The main goals of this study were to find why some students in the 10th grade do not choose to major in any of the science disciplines, and how to arouse their interest in science. The assumption was that the way students perceive and evaluate their acquaintance with any kind of knowledge was very important in their learning process. If students were not interested in science, they would tend not to make an effort to learn and understand the meaning of concepts that were being taught to them. It was shown that the most effective factor contributing to students' decision to study science was their interest in the subject. We developed questionnaires, and disseminated it among 10th grade students, all between 15 and 16 years old, from three high schools located in the central part of Israel, among middle to upper socioeconomic homes. Based on the findings we concluded: (1) Despite the fact that 10th grade students studied science for three years in junior high school, many of them were unfamiliar with basic concepts that appeared in the science syllabus, and (2) the degree of interest shown by students in a given subject was greater when they were familiar with the subject and thus wished to hear and know more about it. Therefore, students' exposure to various scientific subjects can be expected to induce them to show more interest, arouse their curiosity and enhance their desire to know more. Following these results, we attempted to use a historical approach to science teaching, with the belief that it would improve the attitudes and interest of non-science-oriented students (those who did not choose to major in any of the scientific disciplines) towards science and science studies. (Contains 3 tables.)