Students' summer internships in a research centre: The impact on scientific literacy and the choice of a career in the STEM fields

Science communication is crucial for engaging society in real-life contexts. In this line of thought, research centres play a pivotal role in promoting dynamic and interactive communication that enables science to be disseminated. This study constitutes a qualitative research based on a case study involving middle school students, researchers and teachers, which took place in a research centre in Portugal that provided a two-week internship experience for students. The results confirm a significant increase in students' knowledge, attitudes, and 21st-century skills. The student's participation in the internship inspires them to pursue further education, in general, and in the sciences in particular. Unfortunately, such opportunities are uncommon for middle school students, so, extracurricular activities that provide authentic science experiences outside the regular school curriculum are of utmost value.