Science‐related attitudes and science course selection:A study of high‐ability boys and girls

‘Teaching What I Learned’: Exploring students’ Earth and Space Science learning experiences in secondary school with a particular focus on their comprehension of the concept of ‘geologic time’

“…ESS courses in secondary schools should promote students' engagement in the practices of science that helps them understand how scientific knowledge develops, and such direct involvement will provide them with an appreciation of the wide range of approaches that are used to investigate, model, and explain the world (NRC, 2012). Additionally, such engagement will help develop positive attitudes toward ESS that influence not only students' selection of ESS courses (Farenga & Joyce, 1998), but also their career choices (Lietz, Miller, & Kotte, 2002).…”

An Integrated Biochemistry and Genetics Outreach Program Designed for Elementary School Students

“…Realistically, it is unlikely that a few years from now the students will remember the scientific vocabulary that they learned during the course; however, we hope that their positive experiences with science and with scientists will have a lasting impact. As confidence with science may affect selection of scientific classes (Farenga and Joyce 1998), future attitudes toward science (Talton and Simpson 1986;George 2000), and scientific achievement (Oliver and Simpson 1988;Shrigley 1990;Osborne et al 2003;Hill et al 2010), the students' perceived understanding of the vocabulary may be as important as their true level of understanding.…”

“…Attitudes toward science may affect both classroom performance (Koballa and Crawley 1985;Rennie and Punch 1991;Tuan et al 2005) and the courses in which students choose to enroll (Farenga and Joyce 1998). This presents a significant challenge for recruiting students into fields such as biochemistry and genetics, where the difficult subject matter means that students are traditionally not exposed to even the basic concepts of these fields until late in their academic careers.…”

Young girls in science:Academic ability, perceptions and future participation in science

“…These differences demonstrate that large gender discrepancies still exist in the study of science. Current research suggests that this behavior pattern is seen across ability levels, begins as early as primary school, and continues through postgraduate education (College-Bound Seniors, 1998;Farenga & Joyce, 1998,1999Hanson, 1996;Lubinski, Benbow & Sanders, 1993;NCES, 1997).…”

“…Some research demonstrates that, in general, high-ability girls tend to be more like high-ability boys than average-ability girls (Silverman, 1986;Terman & Oden, 1935). Other research indicates that, in the field of science, high-ability girls are different from high-ability boys in terms of their attitudes toward science, future participation in science, and science-related experiences (Farenga & Joyce, 1998). However, little is known about how high-ability girls differ from their average ability peers in terms of their science-related attitudes and future participation in science.…”