Higher Education in Basic Science and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Students’ Life in India: An Exploratory Study

A shortage of scientifically trained manpower in India today is largely due to the fact that fewer and fewer students are being attracted to pursue higher studies in basic science, as current science enrolment data reveal. Ultimately, because of this shortage, developments in science and technology and science-based industry are slowing down, and the basic qualities of material life are continually being compromised. Several other countries are also contending with this problem, but India’s case has largely remained underrepresented in current research. To improve the situation, a number of competitive scholarship programs have been started in India to attract young students to pursue higher studies in science in greater numbers. For one such program, using a sample of more than 8,600 high-school students, we examine how a number of socioeconomic factors govern students’ decision to pursue science higher studies in the country. We find that student age, gender, family income, exam scores, use of computers and the internet, travels, and possession of modern consumer goods at home contribute to students’ increased mobility in search of better educational facilities needed for the preparation of a career in science. Our results have implications for schools and teachers, globalization, scientific literacy, and the general prosperity of life in the country. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016