ASPIRES: young people's science and career aspirations, age 10-14

Many governments and organisations are concerned that not enough young people are choosing to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) after the age of 16. This study examines how young people's aspirations develop between the ages of 10-14, with a particular emphasis on what influences aspirations for science-related careers. The ASPIRES project is a five year study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) using quantitative online questionnaires in conjunction with longitudinal interviews with selected parents and pupils. The study seeks to understand how young people develop certain aspirations to explain why certain groups are underrepresented in STEM subjects and careers. Findings suggest that despite the majority of 10-14 year olds enjoying and recognising the value of school science classes, a lack of understanding of the range of uses of science skills causes many young people to view STEM subjects as unachievable. [The authors] conclude with a discussion of the implications of the findings for policy and practice.

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