The development and correlates of academic interests from childhood through adolescence.

Abstract

Study goals were to assess: (1) the development of academic interests from middle childhood through late adolescence, (2) the degree to which junior high and high school transitions, parents’ educational expectations, interests, and education, were related to changes in academic interests, and (3) the longitudinal links between youth’s academic interests and school grades. Participants were mothers, fathers, and two siblings from 201, White, working and middle class families who were interviewed in their homes on up to 9 annual occasions. Multi-level model analyses revealed overall declines in youth’s interests over time, with boys showing more rapid decline than girls. Mothers’ educational expectations were positively related to youth’s interests, and youth’s interests declined less when fathers had more education. The transition to junior high, but not high school, was linked to decline in interests, but this was buffered by mothers’ academic interests. Declines in youth’s academic interests were linked to declines in school grades.

Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

“…More recent research also supports these calls for higher participation of women in science experiences outside of the traditional classroom (Banks et al, 2007;Basu & Barton, 2007;Carlone & Johnson, 2007;Dotterer, McHale, & Crouter, 2009;Falk & Dierking, 2010;McCreedy & Dierking, 2013;Munley & Rossiter, 2013;Schwartz & Noam, 2007). On average, girls hold less positive attitudes toward science than do boys (Brotman & Moore, 2008), and women exhibit less interest and higher attrition rates in pursuing science-related careers (Freeman, 2004;Hill, Corbett, & St Rose, 2010;Xie, Shauman, & Shauman, 2003).…”

“…Individuals' interests have a rich theoretical basis as a fundamental construct in models for human learning (Renninger et al, 1992). For example, ''interest in conversation, or communication; in inquiry or finding out things; in making things, or construction; and in artistic expression [are the] natural resources, the uninvested capital, upon which depends the active growth of the child'' (Dewey, 1980;pp. 47, 48).…”

Measuring middle school students’ interest in statistical literacy

“…As a result of this, student interest is known to be a predictor of subject choice, with McPhan, Morony, Pegg, Cooksey, and Lynch (2008) reporting that interest was one of five factors that explained students' choice of senior mathematics course in an Australian context, the others being their mathematics self-concept, their previous achievement in mathematics, and their perceptions regarding the usefulness and difficulty of mathematics. Such interest, however, is formed through the years preceding senior school, where interest towards mathematics appears to reach a minimum (Dotterer, McHale, & Crouter, 2009;Watt, 2004). Such low levels of interest for mathematics during adolescence are arguably contributing to a decline in the number of students studying higher levels of mathematics during their senior school years (Forgasz, 2006), which in turn is contributing to the reported shortage of skilled mathematicians (Australian Academy of Science, 2006).…”

Increasing of Students’ Motivation in Learning Physics Through the Use of Computer Simulation Media Viewed From Parents’ Employment Background

“…The motivation of the students not only from the media used in the school environment, but can also come from environmental factors when students are at home. Students who have parents with socio-economic backgrounds will have different intellect and a different motivation in learning (Kriegbaum and Spinath, 2016;Dotterer et al, 2009). Based on the above explanation, the purpose of research is to determine the increase of student motivation through the use of computer simulation media in terms of parents' employment background.…”