughtful insight in the dynamics of choice moments and in the reasons and motives of young people.

Contact: Katrien D'haeseleer