Students' Perception of Factors Contributing to the Difficulty of Secondary School Science

Abstract

This research concerns secondary pupils' interest in school science and their reasons for finding it difficult. In a preliminary study 24 categories of hardness were identified in the free responses from 1,700 pupils. In the main study 3,808 students in seven other Sydney schools indicated their degree of interest in science and its difficulty in comparison with other subjects; then, through their responses to 33 structured items based upon the categories of hardness, they assessed particular situations and whether in consequence science was hard, easy or about right. With increasing exposure to science, interest progressively declined, most markedly from Form I to Form II, while its reported difficulty increased except for a trend reversal with boys in Forms IV and V. Positive relationships are reported between degree of interest in science and of its difficulty for all respondents and for various sub-groups. Further analyses of response differences between boys and girls and between junior and senior pupils are presented.