Abstract

This enquiry examines a Science Internships Program (SIP) for high school students (K-10 to K-12) in Portugal. A survey of 4,207 apprentices was both quantitatively and qualitatively analysed to identify key underpinning themes expressed in students’ descriptions of their experience as science learners working alongside scientists in the workplace. The study ran throughout an eight-year nationwide science program, using a mixed-methodology approach combining qualitative and quantitative analysis of students’ experiences based on their own accounts and subjective ratings. It showed that this input from the scientific community provides opportunities for youngsters to understand the nature of scientific challenges, their application to real-world problems and ultimately, their societal implications, through first hand contact with the processes of science and the cultural environment in which they take place.