Study of the contribution of participation in Scientific Pre-Initiation to the continuity of a scientific career

• Grant number: 25/01731-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ana Cláudia Kasseboehmer
• Grantee: Pedro Cardoso de Araujo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/12895-1 - Advanced processes for the degradation of emerging pollutants: catalytic materials, electroanalytical sensors and scientific dissemination, AP.TEM

Abstract

In the current reality in which Brazil finds itself, it is clear how necessary it is to encourage students to continue their studies, that is, to move from basic education to higher education, thus contributing to scientific research. However, what has become evident is a decline in the interest of young people in pursuing a career as a scientist, especially in the area of ¿¿specific disciplines involving science, such as chemistry. All of this has generated concern not only for school administrators, but also for the country as a whole, given that it hinders the development of science. In view of this, this project aims to study the contribution of a Scientific Pre-Initiation Program to the motivation to pursue a scientific career, using the Theory of Self-Determination as a theoretical framework. This research is of the quantitative and qualitative type. In order to identify the impacts of participation in the program on the lives of scholarship holders, direct contact will be made with the environment and the target audience. Consequently, questionnaires will be administered to all first-year high school students in three public schools, and semi-structured interviews will be conducted with scholarship students and teachers, following a pre-established script. The aim is to generate meaningful insights into the role of the program and to verify in what ways it contributes to alleviating this gap of disinterest in being a researcher, in addition to understanding how it meets the basic psychological needs of students.