In response to reports that have received widespread attention decrying the failure of science education in the United States to prepare sufficient numbers of scientists, projects have sought to determine what can be done to encourage academically oriented youths to enroll in more science courses in high school and preserve their option of going into a career in science. The purpose of this preliminary study was to test the adequacy of variables proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen's Theory of Reasoned Action as predictors of eighth grade students' intention to enroll in at least one elective science course in high school. Data were collected from 174 eighth grade students. According to the model, intention to perform a behavior is based on: (1) attitude toward behavior; and (2) subjective norms. In order to test this, the researcher opted to study the effects of several variables external to the model's theoretical constructs and to show how they are related to eighth-graders' intentions. Tested were the effects of gender, science grades, and science attitudes. Attitude toward the behavior and subjective norm in combination were found to be statistically significant as predictors of behavioral intention. Because actual enrollment data were not obtained, the results were considered preliminary. (CW)