This paper examines the obligatory but often contentious relationship that
exists between contemporary second level education and undergraduate student
course choice within an Irish context. A survey of 1,723 students from across four
second level schools and all year groups was conducted asking students to elect a
future career they would most like to pursue. The results of this survey served to
highlight the declining allure of engineering as a future career for students as they
progress through second level. Focus groups were held in all four schools in order to
identify current motivations behind student course choice, as well as students’
perceptions regarding the decline in undergraduate engineering numbers. Students
frequently highlighted future career prospects, as well as current matriculation
requirements as mitigating factors in the uptake of undergraduate engineering degree
programmes. Finally this paper also compares and contrasts the perceptions and
motivations of current second level students with those of existing undergraduate
engineers.
History
Publication
International Journal of Engineering Education;
Publisher
Dublin Institute of Technology * Tempus Publications