Global patterns in students' views of science and interest in science

Ralf A. L. F. van Griethuijsen*, Michiel W. van Eijck, Helen Haste, Perry J. den Brok, Nigel C. Skinner, Nasser Mansour, Ayse Savran Gencer, Saouma BouJaoude

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

502 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

International studies have shown that interest in science and technology among primary and secondary school students in Western European countries is low and seems to be decreasing. In many countries outside Europe, and especially in developing countries, interest in science and technology remains strong. As part of the large-scale European Union funded 'Science Education for Diversity' project, a questionnaire probing potential reasons for this difference was completed by students in the UK, Netherlands, Turkey, Lebanon, India and Malaysia. This questionnaire sought information about favourite courses, extracurricular activities and views on the nature of science. Over 9,000 students aged mainly between 10 and 14 years completed the questionnaire. Results revealed that students in countries outside Western Europe showed a greater interest in school science, in careers related to science and in extracurricular activities related to science than did Western European students. Non-European students were also more likely to hold an empiricist view of the nature of science and to believe that science can solve many problems faced by the world. Multilevel analysis revealed a strong correlation between interest in science and having such a view of the Nature of Science.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)581-603
JournalResearch in science education
Volume45
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • Interest in science
  • Nature of science
  • Large-scale studies
  • International
  • Comparisons
  • Empiricism
  • TEACHERS CONCEPTIONS
  • EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS
  • ATTITUDES

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