Decisive Factors in Choice of Technical Education and Pupils' Perception of Technical Study Fields

Statistics have been showing a long-term lack of pupils' interest in technical fields of study and secondary schools. Lower-secondary schools have to respond to this situation. Surveys conducted in the Czech environment show that the lack of interest stems not only from individual preferences of students but also from unfavourable image of technical study fields and insufficient or distorted information. The prime objective of this article is to present up-to-date information about primary career choice of pupils, specifically, how pupils perceive technical study fields, which factors influence the choice of these fields, the extent of their autonomy in the decesion-making process and make the educational work of teachers more effective in order to motivate school leavers to technical education.