Experiences and Aspirations of Final-Year Undergraduate Students, 2008-2009

<P>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</P><br>This is a mixed methods data collection.<br>
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The primary purpose of this study was to examine patterns of participation in post-compulsory science and science-related programmes. The data held at the UK Data Archive comprises a set of semi-structured interviews (13 individual interviews and one focus group interview) conducted with undergraduates in various disciplines, and a quantitative survey of the higher education (HE) experience of undergraduate scientists and the reasons they give for choosing, or not choosing, to follow a career in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. The research project sought to address three broad research questions:<ul><li>What are the long-term patterns of participation in post-compulsory science and science-related courses in the UK?</li><li>To what extent does the undergraduate experience influence students’ decisions to pursue a career in science?</li><li>What happens to science graduates once they leave HE?</li></ul>These three questions constitute the study’s three main phases. Phase 1 considered the period up to the start of HE and looked at patterns of participation in the pure sciences at A-level and at applications and admissions to university programmes. Phase 2 included the survey of undergraduate science and non-science students and Phase 3 looked at what happens to science graduates once they leave HE.<br>
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The project also made use of pre-existing data: aggregate data was retrieved from examination boards and government and publicly accessible datasets retrieved from the UK University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).<br>
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Further information may be found on the ESRC <a href="http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-000-22-2005/read/" title="Who is studying science? An analysis of patterns in the recruitment, training and employment of scientists">Who is studying science? An analysis of patterns in the recruitment, training and employment of scientists</a> award webpage. <br>
<br><br><B>Main Topics</B>:<BR><br>Topics covered include experiences during the sixth form and the last years of school; attitudes to courses, coursework, the degree subject chosen and experiences at university; aspirations for the future and careers/employment chosen.