A Study of the Use of Computers in the Development of Science Career Awareness in Elementary School Children.

The Science Career Awareness Training (SCAT) program proved effective as a means of increasing knowledge about science careers and interest in science as a career for students in the late elementary school grades (grades 4-6). Thus, the SCAT program influenced the knowledge and motivation bases of career choices. However, participants in the program became more indecisive as far as career choices were concerned. Among these students, certain stereotypic career-choice behaviors were already apparent suggesting that programs such as SCAT should start even earlier. The SCAT program uses a highly-interactive, computer-based system to provide information about science career areas. The information is presented in the form of 30-minute dialogs. The dialogs present both printed information and photographs, as well as problem-solving experiences. The topics of the dialogs are: (1) science careers in general; (2) the engineer; (3) the chemist; (4) the physicist; (5) the earth scientist; (6) the biologist; (7) the mathematician; (8) the social scientist; and (9) the health scientist. (Author/BB)