Science curriculum components favoured by high school students in Taiwan

Abstract

This study examines the curriculum components in biology favoured by high school students in Taiwan. Our sample consisted of 155 senior high school students (51 boys and 104 girls) and 137 junior high school students (74 boys and 63 girls). The questionnaire was based on the idea of a repertory grid technique and was developed to investigate the relative status of the curriculum components as perceived by the students. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were then used to analyse the data. It was found that the students favoured the curriculum components in the following order: Manipulative skills, Scientific concepts, the Application of science, Social issues, Problem solving skills and the History of science. Further comparisons indicated that there were some differences between senior high school students and junior high school students as well as between boys and girls. These findings provide us with aspects that should be seriously considered when developing curricula.