Abstract
The research presented in this paper describes the German project “Career and Science Navigator (CSN)”. This project ties in with previous studies, which indicate that it is necessary to include occupational orientation more strongly into science education. For this purpose, the CSN project developed some specific learning materials and learning environments. These learning environments were implemented into practice and then evaluated with the help of a questionnaire based on a career choice model, which has proven useful in earlier research. The CSN intervention was able to bridge the gap between chemistry education and the area of occupational orientation. It thus contributes to supporting young people in finding a meaningful perspective for their lives. Additionally the CSN conception offers a way to make science lessons more attractive to young people by directly referring to the students’ everyday and future life.
Highlights
Following up the European debate on a future need of more young people taking up jobs in the area of the sciences (European Commission 2004, 181) the research of Bertels and Bolte (2009; 2010) focuses on occupational orientation in German chemistry classes as one major aspect in students’ career choice
The research presented in this paper describes the German project “Career and Science Navigator (CSN)”
The CSN project developed some specific learning materials and learning environments. These learning environments were implemented into practice and evaluated with the help of a questionnaire based on a career choice model, which has proven useful in earlier research
Summary
Following up the European debate on a future need of more young people taking up jobs in the area of the sciences (European Commission 2004, 181) the research of Bertels and Bolte (2009; 2010) focuses on occupational orientation in German chemistry classes as one major aspect in students’ career choice. This research is especially valuable and important as there is already a lack of young people taking jobs in the sciences in Germany (McKinsey 2011, 21) This lack will increase due to the demographic change in German society (Brenke & Zimmermann 2005). Results from this study about science education in Berlin show a mismatch between desirable and actual implementation of occupational orientation into science-related learning environments (Schulte & Bolte 2014, 201). Taking up these findings which clearly indicate a necessity of optimization e.g. in the form of an intervention linking chemistry education and occupational orientation more closely, the study presented in this paper evaluates an intervention called “Career and Science Navigator” (originally: “Berufe-NaWigator”)
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