• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.349-362
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• 2019

This study reviewed the Ladder Project as a science education program for the educational underprivileged youths, and analyzed how the science career experience activities of Ladder Project effect on students' preference for science and career maturity so as to infer the significance and implication of practices in science education for the educational underprivileged students. For this we investigated students' preference for science and career maturity before and after the science career experience activities in 2017 Ladder Project, and then analyzed students' responses. As a result, students' preference for science was changed positively in all areas after participation of the science career experience activities, and this change was more apparent for middle school students than high school students. Also, students' career maturity was changed positively after participation of the science career experience activities in the aspects of planning, knowledge for job, inquiry and preparation for future career. However this change was more apparent for high school students than middle school students. This study is significant in that it proved the evidential effectiveness of nationwide science education project for the educational underprivileged students. It also implies that science career experience activity should be adaptive according to the aims and target students of science education for the educational underprivileged students.