Zientzia eta teknologiako unibertsitate-ikasleen iritziak eta irudikapenak Ipar Euskal Herrian

Abstract

Science and technology assume growing importance to the extent that we are living in a knowledge society and because the only way of dealing with competition from emerging countries is to invest in research, development and innovation to be able to invent new products, services and processes. Companies, public administrations and citizens have become aware of this. Within this context, this article aims to find out about the perceptions and opinions of university students from the northern Basque Country regarding science and technology. More exactly, it aims to answer the following questions: 1) How interested are students in science and technology? 2) How to they see researchers? 3) What are their expectations involving developing science and technology in this province? 4) How do they rate scientific and technological activities? And finally, 5) How do they perceive scientific communication? In order to answer these questions, discussion groups were organised with university students from the northern Basque Country, taking into account the university course and year variables. These discussion groups took place in Bayonne between January and March 2008. We should emphasise that this research came about as the result of a request from both the Basque Government Sociological Prospecting Office and the Elhuyar Foundation.