Preliminary data analysis of SSQ-HOPE questionnaire on factors inspiring secondary students to study physics

SSQ-HOPE questionnaire is one of the actions of the EU HOPE-Project (Horizons in physics education), a cooperation project of 71 European partners. The HOPE-project is striving to find ways to inspire young people to study physics (Working Group 1 - WG1). SSQ is part of it in concentrating on the transition school-university with a focus on the factors motivating secondary school students which are talented in physics to study physics, In order to reach the pre-defined target group the questionnaire was distributed in events with physics content mostly taking place at universities, research institutions or at similar occasions. In order to identify promising activities information on the type of event, its characteristics and the process of selection of students were collected. From the preliminary administrations the role of open questions emerged which are necessary to get a quite precise impression of the reasons inducing students to study physics and the role of school in relation to outreach activities. A preliminary analysis of the data collected with a restricted sample of 139 students participating in the International IPPOG-Masterclasses in the universities of Udine and Dresden is presented here. From data emerged that a positive decision to study physics seams highly correlated to deep interest and perceived traits of a physicist.