Articulo
“Scientists for a day” a program to encourage young people to science
Autor
Marín, Gustavo Horacio
Sbattella, Daniela
Ponzinibbio, María Isabel
Garaventta, Guillermo Norberto
Ixtaina, Pablo Rubén
Institución
Resumen
In Latin America number of people choosing science and technology (S&T) as a job severely decreased. To solve this problem we launched a program that shows young students, “life models” to be followed in order to encourage them to remain in the educational system and study careers related to S&T. This work shows the results of the experience.
Methods: study: descriptive, analytic with an intervention stage; unit of analysis: young students aged 12-15. Period of analysis: August 2012 to July 2014. Variables: Age, sex, type of school; scientific vocation (willingness to be a scientist, intention to study science, willingness to work in the science field); attitude towards science; marks for school subjects. Intervention consists in all day long interaction of student/researcher, in the research schedule programmed.
Results: 6750 students (5.78% of 12 years old the students and 18.5% of those considered at risk of dropping out school), were included in the program. 96.8% of them felt that the experience was highly positive; 89.7% still remember the experience after 3 months as a factor that had a positive impact on your training; and 68.9% showed an increased interest and a better attitude towards science-related subjects at school according to their science teachers. 93.2% of researchers considered that the activity brought them closer to the community, 89.5% were highly pleased with activity, 72% said that after the experience they found more meaning in their research and 77.6% postulated themselves to repeat the experience.
Conclusions - the program reached the goals previously set like: student motivation, increased interest in science, and social inclusion of vulnerable teenagers. Positive externalities were also seen such as increased school attendance, reduced in dropout school rate, as well as a positive assessment and high degree of satisfaction with the experience among the researchers. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Facultad de Ciencias Económicas Facultad de Ingeniería Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires