Eyeballs in the Fridge study finds that students are choosing science careers by 8th grade
Told you so.
By age 11, students are already deciding their future career paths. Those with an interest in a science career in 8th grade are three times more likely to get a college degree in that field than those who don’t show that interest in their formative years.
An integral part of being interested in a subject is being exposed to it. It is crucial to get K-6 students actively participating in science so that they can make fully informed college and career choices.
No, not every student that sees a hands-on science lesson in their elementary classroom will get a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or physics or biology, but they will see that being a scientist is an option—they won’t be ruling out a potential “Research Scientist” job title due to lack of exposure.
In the 2010 study, Eyeballs in the Fridge: Sources of early interest in science, researchers got down to the meat of what makes a scientist want to be a scientist. Two-thirds of both men and women who responded to the study (all scientists), pointed to gaining an interest in science before reaching middle school. Not only that, but their motivators for being engrossed in the subject at that age were their hands-on science experiences. Ranging from tinkering with old electronics at home, to feeding off of the enthusiasm of a teacher doing a demo in school.
With a national eye on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, now is the time to make sure that students get as many opportunities as possible to make a fair and balanced decision about their futures, starting by giving them hands-on science experiences in school.
Source: Maltese, Adam V. and Tai, Robert H.(2010) 'Eyeballs in the Fridge: Sources of early interest in science',
International Journal of Science Education, 32: 5, 669 — 685, First published on: 11 June 2009 (iFirst)