Scientist encounters: Igniting parental aspirations to support young scientists - a pilot study

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a pilot study undertaken at the Lancashire Science Festival to explore the impact of interacting with a scientist on parents’ attitudes towards their child pursuing a career that involves science. Parents were asked a series of questions about their science festival experience and to provide some demographic information. The key finding was that half of the respondents reported that meeting a scientist had made them more likely to think that their child could pursue a career related to science. The attitudinal shift was particularly prevalent amongst parents from low-participation backgrounds. This preliminary finding suggests that interactions between scientists and parents at public science events may offer an avenue by which to foster positive perceptions of science as a career path amongst underrepresented groups.