Brandeis University study

In the US, FIRST Robotics students are more than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities and significantly more likely to attend university (89 per cent compared to 65 per cent) than other graduating high school students.

Other findings from the Brandeis University study:

• Three-quarters (76 per cent) of FIRST participants felt they had a chance to exercise a leadership role in the program.
• Nearly all (95 per cent) said they achieved an increased appreciation of the value
  of teamwork.
• Seven out of 10 said they were motivated to do better in school.
• Nearly nine out of 10 (89 per cent) said FIRST boosted their self-confidence, and the same number said they understood better the role of science and technology in everyday life.
• More than nine out of 10 reported that they learned how to solve unexpected problems
  (93 per cent).
• Almost all (96 per cent) reported having fun.

Mark Breadner, Executive Director of FIRST Robotics Canada, says he has found similar results in Canada. His own surveys of participants at regional tournaments show that the same 89 per cent said FIRST helped them build self-confidence.

The Brandeis study surveyed 173 high school students (59 per cent male, 41 per cent female) in New York City and Detroit in 2005, including minority students (55 per cent) and more than one out of three (37 per cent) whose parents had not attended either university or college.