ERIC Number: EJ1068674
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Aug
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0157-244X
EISSN: N/A
Global Patterns in Students' Views of Science and Interest in Science
van Griethuijsen, Ralf A. L. F.; van Eijck, Michiel W.; Haste, Helen; den Brok, Perry J.; Skinner, Nigel C.; Mansour, Nasser; Savran Gencer, Ayse; BouJaoude, Saouma
Research in Science Education, v45 n4 p581-603 Aug 2015
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.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Comparative Education, Science Interests, Student Interests, Scientific Attitudes, Extracurricular Activities, Science Activities, Elementary Secondary Education, Science Careers, Scientific Principles, Questionnaires, Correlation, Developing Nations, Developed Nations
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: India; Lebanon; Malaysia; Netherlands; Turkey; United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A