Student attitudes toward science and sciencerelated careers: A program designed to promote a stimulating gender‐free learning environment

Mason, Cheryl L.; Kahle, Jane Butler

doi:10.1002/tea.3660260104

Cited by 81 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Another finding of the study supports the commonly held belief that students' attitudes toward science tend to become more negative as students grow older-i.e., pass on to higher grades (Doran & Sellers, 1978;Koballa, 1988a;Mason & Kahle, 1989;Oliver & Simpson, 1988Rennie & Punch, 1991;Stead, 1985). When the five independent variables were taken into consideration, ATS was found to be a significant predictor of behavioral intention for laboratory activities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Factors associated with students' intentions to engage in science learning activities

Butler

1999

J. Res. Sci. Teach.

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The determinants of fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders' intentions to perform science learning activities were investigated. Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action was used to assess students (n ϭ 254) on their laboratory and nonlaboratory behavioral intentions, which required using the two determinants included in the theory (attitude toward the behavior and subjective norm) as well as five external variables identified by the researcher. The five external variables were gender, grade, race/ ethnicity, socioeconomic status as determined by the range of the family's annual income, and attitude toward science. Two models were tested. The first model included the two determinants as predictor variables and behavioral intention as the criterion. The second model involved the analysis of the two determinants as they were considered in subgroups according to the five external variables. This model also included interaction terms. For laboratory learning activities, the two determinants (attitude toward behavior and subjective norm) were found to contribute collectively to the prediction of behavioral intention, accounting for almost a fourth of the variance. For nonlaboratory learning activities, the two determinants accounted for over a fourth of the variance in behavioral intention. Testing of the second model revealed that for both laboratory and nonlaboratory behavioral intentions, no interaction terms were significant. The results of post hoc tests on significant predictors of behavioral intentions for laboratory and nonlaboratory activities are reported. Implications of this study on future research are also discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Factors associated with students' intentions to engage in science learning activities

Butler

1999

J. Res. Sci. Teach.

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“…The importance of environmental influences outside of school has been the focus of numerous studies (Farenga, 1995;Kahle et al, 1993;Majoribanks, 1991;Mason & Kahle, 1989;Walberg, 1991). The aggregated effect that experience provides can form the foundation to subsequent learning.…”

Section: Informal Science Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Intentions of young students to enroll in science courses in the future: An examination of gender differences

1999

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This study examined young students' perceptions of gender‐appropriate science courses. The sample consisted of 427 students in grades 4, 5, and 6, between the ages of 9 and 13. Students completed the Course Selection Sheet (CSS) to choose courses for themselves and members of the opposite gender. A psychosocial framework was offered to explain the differential course selection patterns between young boys and girls. The study reveals a strong gender effect pointing toward stereotypical perceptions of selected science courses for oneself (p ≤ 0.01). When students selected science courses for the opposite gender, the evidence of gender‐role stereotypes was even greater (p < 0.000). Course selection profiles imply that a reciprocal relationship exists in the number and kind of courses selected by girls and boys. A detailed analysis suggests that both boys and girls perceive physical science and technology‐related courses as appropriate subjects for boys to study and life sciences as appropriate subjects for girls to study. Surprisingly, students' future science course selections resemble current enrollment data of master's and doctoral candidates. The students' perceptions of science are seen years prior to the actual encounter with the science courses listed on the course selection menu. These findings question the auspiciousness of programs designed to ameliorate gender differences in science during junior or senior high school years. Suggestions for school curriculum development and the importance of informal science experiences were examined. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 83:55–75, 1999.

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“…It is probable that there was a degree of pre-test contamination (Mason and Kahle, 1988); some teachers reported that during post-test administration, students complained that they had 'already answered the questions'. We do not draw on these data in this paper.…”

Section: Student and Parental Questionnaires: Design Challenge And Amentioning

confidence: 99%

The Benefits of Residential Fieldwork for School Science: Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK

Amos¹,

Reiß²

2012

International Journal of Science Education

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Amos, R. and Reiss, M. (2012). The benefits of residential fieldwork for school science:Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK. International Journal of Science Education, 34(4), 485-511. AbstractThere is considerable international interest in the value of residential fieldwork for school students. In the UK, pressures on curriculum time, rising costs and heightened concern over students' safety are curtailing residential experiences. Collaboration between several key providers across the UK created an extensive programme of residential courses for 11-14 year olds in London schools from [2004][2005][2006][2007][2008]. Some 33,000 students from 849 schools took part. This paper draws on the evaluation of the programme that gathered questionnaire, interview and observational data from 2706 participating students, 70 teachers and 869 parents / carers from 46 schools mainly in deprived areas of the city. Our findings revealed that students' collaborative skills improved and interpersonal relationships were strengthened and taken back to school. Gains were strongest in social and affective domains; behavioural improvements occurred for some students. Individual cognitive gains were revealed more convincingly during face-to-face interviews than through survey items. Students from socially deprived backgrounds benefitted from exposure to learning environments which promoted authentic practical inquiry. Over the five year programme, combined physical adventure and real-world experiences proved to be popular with students and their teachers.Opportunities for learning and doing science in ways not often accessible in urban school environments were opened up. Further programmes, which build upon the provision of mixed curriculum-adventure course design, have been implemented across the UK as a result of the London experience. The popularity and apparent success of these combination courses suggest that providers need to consider the value of developing similar programmes in the future.

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Student attitudes toward science and sciencerelated careers: A program designed to promote a stimulating gender‐free learning environment

Cited by 81 publications

References 11 publications

Factors associated with students' intentions to engage in science learning activities

Factors associated with students' intentions to engage in science learning activities

Intentions of young students to enroll in science courses in the future: An examination of gender differences

The Benefits of Residential Fieldwork for School Science: Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK

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