Some of the members in the IMMPACT-project. Photo:Private.

The first sub-study in the IMMPACT project is a survey aimed at all first-year students starting, Engineering Physics, Engineering Mathematics, medical physics, or a bachelor programme in mathematics or physics. The purpose of the survey is to map patterns among the applicants, in terms of, for example: What are the backgrounds of those who apply, what inspired them to apply, and how do underrepresented groups experience the education?

The survey is inspired by similar surveys that have been carried out, for example in the ASPIRES projects in England, in the SCOPE project in Denmark, and in the FINSCI project in Finland.

Lisa Österling. Photo: Private.

– What distinguishes our survey from other countries' surveys is that it also includes mathematics, while previous surveys have focused on science and technology, says Lisa Österling, one of the researchers in IMMPACT. We also only focus on students who have chosen a university education in either mathematics or physics. Previous surveys have targeted different ages, and also people who do not choose to study science.

– This autumn we distributed the survey to 1 600 students who are registered for the programmes, Lisa Österling continues. Now we are hoping that the response rate will be high.

– We are interested in analysing patterns regarding backgrounds and future aspirations among and between different groups of students. Among those who responded on the first day, we can already see that it is a mixed group of students in terms of both gender and parents' educational background. We are also curious about what made them choose to apply, and also if they feel they belong once they get to universities and colleges.

– During the second sub-study, we will follow some students during the first two years of their education, using qualitative methods that allow us to understand more about what makes them experience a sense of belonging or not.

More about the IMMPACT project

Paola Valero (PI), Anna Danielsson, Lisa Österling and Maria Berge (Umeå University) are researchers in the project, and Nhu Throng and Bruna Leticia Nunes are research assistants. Erik Adolfsson has also written a master thesis that contributed to the project.

Read more about the research project IMMPACT