Educational asymmetries in the making: Science Fair Competitions as Proxies of the Economic Development

TL;DR

This study investigates how Croatian counties' development levels relate to students' participation in science fair competitions across various disciplines, highlighting a growing correlation that underscores the importance of early science engagement for national development.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence of the increasing link between regional development and student participation in science competitions in Croatia.

Findings

Positive correlation between development index and participation rates

Participation rates are rising across all science disciplines

Science competitions are crucial for fostering scientific interest and development

Abstract

Croatia does not score well in the human development index, rate of employment, or development of the high tech sector - to mention only a few indicators that hinder good prospects for improvement. Also, Croatian high school students are at the bottom of European rankings on performance in science and mathematics and their interest in career in science is declining. Croatia needs more educated people, especially in the area of science and technology, and this can be achieved only if the youth become interested in science at an early age. Thus, science fair competitions are of an utmost importance for development of Croatia. This paper aims at investigating a relation of the Croatian counties' development index and their students' participation rates in the science fair competitions. This is done by including two development indexes in search for the relation with the counties' participation rates in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics competition, and with a reference to a previous research on astronomy competition. As is revealed, there is a growing trend of interconnection of the development index and participation rates at science competitions in all disciplines.