Student’s Attitudes towards Scientific Career: The Case of Volgograd State Technical University
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2024.4.2434Keywords:
science, scientific career, motivation for scientific activity, reproduction of scholars, international students, university competitiveness, youthAbstract
The study aims at identifying and assessing students' attitudes towards science and scientific careers. Empirically, the study the study bases on the data from a survey conducted online from February to March 2023 among students of five universities in Volgograd (N = 1553). Respondents were selected by non-random sampling method (“snowball”) among young people who have no experience of scientific activities. The survey results were supplemented by structured interviews with randomly selected participants (N = 5). The study indicates the low importance of science as a potential career field. Students indicate income level and stability as the most significant criteria when choosing a potential job. The higher the salary, the more prestigious the work in a particular field, including science. Analysis of the cognitive component of attitudes towards science showed that students generally have a positive perception of scientific activity. The analysis of the affective component shows that students associate science with giftedness, and many of them do not see themselves as future scientists due to a lack of talent and low self-efficacy. As recommendations, the authors emphasize a proactive approach to the reproduction of scientific personnel. In their opinion, it is necessary to demonstrate to potential scientists a close relationship between scientific research and the solution of specific applied problems.
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