Alienation of students from science in grades 4–12

James, Robert K.; Smith, Sarah J.

doi:10.1002/sce.3730690105

Cited by 32 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…They suggest that students avoid classroom tasks that require sustained cognitive engagement for various reasons, including feelings of alienation from science or negative attitudes (Cannon & Simpson, 1985;James & Smith, 1985), unproductive goal orientations concerning excessive ego or social involvement at the expense of task involvement (Ames & Archer, 1988;Elliott & Dweck, 1988;Meece, Blumenfeld, & Hoyle, 1988;Nicholls, 1984;Nolen, 1988;Wentzel, 1989), low selfefficacy (Bandura, 1986;Schunk, 1991), maladaptive causal attributions (Weiner, 1986), conflicting beliefs about the role of ability versus effort in academic performance (Covington & Omelich, 1985), and learned helplessness (Diener & Dweck, 1978. Thus, motivation researchers' efforts to improve the quality of classroom instruction have tended to address unproductive dispositional and behavioral patterns that interfere with student achievement.…”

Section: Task Engagement and Conceptual Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Task Engagement and Conceptual Change in Middle School Science Classrooms

Lee

Anderson

1993

American Educational Research Journal

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Science educators have long been concerned that many students fail to engage in academic tasks with the goal of achieving better understanding of science. This study examined two research questions. First, what patterns of students' task engagement emerge as they work on science classroom tasks? Second, how are patterns of students' task engagement related to factors involving their cognition (i.e., knowledge and achievement), motivation (e.g., goals in science class), and affect (i.e., attitudes toward science)? The study involved 12 sixthgrade students in two classrooms where the teachers and instructional materials provided students with extensive support to understand science better. The results indicated that some students recognized the value of science learning and demonstrated high quality of cognitive engagement, whereas others pursued alternative agendas. The results are used to explore two research traditions that offer different explanations for the failure of students' task engagement: (a) cognitive science or conceptual change research and (b) motivation research.

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Section: Task Engagement and Conceptual Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Task Engagement and Conceptual Change in Middle School Science Classrooms

Lee

Anderson

1993

American Educational Research Journal

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“…Although previous studies have come to very differing conclusions, largely because of differing aims and methodologies (Stables, 1997), collectively, they have shown the following concerning the processes of early subject choice: that parents generally take the role of chief advisers (Ryrie, Furst and Lauder, 1979;Stables, 1996); that schools operate implicit policies of selection (Hurman, 1978;Woods, 1976Woods, , 1979Ball, 1981); that boys and girls can receive differing advice (Diamond, 1987;Stables, 1996); that students can make naive linkages of subjects to careers Miller, 1984a, 1984b;Stables, 1996); that subject and vocational preferences are volatile (James and Smith, 1985;Stables, 1996); and that girls can appear less confident than boys, or have lower aspirations (Diamond, 1987;Wall, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Changes in school students' approaches to subject option choices: a study of pupils in the West of England in 1984 and 1996

Wikeley

Stables

1999

Educational Research

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This paper reports on the second phase of an ESRC-funded project into the changing nature of pupil approaches to subject option choices in Year 9. It highlights the reasons cited by a sample of pupils in four West of England comprehensive schools for choosing particular subjects and compares them with those given by a similar cohort 12 years ago. Although there is evidence that previous gender differences have reduced, other causes for concern have emerged: notably the decrease in the popularity and perceived importance of modern languages, and the possibility that the move away from the more practical nature of some subjects, such as PE and technology, has had a demotivating effect on boys. It also comments on the social class differences in pupil aspirations and knowledge about the ways of realizing those aspirations, as well as the conflict between the advice given by parents and schools to students when making their choices and the realities of the needs of the labour market for transferable skills.

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“…Among those who locate junior high school as a critical time in the educational pipeline are James and Smith (1985) who observe:…”

Section: The Science Pipelinementioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Data to Learn about the Nature of Science

Quinlan

2016

The American Biology Teacher

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The principal purpose of this empirical study was to identify factors in the backgrounds and college experiences of American undergraduate students that affect their interest in studying science and in pursuing science-related careers. Four-year longitudinal data were obtained from 27,065 freshmen who entered 388 four-year colleges and universities in the fall of 1985 and were followed up four years later in the fall and winter of 1989-90. Scores on college admissions tests and on graduate and professional school admissions tests taken four years later were included. Survey data were also obtained from students' faculty. Between the freshman and the senior years, the percentage of students majoring in fields of natural science, mathematics, and engineering (SME) declined from 28.7 to 17.4. Losses were greatest in the biological sciences and next in engineering. Despite the declining interest of students in science majors and careers during the college years, interest in obtaining masters and doctoral degrees increased during the same period. The strongest predictor of changes in students' interest in science majors or careers is the students' entering level of mathematical or academic competency. The greater the proportion of a student's peers majoring in a SME field the more likely that person is to choose a career in the same field. Appendixes include the survey forms, site visit protocols, and a 55-page table providing profiles of persisters, defectors, and recruits. (Contains 78 references.) (PR)

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Alienation of students from science in grades 4–12

Cited by 32 publications

References 3 publications

Task Engagement and Conceptual Change in Middle School Science Classrooms

Task Engagement and Conceptual Change in Middle School Science Classrooms

Changes in school students' approaches to subject option choices: a study of pupils in the West of England in 1984 and 1996

Exploring Data to Learn about the Nature of Science

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