Abstract
Given international concerns about students' pursuit (or more correctly, non-pursuit) of courses and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, this study is about achieving a better understanding of factors related to high school students' engagement in science. The study builds on previous secondary analyses of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) datasets for New Zealand and Australia. For the current study, we compared patterns of science engagement and science literacy for male and female students in Canada and Australia. The study's secondary analysis revealed that for all PISA measures included under the conceptual umbrella of engagement in science (i.e. interest, enjoyment, valuing, self-efficacy, self-concept and motivation), 15-year-old students in Australia lagged their Canadian counterparts to varying, albeit modest, degrees. Our retrospective analysis further shows, however, that gender equity in science engagement and science literacy is evident in both Canadian and Australian contexts. Additionally, and consistent with our previous findings for indigenous and non-indigenous students in New Zealand and Australia, we found that for male and female students in both countries, the factor most strongly associated with variations in engagement in science was the extent to which students participate in science activities outside of school. In contrast, and again for both Canadian and Australian students, the factors most strongly associated with science literacy were students' socioeconomic backgrounds, and the amount of formal time spent doing science. The implications of these results for science educators and researchers are discussed.
Highlights
Prompted by international concerns about school and post-school engagement and participation in science subjects, and by extension, students’ pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), this study’s aim is an improved understanding of factors associated with school students’ engagement in science
How do female and male high school students in Canada and Australia compare in terms of their interest, enjoyment, valuing, self-efficacy, self-concept and motivation in science? The first question sought a stronger sense of the comparative patterning of female and male students’ literacy performance in science
How do female and male students in Canada and Australia compare in terms of science literacy as measured by Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006? The second research question examined the degree to which variation in Australian and Canadian students’ engagement and science literacy could be explained using student and classroom data gathered through PISA
Summary
Prompted by international concerns about school and post-school engagement and participation in science subjects, and by extension, students’ pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), this study’s aim is an improved understanding of factors associated with school students’ engagement in science. Data from the Relevance of Science Education (ROSE) study in Europe, that resulted from standardised surveys across 20 countries, showed that despite our aspirations, significant disparities still exist for females interested in school science and that, on average, girls report liking science less than boys (Schreiner & Sjøberg, 2004) This under representation of women in physical science courses and careers continues to preoccupy the science education community despite emphasis on gender-inclusive science over the past three decades (Aikenhead, 2011) and evidence that there is little difference in the abilities of males and females in doing science (Hyde & Linn, 2006; Sagebiel & Vázquez-Cupeiro, 2010). Given the internationally acknowledged importance of scientifically literate societies, and ongoing concerns about the lack of engagement in school and post-school science for girls and women, an improved empirical understanding of factors related to engagement in science is important
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