Determination of Middle School Students' Opinions on Stem Professions

As it is known, raising qualified individuals to work in STEM occupational groups plays a critical role for the future and welfare of a country. In this respect, determining the interests of middle school students in STEM professions in our country is a subject worth investigating. When the relevant studies in the literature are examined, it is seen that the general tendencies of the students towards STEM professions are evaluated by using quantitative data collection tools in the majority of the studies. In this study, a descriptive study with qualitative elements was carried out in order to determine the opinions of middle school students about STEM professions. The study group of the research consists of 40 middle school students studying in the central district of Uşak. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students and the data obtained were described using the content analysis method. As a result of the research, it has been determined that middle school students have superficial knowledge about STEM professions, and students who are self-sufficient in Science and Mathematics and who are interested in science are more willing to choose these occupational groups in the future.