In Sweden most students make their most crucial educational decision in the transition from compulsory school to upper-secondary school. Swedish upper-secondary school provides a number of educational programs, both theoretical and vocational, including Design and Technology. Sweden, as well as most of the countries in the industrialized world, has a problem with decreasing interest for Science and Technology amongst youngsters. The future demand for manpower in the technological sector, however, is much greater than the supply.     

This study identifies factors of importance when secondary-school students think about their future study options. A special focus is on reasons why they choose or avoid educational paths including Technology. A paper-based questionnaire was given to 320 students who already had made their choices to upper-secondary school. The questions deal with their reflections on e.g. the situation in school, relationship with Science and Technology, influences from parents and classmates, as well as future career expectations. The answers were stored in a database making it possible to compare combinations of themes, e.g., gender vs. interest in school subjects. Amongst several observations, the results show that boys find the subject Technology more fun and less difficult than girls do.