Abstract
The ROSE survey explores which science topics 15-year-old students want to study. By carrying out a factor analysis on results from Sweden it was possible to describe ten interest profiles. The interest profile with the strongest connection to the students’ interest in school science consists of topics such as explosive chemicals, ABC weapons, electric shocks, atoms and molecules. Only a minority of the students has these interests, but it is this minority who appreciates school science and who chooses to study science at upper secondary school. The factor analysis also reveals large differences between genders and furthermore, that the students’ own interests govern their choice of study programme at upper secondary school.
Highlights
Students’ attitudes to science and technology have increasingly gained greater attention over the last decade
The topics in the questionnaire are from different science subjects and the topics are placed in different contexts
The sum of the square loadings tells us to what extent the factor explains the variance of the answers to these 108 questions
Summary
Students’ attitudes to science and technology have increasingly gained greater attention over the last decade. Fewer young people are choosing science as a career in many countries (Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003) A study in Sweden in the early 90s indicated that as many as 75 percent of the students assumed to have the capability to study science did not do so. Students felt that mathematics at lower secondary level was difficult and boring (Skolverket, 1994, 1995). In the last decades great efforts have been made to increase recruitment to science and technology. The proportion of Swedish students choosing science at upper secondary school has remained stable. The last 15 years somewhere between 18 and 22 percent of students from compulsory school have chosen either a science or technology programme (Skolverket, 2007)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
