Attracting prospective students
ct.qmat seeks to make an important contribution to long-term recruitment to science in general and physics in particular. Our efforts target girls in different age groups, starting at the early high school level and even earlier. As a matter of course, most high school students do not wait until their final year of high school to decide on their preferred study program. By that time, they might have developed a lively interest in a specific discipline or field of study. Research shows that positive role models who come from diverse backgrounds, represent various academic levels, have children and enjoy a broad range of interests beyond their profession promote a favorable image of physics. It is also obvious that well-trained, motivated, and staying up-to-date with new scientific advances teachers are essential for sparking interest in the field among their students. Last but not least, meaningfulness and relevance of the content and tasks to the students’ everyday life as well as an opportunity for practical work might play an important role in encouraging girls (and boys) to study physics.
Image: © Tobias Ritz/ ct.qmat
Image: © Tobias Ritz/ ct.qmat
Image: © Professur Didaktik der Physik, TUD/ SFB 1143
Considering all these aspects we tailored different measures directed at...
- increasing the interest and involvement of girls in science in general and in physics in particular during their early years of high school;
- enhancing the image of physics as a profession and providing advice about physics-related careers;
- providing schoolgirls and female students with role models – real female scientist showing that (and how) it is possible to balance family and a demanding and at the same time rewarding physics career thus challenging stereotypes;
- keeping teachers up-to-date by compiling teaching materials to be used in classroom and giving comprehensible lectures on the cutting-edge research:
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- MINT-EC-Schulleitungstagung 2021: keynote speech, workshop „Spaß an Physik wecken mit der Spiele-App Katze Q“
- compilation of teaching materials on quantum physics as part of the series MINT-EC-Schriftenreihe
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- creating opportunities for practical work linked to high school students’ world of experience, e. g. by drawing on phenomena known from their own everyday life or by adapting information and communication technologies so popular among young generations:
It is a major issue to ct.qmat to foster girls’ self-confidence in their capabilities and to make physics accessible and engaging to them as well as providing them with an opportunity to test their knowledge and ability without pressure to perform and in an unbiased atmosphere.