Gates Foundation grant funds study of factors that prompt youth interest in certain careers
June Ahn, associate professor of education, has received a three-year, $500,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct a study identifying factors that motivate youth toward occupational careers. Ahn and his team will be working with K-12 after-school program educators and participants to gain an understanding of the key experiences that shape youngsters’ identity and spark their interest in pursuing careers in technology, media and related industries. Findings will be used to create a set of practical measures that can be implemented by out-of-school learning and career programs across the country to evaluate and measure students’ development. Mimi Ito, director of UCI’s Connected Learning Lab and professor in residence of informatics, and Vera Michalchik, associate director and senior researcher at the Connected Learning Lab, are research team members.