Attitudes, Interest and Factors Influencing STEM Enrolment Behaviour: An Overview of Relevant Literature

Regan, Elaine; DeWitt, Jennifer

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7793-4_5

Cited by 79 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 126 publications

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“…Research has highlighted that students' attitudes and beliefs are especially relevant to their intentions to study science, particularly their interest in science and their perceived utility of science (Bøe and Henriksen 2015;Regan and DeWitt 2015). Research has also begun to reveal and consider clusters of students, given their various attitudes to science such as their interest and perceived utility (Andersen and Chen 2016;Chow et al 2012).…”

Section: Research Aimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has highlighted that students' studying aspirations or intentions have often followed from their attitudes and motivational beliefs, including their interest in science, their perceived utility of science (thinking that science leads to various benefits such as fostering skills and facilitating careers) and their confidence in their own science abilities (Regan and DeWitt 2015;Tripney et al 2010). Given these factors, research has also focused on identifying naturally emergent clusters of students who hold distinct profiles of views towards science, although little such research has occurred in England (Andersen and Chen 2016;Chow et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Any effects following from students' gender or their other background characteristics, or other influences following from schools, have often been found to be relatively small when compared to other factors (Bennett et al 2013;Gill and Bell 2013;Homer et al 2014). Instead, students' intentions to study science subjects have most strongly associated with their own attitudes towards science, such as their interest in science and their perceived utility of science, together with their confidence in their own abilities (Jensen and Henriksen 2015;Mellors-Bourne et al 2011;Regan and DeWitt 2015;Tripney et al 2010;Vidal Rodeiro 2007). Essentially, differences in students' attitudes and beliefs regarding science have helped to explain differences in students' intentions and choices (DeWitt and Archer 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Students’ Changing Attitudes and Aspirations Towards Physics During Secondary School

2017

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Many countries desire more students to study science subjects, although relatively few students decide to study non-compulsory physics at upper-secondary school and at university. To gain insight into students' intentions to study non-compulsory physics, a longitudinal sample (covering 2258 students across 88 secondary schools in England) was surveyed in year 8 (age 12/13) and again in year 10 (age 14/15). Predictive modelling highlighted that perceived advice, perceived utility of physics, interest in physics, selfconcept beliefs (students' subjective beliefs of their current abilities and performance) and home support specifically orientated to physics were key predictors of students' intentions. Latent-transition analysis via Markov models revealed clusters of students, given these factors at years 8 and 10. Students' intentions varied across the clusters, and at year 10 even varied when accounting for the students' underlying attitudes and beliefs, highlighting that considering clusters offered additional explanatory power and insight. Regardless of whether threecluster, four-cluster, or five-cluster models were considered, the majority of students remained in the same cluster over time; for those who transitioned clusters, more students changed clusters reflecting an increase in attitudes than changed clusters reflecting a decrease. Students in the cluster with the most positive attitudes were most likely to remain within that cluster, while students in clusters with less positive attitudes were more likely to change clusters. Overall, the cluster profiles highlighted that students' attitudes and beliefs may be more closely related than previously assumed, but that changes in their attitudes and beliefs were indeed possible.

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Section: Research Aimsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Students’ Changing Attitudes and Aspirations Towards Physics During Secondary School

2017

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“…As a specific example, for children aged around 14 in England, science aspirations have been positively associated with having a family member working within science, the children believing that their parents had positive attitudes towards science, the children's own attitudes towards science (finding science interesting and useful), and the children's engagement in extra-curricular science activities (DeWitt and Archer 2015). Many other studies have highlighted the importance of children's views as influences on their science-related aspirations, especially their self-confidence in science, their interest in science, and how useful studying or working within science is considered to be (Regan and DeWitt 2015;Tripney et al 2010;Vidal Rodeiro 2007). Nevertheless, there have been indications that these personal attitudes and beliefs, and children's wider identification with science may also be facilitated or constrained by children's family background or educational context (Archer et al 2012;DeWitt et al 2011).…”

Section: Influences On Children's Aspirationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Children's aspirations may be facilitated or constrained by many aspects of life, including the following: their family's level of general Badvantage^and/or resources, including family socio-economic status (Ashby and Schoon 2010;Bukodi et al 2015;Moulton et al 2018); their family's level of science-related advantage and/or resources, including whether family members work within science-related fields (Archer et al 2015a;DeWitt et al 2016;Godec et al 2017); and by their own attitudes concerning science and their beliefs about themselves, including their self-confidence in Bdoing well^or Bbeing good^at science (Regan and DeWitt 2015;Tripney et al 2010;Vidal Rodeiro 2007). These various aspects of life are also interrelated, where children's attitudes towards science, for example, may be fostered or limited by their family's background or resources (Archer et al 2015b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Children’s Science-Related Career Aspirations from Age 11 to Age 14

Sheldrake

2018

Res Sci Educ

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In order to gain insight into which children aspire towards science-related careers and how these aspirations change over time, 7820 children in England from the nationally representative Millennium Cohort Study were considered. Few children (8.6% of the cohort) consistently expressed science-related career aspirations at age 11 and again at age 14; more children (15.7%) changed from expressing other (non-science) aspirations at age 11 to express science-related aspirations at age 14; other children (12.2%) changed from expressing science-related aspirations at age 11 to express other aspirations at age 14; and the remaining majority of children (63.5%) consistently expressed other career aspirations. Children who consistently expressed science-related aspirations had more advantaged family backgrounds, higher proportions of parents working within sciencerelated fields, higher self-confidence (in science, mathematics, and English), higher school motivation, and higher self-esteem, compared to children who consistently expressed other aspirations. Children who changed towards science-related aspirations were more likely to be boys, children from white backgrounds, and children with higher (at age 14) mathematics self-confidence, science self-confidence, school motivation, and self-esteem. Children who changed aspirations towards science were characterised by increasing science self-confidence, while those who changed aspirations away from science were characterised by decreasing science self-confidence. The findings suggest that further support may be beneficial to help ensure that children's aspirations are not unnecessarily limited by family disadvantage; support after age 11 may also benefit from promoting the feasibility of science careers for all children, regardless of gender and ethnicity.

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A model for principals' STEM leadership capability

Geiger

Beswick

Fraser

et al. 2023

British Educational Res J

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In this paper we develop a model for the capabilities required by principals for effective Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) leadership. The model underpinned a large national cross‐sectional research and development project across Australian states in both primary and secondary schools. This model is developed via synthesis of research literature across leadership and STEM education. The model consists of five dimensions of principals' STEM capability: (1) STEM discipline‐specific and integrated knowledge and practices; (2) contexts; (3) dispositions; (4) tools; and (5) critical orientation. These dimensions represent distinct, but interrelated, capacities required by principals to establish and maintain positive STEM learning cultures within schools. Elaborations have been provided, in the form of capabilities, for each of these dimensions. The model has the potential for shaping principals' STEM leadership development trajectories and structuring targeted professional learning programmes for principals, teachers and other members of the school community.

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Attitudes, Interest and Factors Influencing STEM Enrolment Behaviour: An Overview of Relevant Literature

Cited by 79 publications

References 126 publications

Students’ Changing Attitudes and Aspirations Towards Physics During Secondary School

Students’ Changing Attitudes and Aspirations Towards Physics During Secondary School

Changes in Children’s Science-Related Career Aspirations from Age 11 to Age 14

A model for principals' STEM leadership capability

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