IP Outreach Research > IP Creation
Reference
Title: | Lemelson-MIT Invention Index: U.S. Teens Confident in Their Inventiveness |
Author: | [Lemelson-MIT Program] |
Source: | http://web.mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-08index.html |
Year: | 2008 |
Details
Subject/Type: | Creativity |
Focus: | Barriers, Inventions, Success Factors |
Country/Territory: | United States of America |
Objective: | To gauge young Americans' attitudes towards invention and innovation. |
Sample: | A nationally representative sample of 1.004 teens and 1.013 adults |
Methodology: | Survey |
Main Findings
US teens across ethnic groups and gender are confident in their inventiveness and believe that technological inventions or innovations can solve some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges (72%). While almost two thirds of teens (64%) are confident that they could invent some of these solutions, only 38% of adults surveyed believe that they could do so.
However, more than half of American teens (59%) do not believe that their high school is preparing them adequately for a career in technology and engineering; this feeling is especially prevalent among African-American teens (64%) and teen girls (67%). A vast majority of teens (79%) support hands-on, project-based science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and learning in high school and believe that more funding is needed for these types of programs (79%). Proficiency in STEM education is important to both teens (94%) and adults (80%).
It is suggested that adding experiential learning opportunities to high school science and math courses, permitting students to apply their textbook learning to the real world, could help American teens acquire the necessary tools to realise their inventive potential.
[Date Added: Aug 18, 2008 ]