Interests & Recruitment in Science

IRIS addresses the challenge that few young people in general, and women in particular, choose to pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM. The objective of IRIS is to develop knowledge and recommendations informed by evidence on how young people, and women in particular, may come to see STEM as an educational choice that is right for them and to persist in their STEM education until graduation. Specifically, the project addresses the following questions: 1) What are the priorities, values and experiences on which young people base their educational choice? 2) What are the success factors for interventions aimed at recruiting more young people (women in particular) to higher STEM education? and 3) How do STEM students who drop out/opt out before graduation, explain their choice?