Why school students choose and reject science: a study of the factors that students consider when selecting subjects

Abstract

Student study of science at school has been linked to the need to provide a scientifically capable workforce and a scientifically literate society. Educators, scientists and policymakers are concerned that too few students are choosing science for study in their final years of school. How and why students choose and reject certain subjects, including science, at this time is unclear. A Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) survey was completed by 333 Year 10 (age 14-17) students to investigate the relative importance of 21 factors thought to impact students' subject selection decisions. Students ranked enjoyment, interest and ability in a subject, and its perceived need in their future study or career plans as the most important factors in both choosing and rejecting subjects. They considered advice from teachers, parents or peers as relatively less important. These findings indicate that enhancing students' enjoyment, interest, and perceptions of their ability in science, as well as increasing student perceptions of its value in a future career, may result in more students studying science at school.

An exploration of Illinois students' attitudes toward science using multivariate multilevel modeling with a cross‐sectional sample of responses from grades 5 through 10

“…Likewise, students' who reported talking more frequently with a family member about school, for each 1‐point increase, bolstered their attitude score by 0.09, intention by 0.08, behavioral beliefs by 0.07, control beliefs by 0.06, and normative beliefs by 0.15. This interaction is similar to recent findings from Palmer, Burke, and Aubusson (), who reported that students' perceived ability, among other factors, influenced their decision to take elective science coursework in upper secondary school. Their analysis of responses from 333 students, ages 14–17, indicated that parents, peers, and teachers were comparatively less impactful.…”

“…Yet, from this cross‐sectional perspective, intrinsic predictor variables collected from students were judged to be more effective in explaining variation in their responses to the BRAINS. Group‐level variables relating to the science teacher, ranging from practices to characteristics, have been identified through empirical studies, and remain widely supported as having a tremendous impact on students' enthusiasm for science (e.g., Kolbe & Jorgenson, ; Maltese & Tai, ; Palmer et al, ). Null findings related to these variables in this study may reflect measurement issues associated with the Science Teacher Survey used.…”

“…Interestingly, students' judgments about their own capabilities and the support of important individuals would be expected to most closely relate with their control and normative beliefs, respectively, according to the TRAPB. The broader influence of these predictor variables on all of the constructs assessed may indicate that they serve to mediate students' attitudes, beliefs, and intentions (Aschbacher et al, ; Palmer et al, ). Taken together these findings raise theoretically driven questions for future investigations, and shed light on potential intervention targets that may be effective in promoting scientifically engaged behaviors.…”

Career-related instruction promoting students’ career awareness and interest towards science learning

“…In POI, the value component refers to how the person's goals and intentions relate with the attitudes, expectations and values (Krapp, 2002). Students will study science subjects if they need those for their career or future study goals but the importance of science for their everyday life may not be as important (Palmer, Burke & Aubusson, 2017). In addition, individual interest has major influence on students' career choices (Aspden et al, 2015).…”

Curriculum Design in Construction Engineering Departments for Colleges in Taiwan

“…However, students' motivation to learn through school science and their unwillingness to pursue science-related careers has been recognized as a problem. Several influencers that play a role in promoting students' aspirations in science studies and possible science careers have been identified [7,8]. Xiang, Yalan, and Yu (2017) compared the goals of talent cultivation in Chinese and other international CPM schools, determining that schools overseas focus more on cultivating comprehensive qualities in students rather than merely professional knowledge and abilities.…”