Upper primary boys' and girls' interests in science: have they changed since 1980?

Abstract

Over the years concerns that many students have not been opting to study science further than required, and not progressing to scientific careers, have been partly related to low levels of interest and negative attitudes developed quite early in life. Of particular concern have been the differences observed between girls and boys, especially the negative attitudes of many girls to the physical sciences, where findings from many different international studies have been reasonably consistent. This paper reports on a 1997 study which repeated a 1980 survey of the attitudes of Year 7 South Australian primary school students. Given continuing approaches to improving science education, especially for girls, the aim was to discover whether the overall levels of interest, and the sex differences, detected in 1980 had changed in 1997. The results show that, while there have been some changes, these are not always in the desired direction. Some implications of the findings are discussed.