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International audienceThe purpose of this analysis is to describe the variation in students' reports of engagement in science across science teaching and learning activities. In addition, this study examines student and school characteristics that may be associated with students' levels of engagement in science. Data are drawn from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 study. The analysis employs a quantitative approach that includes descriptive and inferential statistics to examine three measures of student engagement for a nationally representative sample of approximately 12,000 15-year-old students in the UK. The main results indicate that there is an association between students' motivation towards science, enjoyment of science and future-orientation towards science, and the frequency in which various teaching and learning activities take place in the classroom. Understanding student engagement in science and the factors that influence it is essential in addressing the issue of uptake of science post compulsory schooling

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Families' perceptions of, and interactions with, schools and teachers can play an essential role in young people's educational outcomes. According to Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory, young people grow within multiple nested systems of influence interacting with each other. Thus, their development is affected by persons, processes, and institutions at all levels, from their family, to the school they attend, to society. This study examined the role of schoolfamily relationships, parents' school satisfaction, and their associations with educational achievement. Drawing upon data from over 10,000 students from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, the results of the multivariate analysis indicated that while positive school-family relationships are a predictor of achievement, this association is mediated by the degree of parents' satisfaction with their child's school. We concluded that the combination of strong school-family relationships and high levels of school satisfaction provides a boost for young people's academic success. Therefore, school policies and practices that enhance relationships with families and improve levels of parent satisfaction can result in rewards for all young people including those from poor backgrounds.

This paper presents the findings of the qualitative component of a combined methods research study that explores a range of individual and school factors that influence the uptake of chemistry and physics in postcompulsory study in England. The first phase involves using the National Pupil Database to provide a sampling frame to identify four matched pairs of high-uptake and low-uptake schools by salient school factors. Case studies of these eight schools indicate that students employ selection strategies related to their career aspirations, their sense of identity and tactics, and their prior experience. The school factors influencing subject choice relate to school management, student support and guidance, and student empowerment. The most notable differences between students in high-uptake and low-uptake schools are that students in high-uptake schools appear to make a proactive choice in relation to career aspirations, rather than a reactive choice on the basis of past experience. Schools with a high uptake offer a diverse science curriculum in the final two years of compulsory study, set higher examination entry requirements for further study and, crucially, provide a range of opportunities for students to interact with the world of work and to gain knowledge and experience of science-related careers.