Psychosocial factors in precollege learning of quantum information science and technology

Recent federal initiatives have focused on workforce development in the rapidly advancing field of quantum information science and technology (QIST), which begins with precollege education to engage and inspire students.This paper will examine the integrated nature of QIST education (physics, computer science, engineering, mathematics) and its relationship with psychosocial domains including student interest, self-efficacy, normative comparison, recognition, belonging, and self-concept.The intervention that informed this work is a summer program for precollege students at a research university and an informal science institution, developed and taught by a quantum theorist, a quantum experimentalist, and a physics education researcher.This work suggests that QIST education may be uniquely accessible for all precollege students, leading to increased QIST self-concept and career aspiration formation.Implications for broader QIST participation and related attitudinal domains are discussed.