ERIC Number: EJ1147064
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1756-1108
EISSN: N/A
Beyond Graduation: Motivations and Career Aspirations of Undergraduate Chemistry Students
Ogunde, Jared C.; Overton, Tina L.; Thompson, Christopher D.; Mewis, Ruth; Boniface, Suzanne
Chemistry Education Research and Practice, v18 n3 p457-471 Jul 2017
This study investigated undergraduate chemistry students' career aspirations and how these vary from one educational system to another in different geographic regions. The participants of this study were undergraduate chemistry students from various institutions located in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The study took place in the form of an international cross-sectional survey. Findings of this study show that undergraduate students choose to study chemistry predominantly because they are interested in it or because they like it. This study also found that, whereas undergraduate students mainly have plans of pursuing a career that uses chemistry, they seem to be aware that a chemistry course can lead to many career options and as such only a few have chosen to study it as a route to a specific career. The findings of this study may be important in informing policies to attract and retain students in chemistry courses.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Chemistry, Regional Characteristics, Occupational Aspiration, Questionnaires, Gender Differences, Institutional Characteristics, Student Surveys, Foreign Countries, Student Motivation, Statistical Analysis, College Science, Career Planning, Differences, Preferences, Career Choice
Royal Society of Chemistry. Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK. Tel: +44-1223 420066; Fax: +44-1223 423623; e-mail: cerp@rsc.org; Web site: http://www.rsc.org/cerp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia; New Zealand; United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A