Discovering factors that influence the decision to pursue a chemistry-related career: A comparative analysis of the experiences of non scientist adults and chemistry teachers in Greece

Abstract

This study aims at identifying factors that influence students' choice not to pursue a chemistry-related career by analyzing the experiences of secondary education chemistry teachers in Greece and of Greek adults who have not pursued studies related to science. Data collection was done with the method of individual structured interviews. The comparative analysis of the answers given by 10 adults and 10 chemistry teachers, shows that there is a noteworthy agreement between the factors pointed out by the two independent groups. These factors—proposed to form an interconnected grid—are related to the following issues: the nature of school chemistry, the instructional content and context, the students' characteristics and the status of chemistry in the Greek educational system and Greek society.