Important factors in learning science include motivational variables (relevance of science learning for personal goals, self‐efficacy for learning science, and interest in a scientific career), emotional variables (boredom and enjoyment in science classes), and engagement variables (vigor, dedication, and absorption towards science studies). Data from 3034 Chilean and Spanish compulsory secondary education students was used to study the relationships between these variables, by means of a self‐report questionnaire analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The model, tested for goodness of fit, showed that motivational variables predict emotions in science classes and explained 43% of boredom variance and 67% of enjoyment variance. Motivational and emotional variables explained the 73% variance in engagement toward science studies. Also seen is the essential role played by emotions that mediate between motivational variables in science learning and engagement towards science studies. When promoting engagement towards science studies, these results can be used to increase relevance of science learning to personal goals, self‐efficacy for learning science, and interest in a scientific career, besides reducing boredom, increasing enjoyment in science classes, and enhancing engagement towards science studies.

The approach of learning science through inquiry presents significant challenges for teachers and students. In light of this, an extensive experience has been developed in which students without any previous training or specific interests have been organized into small groups to carry out scientific inquiry projects guided by their teachers. Evaluation of the experience is clearly positive, and is based on questionnaires completed at the end of the experience by the students as well as retrospective reports provided by their teachers. Despite this, some problems are presented, such as the difficulty or repetitiveness of some scientific practices mentioned by some students, or when the inquiry or the group does not work out in some cases, as mentioned by teachers. Scientific inquiry projects like the one described here could play a key role in science education in compulsory secondary education.