Self-positioning in relation to science: the stories of nine adolescents

ABSTRACT

While students tend to enjoy their science learning at a young age, as they mature, they tend to distance themselves from science, becoming less motivated to engage with science and holding negative attitudes towards science. In parallel, a career choice in science often begins to develop during early adolescence. To understand how the environment and students’ inner worlds shape the development of their self-positioning in relation to science, this longitudinal study followed nine adolescents, aged 10–14, over 3 years, in and out of school, and created nine individual stories describing these participants’ self-positioning in relation to science, and how these positions changed, from their perspective, over time and contexts. We found some common experiences that played a role in the participants’ self-positioning in relation to science. In several of these experiences, the longitudinal nature of this study became apparent. This study highlights the complexity of adolescents’ self-positioning in relation to science and how these positions change over time.

KEYWORDS:

• Science identity
• adolescence
• attitudes

Introduction

The public’s engagement with science and knowledge of science are issues of enduring interest to the science community, governments and science education policy makers (Ainley & Ainley, 2011; Archer et al., 2010; Pattison & Dierking, 2019; Scholes & Stahl, 2020). Citizens who understand science can participate in public debates over the central socio-scientific issues that are the grand challenges of our time (OECD, 2000; Shin et al., 2019; Taylor, 2019), such as COVID-19 vaccinations and climate change. While most students enjoy their science learning at a young age, as they grow older, they tend to become less motivated to engage with science, their interest in science tends to decline and they sometimes develop negative attitudes towards science (Archer et al., 2010; Jenkins, 2019). While the influence of many environmental factors on students’ engagement with science has been investigated (e.g. Basu & Barton, 2007; Edy et al., 2019; Vedder-Weiss & Fortus, 2013; Wood, 2019), very few studies have taken a longitudinal approach (Bricker & Bell, 2014), and even fewer have, to the best of our knowledge, closely followed young adolescent over several years, in and out of school. This study does just that and attempts to describe the young adolescents who participated in this study as whole persons, students, friends, brothers or sisters, and children of their parents, by creating nine individual stories that shed light on their self-positioning in relation to science and the ways in which these positions changed over time and contexts. The question that guided this study was: How do young adolescents describe their self-positioning in relation to science and science learning in and out of school?

Theoretical background

Self-positioning and personal stories

Self-positioning always takes place in the context of a particular event. Deliberate self-positioning occurs in any conversation in which the person wants to express their identity (Arnold & Clarke, 2014). Arnold and Clarke (2014, p. 746) described positions as ‘locations from which persons act in a conversation and, together with conversational storylines, make the meaning of action relatively determinate’. Self-positioning is done in three main ways: by comparing one’s choices and behaviour to those of others, by referring to one’s unique perspectives, or by referring to events in one’s biography (Harré & Van Langenhove, 1991). For example, Protacio (2019) provided three stories describing how three students’ self-positioning in relation to reading affected their social interactions and their past histories. She shows how self-positioning led to positive or negative attitudes towards reading and in some cases towards academic learning in general. Positioning is also important for teachers: for example, Hazari et al. (2015) showed how the positioning of a physics teacher influenced student engagement in a physics class. The self-positioning of students can be revealed through narrative inquiry that recreates the stories of the students, their personal experiences, making it possible to convey their attitudes and personal perspectives, and how these develop with time.

People are storytellers and one of the ways in which we experience the world is through stories. The essence of a story is the sharing of the personal experiences of the ‘main character’ of the story (Swidler, 2000). Exploring people’s stories is one way of understanding people’s experiences (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; Yerrick et al., 2011). Narrative inquiry has become common in education research (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; Varelas et al., 2012; Varelas et al., 2015) and serves as a tool for revealing and understanding people’s personal experiences, and through them their positions. Students’ self-positioning in relation to science can be understood through their stories, in which teachers, parents, other students and other significant adults are important and meaningful characters in the narrative, which occurs in different settings in and out of school (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990).

Adolescent’s self-positioning in relation to science

Self-positioning in relation to science is related to science identity, as described by Hazari et al. (2010) and Carlone and Johnson (2007). However, we view it as being more limited, as being the individual’s personal (and often temporary) position in relation to science, while science identity also involves the recognition of others: ‘ … one cannot claim an identity all by oneself; being “somebody” requires the participation of others’ (Carlone & Johnson, 2007, p. 1190). We do not claim that self-positioning occurs in a vacuum and is independent of others. Rather, we view young adolescents’ self-positioning in relation to science as a shifting outcome of many processes that involve several personal traits and environmental factors. Young adolescents seldom know clearly who they are. They often have ideas what they would like to become and what they don’t want to be, but it is rare to find a young adolescent who has a clear identity (Erikson, 1994). They have positions on many topics and in relation to many possible professions, but these positions are still far from a defining identity. Self-positioning is part of the process of developing an identity.

We felt that the similarity between self-positioning in relation to science and science identity allowed us to draw upon the research on science identity in defining the personal traits and environmental factors that needed to be considered when studying self-positioning. Studies on science identity have conceptualised science identity in four dimensions (e.g., Carlone & Johnson, 2007; Hazari et al., 2010): (A) performance – a belief in one’s ability to carry out tasks in science, (B) competence – a belief in one’s ability to understand science content, (C) interest – interest in science and a desire to understand science and (D) recognition – recognition by others as being a good science student. We view the first three dimensions as personal traits that influence self-positioning and they change as one’s position in relation to science develops. The first two are different aspects of self-efficacy in science (Dorfman & Fortus, 2019), so we combined them and called them by that name from this point on. As self-positioning is done not only in relation to oneself but also in relation to science as something external to oneself (Harré & Van Langenhove, 1991), we added a third personal trait, participants’ attitudes towards science and scientists. The fourth dimension, the recognition by others was, in our opinion, too limited to describe the environmental factors that help shape young adolescents’ self-positioning in relation to science, so we broadened it to include not only the recognition by others (parents and siblings, peers, science teachers, instructors in informal settings), but in general the experiences of young adolescents at home, at school, with friends and in after-school programs. Personal traits and environmental factors are interrelated: the environmental factors influence the personal traits while the personal traits influence the way the environment is perceived and responded to.

Focusing on these personal traits and environmental factors allowed us to create broad and rich pictures of the ways the participants positioned themselves about science and how these positions changed over time. Not all the environmental factors and traits we considered made their presence equally felt for each participant in the data we collected.

Personal traits

Self-efficacy in science. Self-efficacy is an expectancy about one’s capabilities to understand certain ideas or perform given tasks (Schunk & Zimmerman, 2006). The self-efficacy of students in science has a great influence on their enjoyment of science learning (Ainley & Ainley, 2011) and is a strong predictor of their interest in science (Okafor & Okpli, 2020) and their aspirations to major in science or seek a career in science (Avargil, Kohen, & Dori, 2020; DeWitt et al., 2013). Self-efficacy influences one's self-position towards science: high self-efficacy can support a positive position in relation to science, providing the confidence to pursue and engage in scientific studies, while low self-efficacy may lead to a negative position, leading to a rejection of science and favouring other activities. Girls tend to exhibit lower self-efficacy in science than boys (Foeken, 2018). This emphasises the importance of teaching science in ways that can enhance students’ self-efficacy in science (Archer et al., 2010).

Interest in science. Interest refers to the psychological state of being engaged or the inclination to reengage with particular objects, events or ideas over time, and is often called individual interest (Hidi & Renninger, 2006). Interest is a motivator that is content specific (Deci, 1992). Schools often have a large influence on students’ interest in science as much of students’ exposure to scientific knowledge takes place at schools (Barmby et al., 2008; DeWitt & Archer, 2015; Wang et al., 2020; Wood, 2019). Interest in science tends to decrease as students grow older (Krapp & Prenzel, 2011). Showing interest or disinterest in science is one way of expressing one's self-position about science.

Attitudes towards science and scientists. Students often think that science in school is not the science that adults deal with or do in their careers (Barmby et al., 2008; El Takach & Yacoubian, 2020), especially if they are engaged with science during their leisure time. They may understand the importance of science but not necessarily what scientists do (DeWitt et al., 2013). The mental image that many adolescents have of scientists is often unappealing. On the one hand, science is often thought of as a masculine subject, being commonly described by masculine adjectives (Makarova et al., 2019; Scholes & Stahl, 2020) – this does not help make it attractive to girls. On the other hand, the nerdish image of scientists and the idea of being associated with a nerdish group can lower students’ desire to engage with science. Students who are concerned with how potential romantic partners may think of them are less likely to engage in science (DeWitt et al., 2013; Starr, 2018).

Environmental factors

Parents and family. Students’ families can offer supportive experiences and foster the belief in their children that doing science is a possibility for them (Gilmartin et al., 2006; Kewalramani et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020). Parental involvement can have an important influence on academic development and career choice in science (Aschbacher et al., 2010; DeWitt et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2020). An accessible family member that works in science or a science-related profession can inspire and encourage interest in the same field (Franse et al., 2020; Gilmartin et al., 2006).

Many families encourage their children to study science in the first years of high school, but with time, their support shifts toward the goal of finishing high school and away from studying science (Aschbacher et al., 2010). If students experience a disappointment in science, their parents have a critical role to help keep the student engaged in science despite the disappointment (Aschbacher et al., 2010; Hoferichter & Raufelder, 2019).

Peers. Young people today are less focused on ‘what do you want to do’ and more oriented towards ‘who do you want to be’ (Barmby et al., 2008). The socio-cultural stigma that marks ‘science people’ as geeks or nerds promotes the disengagement of some from science (Archer et al., 2010; Kelly, 2019; Starr, 2018; Zimmerman, 2012). On the other hand, when students feel that their peers appreciate their ability to understand science, their motivation to continue learning science grows (Dorfman & Fortus, 2019). The influence of peers on students’ motivation for science grows with age (Wood, 2019). This is especially true of low-SES boys whose relations with their peers often moderate other influential relations (Touitou, 2016). Caspi et al. (2020) showed that the peer group has a strong influence on student’s enrollment in after-school science programs. Peer support can help adolescents maintain or strengthen positive positions towards the sciences.

Science teachers and school science. Science teachers have a large impact on students’ interest in and attitudes toward science, as much of students’ exposure to science occurs at schools (Barmby et al., 2008; Wood, 2019). There is conflicting evidence regarding the relations between the enjoyment of science classes and interest in science. On one hand, some studies have found that students who enjoy science lessons don’t differ from other students regarding their interest in science (Archer et al., 2010; Edy et al., 2019; Wood, 2019), while on the other hand, other studies have indicated that enjoyment of classroom lessons is a good predictor which students will choose to continue studying science (Ainley & Ainley, 2011; Aschbacher et al., 2010). Wood (2019) argues that the science teacher is the most important and influential factor in students’ involvement in science classes, and for a science class to stimulate engagement, students should perceive that there is a positive emotional climate together with a warm, caring and interpersonal relationship with the teacher.

Much of elementary school science teaching is interactive and focuses on visually accessible concrete phenomena. As students grow older, school science becomes more abstract and perceived as a subject that is only for the cleverest students (Archer et al., 2010; María & José, 2020). However, students tend to expect that school science will be student-centred and exciting, not paper and pen based, leading to incompatibility between students’ expectations and reality (Archer et al., 2010).

Learning science in informal settings. Science learning occurs in three settings: formal learning (at school), informal learning (after-school activities) and non-formal learning (during leisure time). Students do not spend as many hours in school as we may think. Averaged over the entire year, including holidays and vacations, a student is at school about 4 hours a day (Feder et al., 2009). Informal and non-formal influences may play a greater role than formal settings in shaping students’ self-positions toward science (Caspi et al., 2020; Taylor, 2019). Students that are interested in science often engage with science in their free time (Archer et al., 2010). To increase students’ engagement with science in general, links should be forged between the different settings by enhancing the awareness of the formal, informal and non-formal settings of what is happening in the others (Dierks et al., 2016).

Summary and research question

Many factors influence the way young adolescents position themselves in relation to science and choose and how these positions change. It is important to understand the reasons and the factors that shape these positions and how these positions play a role in students’ engagement with science. This understanding can help us adjust learning environments in school and after school to better suit the interests and needs of young adolescents in relation to science. Few studies have taken a longitudinal approach (Bricker & Bell, 2014), and even fewer have followed their participants in and out of school. This study attempts to describe its participants not just as students, but as friends, brothers or sisters, and children of their parents. The research question that guided this study was: How do young adolescents describe their self-positioning in relation to science and science learning in and out of school?

Methods

Procedure

In the second half of the 2016–17 school year, all grade 4 and 5 students with parental approval in a single Israeli elementary school (ES) completed, as part of a larger study, a survey mapping their effect towards science. Based on the results of this survey, students representing a range of effect towards science were interviewed. Science classes were repeatedly observed. At the start of the 2017–18 school year, a subset of the students who were interviewed (now in grades 5 and 6) – the focus group – obtained expanded parental permission that allowed us to visit them at home and join them in their after-school programs. They were re-interviewed approximately every six weeks throughout that academic year and throughout the 2018–19 academic year, when the oldest of them had already transitioned to the single local junior high school (JHS), for about 30 min each time. Table 1 shows the structure of the study. All names are anonymised.

Table 1. Study structure.

Year		Classroom Year observations	Informal observations	Student interviews	Parents interviews
2016-17	Q4
	Q1
	Q2
2017-18	Q4
	Q1
	Q2
2018-19	Q4
	Q1
	Q2

Sample

The study was conducted at an Israeli ES and an adjacent JHS. Almost all the students in the ES continue onward to the JHS. The average number of students per class in both the ES and the JHS was 25–26 (Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2016). Between the 2016–18 school year, all data collection was conducted at the ES; in the 2018–19 school year, data were collected from both schools.

Students

Ninety-one fourth- and fifth-grade students, aged 10–14, who returned signed consent forms, completed an affective mapping survey (Dorfman & Fortus, 2019; Vedder-Weiss & Fortus, 2011). The survey allowed the students to get familiar with us. Sixty-two of the students, representing a wide range of affective characteristics, were interviewed.

Based upon these interviews, the survey, 3.5 months of classroom observations, and stated willingness to be part of a longitudinal focus group, we invited 15 fourth-grade and 15 fifth-grade students that presented a variety of characteristics and their parents to be part of a focus group, which involved having us continue to interview them, and visit them at their homes and their after-school activities. Nine agreed, seven from fourth grade and two from fifth grade. In the second year of the study, two of the fifth-grade students left the study; in parallel we recruited two other students from the same grade to join the focus group. Figure 1 represents the diverse affective characteristics of the nine focus students.

Figure 1. Affective characteristics of the focus students at the start of the study.

Note: The values result from a Rasch analysis done on the data of all the students who answered the survey. The colours are a gradient of positive blue and negative red. As an affective characteristic becomes more positive, its hue becomes bluer, or redder as the characteristic becomes more negative. White cells are in the middle range of the results. Cells marked with X represent values of a characteristic that couldn’t be Rasch-calculated for a particular child.

Teachers

Due to space limitations, the full description of the students’ science teachers is presented in online Appendix A.

Parents

The parents of each of the focus students were interviewed twice. All families had similar socioeconomic statuses, medium-high (Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2016).

After-school programs

Three times in each year of the study, we visited the after-school science programs in which the focus students participated. During these visits, we interviewed the instructors and observed the focus student(s). Due to space limitations, the full description of these programs is presented in online Appendix B.

Instruments

The study was conducted using a multiple narrative case study (Barton, 2001; Bell et al., 2013; Wenner & Settlage, 2015), drawing upon observations in and out of school, interviews with children, their parents and other significant adults, and the researchers’ field notes.

Observations

During the 2016–17 school year, we observed the ES science lessons over 3.5 months, gathering information about the classroom engagement and attitudes of all the potential focus group students. These observations were used together with the affective mapping survey and the interviews, to select potential members of the focus group.

Interviews

Students. The first student interviews were conducted to create mutual acquaintance – us with the students and the students with us. Later, the focus students were asked to elaborate on their areas of interest in general, towards science and science education. We began to understand the students from different angles. These conversations were conducted approximately every 6 weeks. An additional interview was held after a classroom event that was deemed to be possibly significant to the development of the student’s attitudes and motivation towards science. Interviews were held after each visit to an after-school program to understand what occurred, from the student’s perspective. Our questions were mostly open-ended, for example: ‘What happened today?’ ‘What did you think of the events?’ ‘How did it make you feel?’ Ongoing informal discussions were held with the students during school breaks (Cros et al., 1986). The interviews addressed all dimensions of self-positioning mentioned earlier, both personal traits and environmental influences. All the interviews were audio recorded, with the students being asked for their consent each time. Every interview was transcribed. Utterances were written as they were spoken. All the relevant information was written in each student’s section in the research journal.

Parents. Once a year we interviewed each focus student’s parents, asking about their background, their attitudes towards school, towards science and science education at the school, and in relation to their child(ren). Families who had no interest in science were asked to expand on their fields of interests. No notes or recordings were made of these interviews to allow an open and relaxed atmosphere. Immediately after each conversation, we recorded ourselves repeating the main points of the conversation, which were then transferred to the research journal.

Teachers. Due to the teachers’ concerns about the possible influence of the study on their workplace, none of them were formally interviewed, but just chatted informally, usually during their breaks between classes. These conversations dealt mainly with the school’s administration and questions they had about the syllabus they were supposed to teach.

After-school instructors. Nine after-school instructors were interviewed about the program they led, its goals and approach, and their impressions of the relevant focus students who participated in their program. This information was added to the research journal.

Research journal

A journal was used to keep track of daily events and identify incidents and utterances that might be of significance. Every focus student had an individual section in the journal, where all the material related to the student was recorded in chronological order.

Analyses

At the end of the data collection, we marked, in each focus student’s section, segments of conversations that were significant or repetitive (Barton, 2001; Bricker & Bell, 2014). Specifically, we marked positive or negative turning points that had occurred during the years in relation to the sciences. All the marked parts were then put into categories such as family, attitudes to science, school, future profession, etc. (Bricker & Bell, 2014). The categories were chosen according to the content of the conversations we had with the children, such as repetitive themes, as well as topics that clarified their participation and interest in or lack of interest in the sciences. This action is consistent with the description of the use of ‘paradigmatic narrative inquiry’ (Polkinghorne, 1995): ‘Narrative can denote any prosaic discourse, that is, any text that consists of complete sentences linked into a coherent and integrated statement’ (Polkinghorne, 1995, p. 6).

We then did a ‘narrative smoothing’, which means filtering and removing phrases and comments that were difficult to understand: ‘Narrative smoothing is an action in which elements which do not contradict the plot, but which are not pertinent to its development, do not become part of the research result, the storied narrative’ (Polkinghorne, 1995, p. 16).

We wrote paragraphs that summarised the information that appeared within the quotes and the conversations. Within the paragraphs, certain elements were emphasised to clarify their choice. Then we combined the paragraphs into stories ‘that combine a succession of incidents into a unified episode’ (Polkinghorne, 1995, p. 17). The stories were intended to support readers in understanding the context of time, space and individuality of each student. Through the stories, we tried to convey the students’ full experience studying science in formal, informal and non-formal learning environments. The stories convey the positive and negative experiences that each student went through, most in the context of studying science but not all, experiences that shaped their attitudes towards science (Bricker & Bell, 2014). The final stories convey the personal experiences of nine adolescent students and how their self-positioning in relation to science changed over time. These stories stand on their own and aim to reflect the individual student’s experiences.

Finally, we extracted motifs from the stories. Since narrative inquiry aims to understand human action (Polkinghorne, 1995) the focus of the motifs was on the factors and influences that contributed to the children’s self-positioning toward science and science studies. In practice, we identified recurring issues that came up in most of the stories or all of them and were related to self-positioning toward science and science studies. We created summaries of the stories that included each story’s motifs.

The validation approach we used was ‘argumentative validation’. Once a month, the two authors discussed the main issues that arose from each student in the focus group. In this conversation, we reviewed the interviews and raised questions and topics for future interviews with the students. Each author suggested possible coding categories for student’s story. We argued over our choices and made adjustments and changes until a full agreement was reached. The stories were prepared by the first author, then reviewed and critiqued by the second author. Again, changes were made until the narratives had full joint approval. The motifs presented are only those on which we fully agreed and that appeared to be most significant. (Fischer & Girwidz, 2022; Mayring, 2016).

After all the stories were written, each of the two authors independently ranked how each of the participants changed throughout the course of the study, in each of the Personal Traits (self-efficacy in science, interest in science, and attitudes towards science and scientists) and their attunement to various Environmental Factors (parents and family, peers, science teachers and informal settings). The ranking was done for each year as High, Medium and Low and was done for each participant in comparison to themselves, in light of the changes they underwent over the three years of the study. These rankings were used to create Table 2, which provides a comprehensive overview of all the stories. The rankings of both authors were compared and where there were disagreements, a discussion was held until a joint agreement was reached.

Table 2. Summary of trends in each of the stories.

		Natan			Sarah			Carrie			Anna			Dan			Iris			Ruth			Jacob			Avi
Attunement to environmental factors	Parents and family	H	H	H	H	M	L	H	H	H	M	M	H	H	H	H	M	M	M	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	Peers	L	M	M	M	H	H	L	M	M	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	M	M	H	M	M	H	M	M	H
	Science teachers and school science	M	M	M	H	L	M	H	L	H	L	L	L	L	L	M	L	L	M	H	L	H	L	L	H	M	L	H
	Learning science in informal settings	L	M	M	L	H	L	M	M	M	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	H	H	L	M	M	L	H	L	L
Personal traits	Self-efficacy in science	H	H	H	L	L	L	H	H	H	M	M	M	L	L	L	L	L	M	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	Interest in science	L	M	L	H	M	L	M	M	M	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	H	H	H	H	H	M	M	L	H
	Attitudes towards science and scientists	M	M	M	H	M	M	H	H	H	L	M	H	L	L	L	L	L	L	H	H	H	H	H	H	M	L	H

Notes: For each participant, three values are shown for each year in the study, the years are shown from left to right, first to third year respectively. ‘H’ indicates High, ‘M’ indicates Medium, and ‘L’ indicates Low.

Results

Nine stories were written, one for each focus student who participated throughout the entire study. Each of the stories is 25–30 pages long and presents many aspects about each child’s life and their self-positioning, not only those directly related to science. All names presented are anonymised. Due to space limitations, we present only the summaries of two stories in Figure 2, all the other story summaries are presented online, in Appendix C, while Ofek-Geva (2021) presents the full stories in Hebrew. In the following section, we present motifs we identified from all nine stories and give excerpts from the stories that are characteristics of the motifs.

Figure 2. Two story summaries.

To provide a comprehensive overview of the stories of all the participants in the study, Table 2 presents the findings of each year broadly. We urge readers to read the stories of the participants to gain a deeper, richer, and more complete understanding.

Motifs that emerged from the stories

We present four motifs, each accompanied by at least two excerpts from the interviews.

After-school science programs

The students who participated in the afterschool science programs felt that science, as it was taught in school, was not ‘real’ science. The afterschool classes programs allowed students to engage in science actively and experimentally, different from the way it was done in the classroom.

• ‘Natalie [The science teacher] is more … they … the instructors [in the after-school program] … they seem to understand more about science than Natalie. It seems to me that Natalie does not … .’ (Natan)

• ‘Rose [The science teacher] just cannot teach. When talking to Rose, you suddenly notice that there is a circle of children asking her for help. I don’t say she doesn’t do it well, it’s difficult for her and we are a very problematic class’ (Sarah)

• Do you think you learn science in school?

‘Not in this school.’

Do you learn science at Science for Everyone?

‘What do you think?!!!’

I don’t know, what do you think?

‘Obviously!’ (Sarah)

Becoming an adolescent

The children were not static, they changed and developed throughout the study in relation to science learning and other things. In all the children, emotional and physical development was seen. A distancing from non-formal science and exploration was seen in those children who had spontaneously engaged in science at home during their leisure time at the beginning of the study. The identification of this motif is the direct result of the longitudinal nature of the study, since it focuses on the maturation of the participants.

• ‘She no longer does experiments at home; science is a smaller part of her life’ (Sarah’s parents).

• ‘It’s harder for me now to concentrate on the lessons’.

Why do you think it's like this suddenly?

‘I don’t know … adolescence, don’t know’.

Why do you say that, according to what? Why adolescence?

‘Because that’s what's been happening lately’.

Do you feel it?

‘It’s getting harder and harder to get up in the morning’.

Do you feel like you're growing up?

‘I don’t know, I feel I simply don’t have the energy to do things’. (Jacob)

The science teacher

The science teacher had a broad influence on science learning and the students’ attitudes towards science learning. All the students were referred multiple times to their science teachers. All the students indicated that their teachers’ behaviour, caring and fairness were of high importance to them, and that the way the teacher behaved was a significant factor influencing their attitudes towards the teacher and towards science.

• ‘Science last year was really bad; I was really angry. She was completely disrespectful to me. It was horrible. I just said, she [the teacher] isn’t showing me respect so I won’t show her respect, I won’t study … Luckily for me, she stayed in elementary school, and I continued to junior high’. (Avi)

• Tell me about science this year.

‘She [the science teacher] does unfair things.’ (Anna)

• How was your report card?

‘Great. Natalie wrote that I should participate more, and then my mom read it and asked me why I wasn’t participating’

What do you think about that?

‘I do participate. Natalie wrote that I should participate more, but how am I supposed to participate more if she doesn’t let me speak or ask questions when I raise my hand?’ (Sarah)

• Which classes do you prefer in science, in elementary or junior high school?

‘In junior high school’.

Why? What is the difference?

‘Ahhh experiments, and the teachers take us more seriously’. (Jacob)

What is remembered

After 3–4 months, the students usually did not remember the content they had been taught. However, they did remember, even years later, the positive and negative experiences they had in science class.

• What do you think about science studies at school in the fourth and fifth grades?

‘They were okay, 5th was harder, 4th was okay’.

Can you be specific, what did you like to study and what did you not like to study?

‘I don't remember anymore; I remember we learned about ahhh [quiet]. I forgot what it's called’.

Can you describe it?

‘It's about animals’.

What grade was it in?

‘In 4th, I had fun because we had a project presentation. Everyone prepared a presentation’. (Iris)

• Do you remember what you learned in science this year?

‘Barely … ’

And before that?

‘I don’t remember; that was a while ago’.

And are there any other things you did with Rose this year?

‘Yes, we also went outside. I don’t remember what activity we did, but it was with a basketball. We had to check how many degrees it takes to throw the ball up. We measured the temperature. Like a meter like that which is high, and it checks the weather’. (Dan)

Discussion

Previous research has demonstrated that while students tend to enjoy their science learning at a young age, as they grow older, they tend to position themselves further from science, becoming less motivated to engage with science and sometimes expressing negative attitudes towards science (Archer et al., 2010). This study emphasises that every student is unique, as can be seen in Table 2, there is likely no magic formula that will lead all students to adopt positive positions in relation to science (Farland-Smith, 2019). As the participants in our focus group represented a range of affective characteristic (see Figure 1), the motifs we identified do not reflect personal traits that appear to be related to self-positioning in relation to science. What we found were common personal experiences that re-appeared with all our participants and that played a role in their self-positioning in relation to science: the physical and emotional experience of becoming an adolescent, what they remembered from their science classes, the experience of going to an after-school program, and the experience of interacting with the science teachers. In several of these motifs, the longitudinal nature of this study became apparent, because they deal with changes to the ways the participants thought and felt, or how external changes affect their self-positioning.

Becoming an adolescent: self-positioning oneself further from science

Simply becoming an adolescent affects one’s position in relation to science (Massey et al., 2008). Adolescence is a period, usually between 11 and 18, during which individuals undergo physical, mental, emotional and social processes that shape their selves and their self-positioning in relation to many spheres of life (Blakemore, 2012; Ebner et al., 2014). One of the most significant changes that occur during adolescence is becoming more attuned to the peer group (Blakemore, 2008), as can be seen in Table 2 for Natan, Sarah, Carrie, Ruth, Jacob and Avi. This is a challenging period, mainly for the adolescents themselves, but also for their parents, and their surrounding environment, including their teachers in school. Over the 3 years in which we became personally acquainted with this study’s participants, we saw each of them change and develop, we saw how adolescence affected them and their self-positioning towards science and scientists. Their self-positions changed according to their personal interests, their relations with their peers, parents and siblings, and their experiences of learning science.

The participants who had engaged in spontaneous experiments at home or who had participated in after-school science classes did not want to continue this as they matured, even though they had enjoyed them. The children explained that doing things with their friends took up a lot of time and this was why they did not engage in experiments anymore or go to these classes. Zimmerman (2012) wrote of a 12-year-old girl who also distanced herself from science for similar reasons. On the other hand, Tan and Barton (2008) identified sixth-grade students whose engagement with and interest in science increased as the year progressed, due to the influence of a good teacher. A similar effect can be seen in Avi’s story.

Massey et al. (2008) emphasised that adolescents are more engaged in what is going on between them, inside their peer group, than at any other age. It is important that children experience and gain pleasant and meaningful interactions with science before the onset of adolescence. This increases the chances that they will return to a pursuit of science after ‘acclimatisation’ to adolescence (Ryan, 2001).

Adolescence is accompanied by physiological effects, some of which were described by the children in this study, such as lassitude, difficulty getting out of bed, and emotional ups and downs. These are natural processes that are not under the control of the children, and many do not understand what is happening to them. Shifting feelings, attitudes, interest and self-efficacy in studying science during adolescence are natural as well; they should be viewed as a natural maturation process (Baumeister et al., 2001; King et al., 2015). Teachers, researchers and policymakers should not ignore this (Carskadon et al., 2004; Wolfson & Carskadon, 2003) and be mindful of the shifting physiological, psychological and social states of adolescents (Hahn et al., 2012; Wolfson & Carskadon, 2003). For example, Wahlstrom (2002) showed that delaying the start of school by 65 minutes led to fewer students falling asleep during the first period, fewer children being sent home due to health issues, more children eating breakfast before coming to school, a calmer atmosphere in the school, and more pleasant student behaviour at lunchtime.

Adapting the education system to the physiological changes that adolescents experience may allow them to cope with the demands of the schools and at the same time adjust and develop physiologically in an optimal way.

After-school science programs: fostering student resilience to challenges in school science

During the first and second years of the study, five students (Natan, Sarah, Carrie, Anna and Avi) participated in after-school science programs. Not all these students had a pre-existing interest in science. These students talked about science differently than their four peers who did not go to after-school science activities. These programs affected their self-positioning in relation to science, with an overall positive trend. They explained that the afterschool programs were different from regular science classes, and that they allowed them to engage with science actively and experimentally. Compared to their peers who were not in after-school programs, they had greater tolerance for disappointing experiences in the science classroom, but not towards the teacher’s conduct and attitude.

Thomasian (2011) highlighted the benefits of after-school programs, such as connecting science knowledge to daily life and careers and expanding science skills (Young et al., 2019). Others have shown that participants in these programs show greater interest in science, even years after participating in the programs (Bell et al., 2012; Burke, 2020). It seems, therefore, that children should be encouraged to go to after-school science programs.

Archer et al. (2015) stated that children who attend after-school programs tend to come from higher science capital homes. We saw this trend as well. Banks et al. (2007) recommended ‘using’ afterschool science programs to reduce gaps that may originate from home. This exposure can balance what happens in the classroom and give children a different experience and a broader horizon for future science studies. However, the admission tests for some of the programs that participated in our study deterred some children and had a negative impact on some of those who did not pass the tests; we recommend, if possible, making these programs available to all students without requiring them to pass an admissions exam.

Good and bad experiences: what is remembered

After 3 to4 months, our participants mostly did not remember what was taught in class (Papadimitriou, 2004). Investigations of the memories, experiences and emotions of students studying science (Cohen et al., 2021; King et al., 2015) highlight that students remember the material that was studied if they are linked to positive experiences (e.g., field trips, experimenting). Most of our participants remembered a few positive and many negative experiences in science class. We saw clear connections between these experiences and our participants’ self-positioning in relation to science and science learning. These experiences’ influence was sometimes felt over the years. Cohen et al. (2021) described how college students remembered their positive experiences from elementary school and suggested that those experiences were the most influential on the students’ science capital.

This study highlights the importance of accumulating positive experiences and positive interactions with the science teacher in elementary school, to create positive memories in the context of science (Edy et al., 2019).

The science teacher: A broad impact on self-positioning towards science

Wood (2019) identified two important components of positive teacher–student relationships – students perceive the teacher as being warm and caring, and the teacher recognises and celebrates the students’ competence within current learning activities – and two factors that predict negative teacher–student relationships – ignoring students when they are trying to participate and demonstrate their ability or knowledge, and perceived unfairness.

A single science teacher taught all the students in the second year of this study, and her negative impact was felt immediately and strongly on all the participants’ positions in relation to science. However, an awareness of what was going on, a critical view of the way science was being taught, by their science teacher, and a willingness to reconsider their positions in relation to science, appeared in most of the students only once this teacher was replaced. This can be seen in Table 2, in the row ‘Science teachers and school science’. The students seemed to realize that science learning in school could be a positive experience only once they had a positive learning experience with which they could compare and contrast their prior negative experiences (Kuhn, 1991; Pithers & Soden, 2000). This ability appeared at a late stage of the study, after the participants had experienced different teachers.

It was also apparent that as students matured, their relations with the science teacher received less significance in their eyes and less overall weight in their learning experience (Wood, 2019), playing a smaller role in their self-positioning towards science and science learning. Therefore, we recommend that science teachers who teach young children in elementary schools pay great attention to their relations with the students, to project warmth and caring, perhaps even more than what they are teaching (Tan & Barton, 2008), since when the students’ emotional experience with the teacher was bad, few could remember what they had been taught.

Conclusion

It should be recognised that adolescents’ self-positioning in relation to science can know ups and downs. Science teachers need to be aware of this and be patient when students aren’t fully attuned to what the teacher hoped to achieve. Emphasis should be placed on positive science-learning experiences. It is the emotional impact of these experiences, rather than the ideas learned during these experiences, that students remember and carry with them, and that appears to play a large role in students’ self-positioning in relation to science and science learning. Emphasis should also be placed on the science teacher developing warm personal relations with the students. Students want to be ‘seen’ by their teachers; they want to feel that they are personally important to their teachers. This appears to be especially important in elementary school. Finally, opportunities should be provided, and students should be encouraged to participate in after-school science programs as these can help make students more tolerant of unsatisfying experiences in school science and develop a longer-lasting interest in science.

Limitations

This longitudinal study aimed to convey the self-positioning of young adolescents in relation to science, between grades 4 to7, and to identify motifs which were common to these participants’ self-position. However, we followed only nine students. Hence the ability to generalise is limited. We did not use all the data we gathered; in some of the sessions, the children, and often the parents as well, opened their hearts in complete trust. Several personal and intimate moments, which were very relevant to this study, were kept discreet and were not included in this manuscript.

Ethics statement

This work was approved by the IRB Committee and by the Ministry of Education.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the children and their families that opened their homes and hearts to us and allowed us to get to know and accompany them over a long and complex period.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Appendices

Appendix A

Teachers

There were three science teachers at the ES at the start of the study. Sharon had 5 years’ teaching experience, all at this ES. Sharon studied elementary education at a teachers’ college with science as her content emphasis. Natalie taught for 17 years in two different elementary schools. For the first 5 years, at her former ES, she taught literature, then because of scarcity of science teachers, the principal of that school suggested that she change her specialisation to science. She took the required courses, and since then she teaches science, meanwhile switching schools. She was the science coordinator at the ES. Rose joined the teaching staff two years before the study began, and served as a substitute teacher while completing a science teaching certificate.

There were two seventh-grade science teachers at the JHS. Charlotte had a MSc in science and 15 years’ teaching experience. Megan was a new teacher with a bachelor’s degree in marine science and was completing her studies for a teaching certificate in parallel with her first year as a teacher.

Appendix B – after-school programs

We visited three times in each year of the study, the relevant non-school related after-school science programs in which the focus students participated. The non-science-oriented after-school programs were visited by us only once during the study. During these visits, we interviewed the instructors and observed the focus student(s). The names of the programs are anonymous.

Science for everyone

The purpose of the program is to provide opportunities for adolescents to learn science experientially. The program took place in the local community center after the end of the school day. There were about 20 participants. All students who were interested in participating were required to take an acceptance test at the end of fourth grade (the actual chief aim of the test was to increase the program’s prestige and less to rate students). During the year, the students met for 30 ninety-minute sessions with two instructors from the program. Twenty-five of the meetings were held as learning sessions that were divided into 25% lecturing and 75% participant activity. In the last five sessions, participants built an apparatus based on the year’s curriculum. Most of the program’s instructors had a BSc in science. Three students from the focus groups participated in this entire program.

Excellence in mathematics

Its purpose is to enrich students mathematically. The students are exposed to content that is not included in the regular curriculum and are preparing for the program for talented youth in mathematics. The program took place at the local community center after the end of the school day. Each student who was interested in the program took an acceptance test at the end of fifth grade (the aim of the test was to rate the students according to their ability in math). During the year, the participants met for 30 ninety-minute sessions with an instructor, who was a JHS mathematics teacher (not the JHS which participated in this study). All activities were drawn from a workbook given to the participants. Two students from the focus groups participated in this program. One retired in the middle and the other finished the program. The children who participate in this program are often labelled as smart/talented in school by their peers and sometimes by the teachers. Overlapping can be seen of these children with scientific programs offered at the school.

Children of the forest

The program aims to learn the life skills of earth cultures as a tool for connecting man to himself and others, his role in the ecosystem, and creation as a whole. There are no planned activities for the meeting. The children are asked to find the occupations for the meeting's duration and explore nature from a personal interest. This is a non-science-oriented program that took place in a forest near the school. However, this program has the possibility to engage in scientific content, whether under the guidance of the instructors or as a result of interest coming from the children. The meetings were held every week for the whole year, each meeting lasting about 4 hours. In addition, there were weekend meetings, including all of the family. During these meetings, the students experienced various activities in the context of nature in the forest. Two instructors guided the group. One student from the focus groups participated in this activity.

The Israeli scouts

Its goal is to develop young people physically and spiritually so that youth can take a more helpful place in society. This goal is achieved through non-formal education with an emphasis on practical activities outdoors in nature. Meetings were held twice a week for the whole year, each meeting lasting about an hour and a half. In addition, there were field trips and camps throughout the year. During these meetings, the students play various games and sometimes participated in activities on topics like values of the state, religion and knowledge of the country. The group was guided by two 10th-grade instructors who were also members of the Scouts. Five students from the focus groups participated in this activity. This program has a broad social impact on children. To get a complete picture of the children's effects, it was important for us to visit this program.

Science excellence

The purpose of the program is to enable students who excel in science, according to a sorting test, to delve deeper into science studies in addition to classroom hours. The program was held in the junior high school. At the beginning of seventh grade, all the new students took a ranking test to check their suitability for the program (the aim of the test was to rate the students’ ability). About 50 students were admitted and were divided into two groups, each which met once a week at the end of the school day, as extra school hours. The lessons were taught by the JHS’s science teachers and included visits to the nearest university. Students in the program were required to maintain high grades in their ‘regular’ science classes. If they did not behave properly or if their grades dropped, they were expelled from the program. There were no grades or tests in the program. In each lesson, the students were divided into groups and conducted an experiment. The lessons were accompanied by a dedicated textbook which guided the students and in which they answered questions. Students who completed the program in seventh grade and succeeded on all the assignments could choose to continue in the program in 8th grade as well. In eighth grade, this program replaced their regular science classes, so the students were not required to study ‘regular’ science with the other students. Two students from the focus groups participated in this entire program.

Appendix C – summaries of the stories

Anna

Anna is a smart and pleasant girl. Throughout our acquaintance, I have witnessed Anna grow and mature in all aspects of life. At first, it was evident that Anna was searching for her path, with her friends and personal interests. The social difficulties in the fourth grade were a great challenge for Anna. When she managed to overcome them and create meaningful friendships, other aspects began to emerge and become meaningful as well. Anna's self- confidence improved, and her demeanor was noticeably more relaxed.

It seems that Anna knows very well what she would like to do when she grows up and what her interests are.

• - ‘Me, personally, my goal in life, is to be an actress, I can explain myself very well I'm not shy and can explain myself in front of an audience’

Anna is aware of science and scientists and can talk about them, but the subject does not appeal to her.

• - What do you think scientists do?

• - ‘Look, there are all sorts, let's say if I was a scientist then I think I would've liked to work in the medicine field and stuff. I think that they test all kinds of things that can help us or test things in order to raise awareness, what is good and what is bad, meaning what I shouldn't eat and what I should.’

• - When they wake up in the morning and go to work, what do they do? What does a scientist's day look like?

• - ‘Okay, I think that if I for example want to check what is an atmosphere, I wake up in the morning and then I come to the lab, first I take a sample that I prepared yesterday, I test it and look at the findings, is that what they're called?’

She enjoys reading about science, long novels that are related to the field, and this satisfies her. She found her passion in dancing and acting.

Anna's attitude towards science has changed through the years. In the beginning, in the fourth and fifth grades, Anna disliked science and talked about the lessons only in terms of grades and achievements.

- What do you learn in science class?

- ‘I got 77 points on my test’

In the fifth grade, Anna started attending an extracurricular science activity. It was apparent that the activity was not making any substantial difference in Anna's attitude towards science. She has said over the years that she enjoys conducting experiments, but the science field bores her.

• - Would you choose to go to Davidson again?

• - ‘I don't know’

• - This year, if it was possible would you go?

• - ‘It is possible’

• - And you don't want to?

• - ‘No’

The most significant change in relation to science began in the sixth grade when a new teacher came to teach the subject. Anna started talking about science classes with enthusiasm and sharing her experience in class with almost no mention of her grades.

• - -Tell me about science this year [sixth grade]

• - ‘well actually this year science is much ‘cooler’, because the teacher is like, she knows … like she knows how to keep us interested’

At the same time, Anna started to listen to the conversations her father has at home with her brother and her about science. A whole new world had opened up to her. Anna started to show an interest in the philosophy of science. However, her passion remained and is currently dancing and acting.

• - ‘I'm interested in philosophy’

• - Okay, what is philosophy?

• ‘It's my dad, he's studying it, he is doing a master's degree, I learnt a lot about it, I even read a book about it. Um speaking about science, only about a book about philosophy and that's part of science in some way’

• - And we're looking for an agent for me’

• - For the acting?

• - ‘Yes, so that I will be able to make some progress in the industry.’

• - It sounds like the performing arts and acting are your passion … What you enjoy doing

• - ‘Yes, totally’

• - Is that also what you would like to be doing in the future?

• - ‘Yes, to be an actress’

• - In the theatre in movies where?

• - ‘In movies’

Anna is aware of the teacher's demeaner and treatment in class and can describe how important is to her. In relation to science, Anna's teacher in the fourth and fifth grades (the same teacher) was fixated and taught only from the workbook using a rigid method that caused Anna to feel distant and detached from the science field.

• - ‘Natalie just didn't care about us, she didn't even try to teach us in an interesting way, she didn't try, look last year the entire class got grades that were 80 and below in all of the tests, this year, all the grades were 70 and above.’

The teacher's impact was so strong that it was impossible for Anna to disconnect this experience with science from her other experiences, such as her extracurricular science activity in the fifth grade or her conversations with her father who talked about science and scientists at home.

Anna's parents are very important to her, and they provide her with support in her decisions. It appears that Anna will not pursue the science field when she grows up. Nonetheless, perhaps the positive experience she had in the sixth-grade science class will push her closer to the science field, and she will succeed in completing the required courses in the field, and maybe use it to form greater general knowledge and understanding of things. It is likely that Anna will continue to practice dancing and acting and will be probably excel in the field and fulfil her dreams.

Dan

Dan is a charming, attentive and likable boy. During Dan's first years in school, he faced several difficulties which seem to have shaped his and his parents’ relationship as well as their relationship to the school. Dan's parents, while trying to protect and empower Dan, invest a lot of time and resources in his studies, and teach him the study materials taught in class in all subjects.

Dan's mother said: I invest a lot in Dan's studies, I sit with him and teach him all of the subjects. It is important to Dan and that's why we put so much effort into it, even at the expense of time with friends. We study for each and every test, and the grades aren't important, the way is important. [from the conversation with the parents]

In the sixth grade, these efforts began to show results and Dan's grades improved significantly.

Dan's mother said: this year Dan has experienced a significant change; his intense studying has paid off and he scored over 90 points in three subjects. Dan loves learning science and remembers the material effortlessly. He has fun studying science, and it's evident that they are doing things beyond the workbook and notebook.’ [from the conversation with the parents]

Dan gives great importance to his grades in terms of his self-esteem and the way his environment perceives him. Although his parents repeatedly tell him that grades are not important, in practice all of the learning activities in the house are intended for succeeding in tests. The message that Dan is receiving emphasises the importance of his grades rather than the method, as his parents would have liked. This is also the main message that is conveyed at school.

Competition and achievement are two of Dan's dominant traits, and therefore the messages that he receives from his environment are that you must excel. Nonetheless, Dan has ample experience with a lack of success and seems to accept it very well without giving up. The emotional support Dan receives is excellent and comprehensive. His parents, his mother especially and his grandfather, provide Dan with comfort and acceptance. Dan appreciates this and talks about them very fondly.

• - Would you say that grandpa is a significant figure in your life?

• - ‘Yes’

• - Are there any other significant figures?

• - ‘Mom and dad’

Science for Dan is just another subject that he has to study for and achieve good grades. Dan like most of his peers, who are boys, is more interested in ‘explosions’ and practical experiences. This is apparent when Dan talks about the science he practices with his friends after school, and also from his behaviour when he went to the Green Scientist extracurricular activity.

• - Do you do science-related activities in your spare time?

• - ‘Umm sometimes’

• - Give me an example

• - ‘Two weeks ago, I did with a friend we took this how do you call a jar that you put stuff in … We wanted to do something funny’

• - What did you do?

• - ‘We used toothpaste, we put something like what do you call it … We used a bit of explosives’

Dan's science teacher in second to fifth grade did not relate well to Dan, not on a personal level or an educational level. This combination caused Dan to lose interest in the subject, but his ambition and need to get good grades remained intact.

His sixth-grade teacher, who had a more practical and experiential approach to teaching, managed to rouse Dan's interest and empathy towards the science field.

• - Which classes this year [sixth grade] do you like the most?

• - ‘I like science and I also like umm gym class’

• - Why do you like science this year?

• ‘Because it's with Rose’

• - Because of Rose or because of the things you do?

• - ‘Because of the things we do’

• Explain to me why is it fun to learn science this year?

• - ‘Rose’

• - Because Rose, the teacher is significant?

• - ‘Yes’

Still, it does not seem at the moment that Dan is interested in science and in the subjects taught in the sixth grade.

It is possible that after moving on to junior high, where the practical experiences in science class are routine, Dan's interest in the field will grow. However, it is possible that Dan's interest will increase in any subject in which he experiences success, that is if he receives positive feedback from his environment whether through grades or through another form of evaluation that is significant to him or his parents. If this success will be in the science field, Dan may delve deeper into the field. Dan's Social life is very important to him, he is surrounded by friends, and is usually amongst the leaders of his class. In junior high school science is an important major subject, in the seventh and eighth grades there are advanced science classes and students who attend these classes are held in high esteem. If most of Dan's friends will attend these classes, it is also possible that Dan will increase his interest in science.

Natan

Natan is a smart and pleasant boy. Studying is easy for Natan and he enjoys going to school and learning. Natan's parents support him and his decisions. Natan likes gym class very much and he puts all his free time and energy into sports or sports-related things. His efforts have paid off and Natan advanced in the field of soccer and got accepted into a high-level competitive team.

• - ‘I got accepted to play for ‘Hapoel’. I passed the tryouts and I start training there in August. There will be three practice days a week and a game on Saturday’.

• - Are you excited about this?

• - ‘Not really’

• - Do you want this?

• - ‘Yes!’

Encouraged by his parents, Natan attends extracurricular activities chosen by his parents to expose him to things other than sports. It seems that Nathan attends these activities rather reluctantly but makes the best of his time there.

• - How did you choose to go to the Davidson extracurricular activity?‘I didn't, it's just my mom talked to my friend's mom and my friend's mom said that the friend is taking the test to get accepted. So, my mom told me to go too, so I did, I tried and took the test, I passed it. And I decided that I wanted to go.’

Natan is not interested in science studies. The science subject is important to Natan and he also thinks that it is important to his parents that he studies science. One topic in the science field that was the exception for Natan was astronomy, which he learnt at the end of the fifth grade. A ‘new world’ opened up before Natan, and he thought about this subject and shared his thoughts outside the classroom was well, which according to him was unusual.

• - Natan says that he would like to go live on Mars, that you would need to build a high ceiling there and place flowerpots so that there would be oxygen and everything you need. He thinks that Mars isn't being populated because there isn't enough money and materials to build the space shuttles, and because people aren't interested in it enough and don't want to move there. [from the conversation with the parents]

Sports are Natan's main field of interest, and he sees his future there. He understands that it is in his best interest, or that he needs to study more things, even if soccer is advancing nicely, to invest in his future. Natan puts an effort into studying, but soccer is the future that he wants now.

-What would you like to do when you grow up?

-‘Soccer player’

-That's in the making, and if you won't be a soccer player what will you be?

-‘I think I'll be an accountant’

-Because you're good at math?

-‘Yes’

-Where did this come from? The idea?

-‘Nowhere, I just think it fits’

-What do you think your parents would like you to be when you grow up?

-‘Umm I think my dad really wants me to play soccer. My mom thinks that I should be doing other things too’

It appears that Natan will not pursue the science field when he grows up. Perhaps a field related to mathematics, which is a subject he really likes and believes that it suits him. Natan is interested in discovering professions that revolve around mathematics. Since the science subject is easy for Natan and he shows an interest every once in a while, in a specific topic, it is possible that in high school, where it is possible to choose a more specific subject from the science field, Natan will be drawn more to the world of sciences and to one specific subject. In any case, it seems that Natan will know how to utilise and learn the scientific way of thinking and will be able to apply it if needed.

There does not seem to be any specific experience that distances Natan from the science field, only positive experiences that happen in other areas of Natan's world that pull him to different directions. The world of sports and specifically soccer is a place where Natan excels and receives a lot of positive reinforcement from his environment.

• - Are you very interested in sports?

• - ‘Yes, I watch a lot with dad’

… 

• - ‘Dad will take me to soccer practice three times a week’

Natan feels this is a comfortable, rewarding and challenging place for him. And so, he shows great interest in many fields of sports. Studying is not a burden for Natan, and he finds studying interesting. However, here as well Natan chooses and is drawn to a subject that is easy for him, like mathematics. This field is also important to Natan since he and his mother share a love and talent with numbers. Natan's exposure to the science world was versatile, Natan attended an extracurricular science activity and also experienced several teachers at school. The extracurricular science activity Natan attended showed him the science world in a way that he found more interesting, but still did not manage to interest Natan enough to propel Natan's inner motivation to continue his engagement in the field.

• - What do you think about after school?

• - ‘I almost don't think about science at all I think about other things, watch television go and play in the soccer field’

Science studies in Natan's school are usually not very exciting or challenging for him and he regards science as a required subject and nothing more. Currently, it does not seem that there is a negative or positive experience influencing Natan in regard to science, only empowering and significant experiences in other fields that engage his interest in the sports field and mathematics.

Sara

Sara is a very well-spoken and friendly girl. Sara's possibility of becoming a scientist is in her eyes taken by her brother, who is the one intended to become a scientist and a success in the family. It is possible that Sara chooses to distance herself from science since she does not want to collide with him, Sara says that they usually do not get along.

• - ‘I can do a few things, like, I could be a scientist, and a lawyer, and a university lecturer’

• - Do you think your parents want you to study science?

• - ‘They want my brother to study science more’

• - Why do you say that?

• - ‘It's understandable, and I also understand it, they want it and I also want it, and we already know that this is what will happen since he already reflects that. He's going to have a startup company and he will be the company's CEO’

• - How do you know this?

• - ‘First, he is good with computers. I don't think I'm very good at science’

• - Why?

• - ‘I don't know’

As she begins adolescence, Sara details the reasons for which she does not want to pursue science, even though she stated that she does find the field interesting. Research and science interest her according to her statements, stories and actions throughout our acquaintance.

• - So, what's your opinion on science and scientists? What do you think?

• - ‘What am I supposed to say? I relatively like science, but I don't want to work in it’

• - So, what will you do?

• - ‘But I know it won't be very complicated’

• - Does science look complicated to you?

• - ‘Every person has their own profession, and if science isn't complicated for you, then you should probably be a scientist. But let's say that science is complicated for someone, and it's easier for him to play chess, then he should be a world-class chess player’

It appears that Sara feels her parents’ disappointment due to her refusal to attend the Open School, and this follows her in everything she does. This is why she does not feel appreciated and rewarded for her achievements and efforts in her studies.

A broad perspective on our acquaintance shows that in the beginning, Sara talked about the possibility of becoming an inventor/scientist/working in science.

• - What will your career be?

• - ‘umm, I'm still, okay, there's (poses her hands like scales) interior decorator or there's inventor, inventing inventions and sending them to a company, so they pay money for them and fund this whole thing’

However, as time progressed, she gave more and more explanations and reasons for her preference to become an interior decorator and not an inventor.

The difficulties and few successes in the sixth grade, which Sara faced during her studies, also undermine her preferences. However, it is apparent that Sara is involved in her future, what her career will be, who her friends will be and what will her life be like.

• - Then why you are saying that you're not good at science?

• - ‘It's like in the Open School, they teach the same material as in the regular school but in a different method, also in Davidson, it's just in a different method that's easier for us to understand. We experience and feel how it is created and understand, so it's easier’

• - Then why do you say that you're not good in science?

• - ‘Because Natalie said that the grades in science aren't good’

The values she is familiar with and the role models she encounters cause her to reflect on what she would like to work in the future.

Sara enjoys scientific activities, especially when there are active tasks in which she can craft and create, and this is why she enjoyed the extracurricular science activity she attended with her parents’ support. At school, Sara enjoys science classes since she is comfortable with copying from the board but is less comfortable with working from the workbook. After a change took place at the school and the teacher changed along with the teaching method, which became more versatile, Sara felt uneasy since she had a hard time assessing herself in relation to the tasks. The requirements became more complex and required more effort than copying from the board. Sara regards this change as unsuccessful because of the chaos in the classroom, the learning method and the teacher's conduct. Nonetheless, Sara is interested in the study material and remembers most of it.

• - How's science this year?

• - ‘It's not fun because we have Rose’

• - What does that mean?

• - ‘First of all, I prefer with Natalie, I studied with Natalie from the second grade up until now’

• What is the difference between them?

• - ‘Natalie is more of a teacher, Rose is more ‘just study science and know what this means’. If we would combine both of them together, we would get the perfect teacher. Now none of them is perfect, so I personally prefer Natalie because Rose is not cut out for being a teacher, she has this weak personality. Natalie says quiet that means quiet, if Rose says quiet, I don't even hear that she said quiet.’

All of the experiences and the indirect messages that Sara is receiving from her environment lead her not to pursue science. Whether it is because there are students who are better and more successful than her or because her self-image is not high enough to face the challenge she sees in science. She had a positive and empowering experience when she helped organise the leaders’ room at the Scouts, and this led her to pursue interior decorating. However, here it is also apparent that Sara's low self-image and lack of success, in her opinion, in the field of mathematics cause her to doubt whether she could be an interior decorator. It is possible that an accumulation of positive experiences in the science field, with the encouragement of her close environment, with an emphasis on Sara's peers, could enable Sara to rethink the option of pursuing the science field. The junior high school that Sara will be attending is very supportive in the science field and this change may occur when transferring to the ‘Eitan school’.

Carrie

Carrie is a smart and charming girl who enjoys learning. Carrie's family is very important to her, they guide and influence her decisions in every aspect of life. Carrie cares a great deal about pleasing her parents in terms of her studies and about following in her older brothers’ footsteps.

• - How important is it to you to do things that make your parents pleased with you?

• - ‘It's important to me. I think that I don't want to reach a situation in which my parents won't be proud of me. But on the other hand, your parents were always proud of you, it doesn't matter what you do.’

• - Are there things that you wouldn't want to do the same as your brothers?

• - ‘I think that science school, I'm not sure I want to do that. On the one hand, I really like science, but on the other hand, it means being far from all of my friends and starting from the beginning.’

The world of science is a central subject at home. Carrie's parents work in a close field and her brothers attend a school for scientific excellence. Carrie is acquainted with and exposed to science after school as well. Nonetheless, Carrie says that she likes the humanities more, even in extracurricular activities and at school.

Carrie puts a lot of effort into her studies, she thinks that this is what her parents expect of her, even though she is still in elementary school, and it is not very important [according to her brother]. This message did not register very well with Carrie, and she conducts herself mainly according to the message her parents convey to her brothers who are studying for their matriculation exams.

• - ‘I haven't failed even once, it's important to me to succeed because I feel like it's more me, and that I need it, because if not I don’t know what will happen. Once my brother failed and that was before I was in school, and my parents were not happy about it at all and were angry and said ‘why didn't you study, and to this day he doesn't study a lot. I don't want that to happen to me.’

Success is very important to Carrie. She understands that this is the way to get positive and supportive attention from her parents as well as from her extended family. Carrie has a great fear of failing and she is trying to avoid confronting this fear as much as she can and to continue succeeding.

As part of the family's regular annual schedule, the children attend summer camp for five weeks abroad. This tradition started when the family was still living abroad, and they decided to keep this tradition when they returned to Israel. Carrie likes returning to summer camp and meeting her friends there. This camp has another very important role for her family, other than the social gathering, it is preserving the English language. Carrie came back from their stay abroad with high-level English and Carrie's parents are doing what they can to preserve it. In addition to summer camp, Carrie studies English independently during school hours and her parents choose appropriate tasks for her in English and check them.

• - ‘In class they swear in English, they [her classmates] don't understand what they're saying, and I don't like hearing it. So, I tell the teacher. They say that I'm a tattletale and all that. I know English and I won't even say the word only the F Word.’

Carrie has social difficulties with her classmates. Carrie says that she is considered the class nerd and that this does not bother her. However, Carrie says that she is missing a best friend. The need to socialise guides Carrie in her choice of extracurricular activities according to social circles, like most girls her age. This bothers Carrie's mother, and she is waiting for this phase to pass. Carrie's parents understand that she has social difficulties and are trying to help her by advising her to change schools. A school that in their opinion will suit her better and will also fulfill the high academic requirements that they would like.

Carrie says that she would like to go to an art school not science, her mother said that there's no problem at all and that they will find the best school for what she wants to learn. [from the conversation with the parents]

Changing schools is an issue, which raises feeling of worry and discomfort in Carrie. She does not want to find new friends and start everything from the beginning. It seems that for Carrie's parents, there is no other way, and she will go to another school sooner or later. Carrie has asked her parents to go to an art school because that field appeals to her more. Her parents have no problem with this, if it is a school for excellence.

Adolescence is not yet visible in Carrie, not physically and not behaviourally. Disagreements with her parents have begun, revolving around her Bat Mitzvah, but her parents set clear limits while still accepting a considerable amount of Carrie's requests.

Carrie enjoys learning science, subjects that involve the human body, like her parents’ professions and also more abstract subjects that stimulate her imagination, like astronomy. Carrie mentions another field that she finds interesting which is geology, like her group leader in the ‘Sayarut’ extracurricular activity.

• - What can you tell me about science this year?

• - ‘It was more interesting to me than last year, last year it's not that it was boring, we learnt about the solar system and stuff. But this year I thought it was interesting because there was the human body, I know the human body better. Especially the circulatory system. It's a system that I'm really good at.’

…  …  … 

• - ‘When I was little, I would look at the stars, it twinkles it's kind of cool the sun and the moon moves and I never really knew, like you reach an age that you can investigate that's really cool. My group leader who's now in the twelfth grade and she is in the astronomy advanced class, and she makes activities for us at night all the time it's really cool in hiking trips, everyone likes it’

Carrie will likely study science at an in-depth level. She understands that this is required in her family and expected by her parents, and in this way, she will be able the receive their appreciation and attention. Carrie talks about the subjects that she would like to learn in high school, and she knows that she must attend a scientific excellence school when she reaches junior high. Nonetheless, Carrie likes the humanities, like history, geography and art. It is possible that with age and her need to distinguish herself from her family, she will choose to pursue these fields. However, it seems that to stay part of the family and receive their admiration, she will also study science.

Iris

Iris is a sweet and pleasant girl who mainly follows her friends. Iris cares a lot about her social status and her conduct among her peers. Her parents also care mainly about her social status and her conduct with her friends.

• - Is going to an extracurricular activity with friends important?

‘Yes’

 … 

I would like Iris to start dancing again, but she refuses to go because none of her friends are in the group [from the conversation with the parents]

 … ..

It looks like friends are a really important part of your life, right?

• - ‘it depends on who, I have some that are less and some that are more’

Studying is not easy for Iris, and at the beginning of our acquaintance, it seemed like this did not bother her or her parents. Iris did not make any effort to change this and it did not seem like her lack of success bothers her. However, with the transfer to the sixth grade a change occurred both in her and in her parents in everything related to Iris’ studies in school. Her parents started helping her more, expecting more and clarifying for her what is more important and what is expected of her. As a result, Iris started making an effort and succeeded in raising her grades in the subjects that are important to her parents, mathematics and English. The success in these subjects caused Iris to feel pride and raised her sense of ability.

• - How is this year [sixth grade] in school?

• - ‘Fine, better’

• - What's better?

• - ‘I'm improving in the classes, for example English in tests I used to get under 50 or 50 and something points, now I got 82.’

… 

• - That this year Iris is also studying better, I don't know what brought on the change. [from the conversation with the parents]

However, the other subjects are not important to her parents and her and therefore Iris does not make any effort and does not try to understand, neither in class nor at home.

• - In which subject is it most important to you to get a good grade?

• - ‘Mathematics and English’

 … .

• - Do you feel pressure from your parents to study science?

• - ‘No’

• - Is there another subject that is pressured?

• - ‘No, they are most interested in mathematics and English’

 … .

• - Is it important to you to study science in school?

• - ‘Yes’

• - How would you grade its importance? Very high, high, in the middle, not very high, low?

• - ‘in the high middle’

• - Because?

• - ‘Because it's not the most important subject, it may help me if I'll want to study science, but now it doesn't really help me. Mathematics and English are the most important’

Most of Iris’ efforts are spent in the social domain, at school and in the afternoon. Choosing extracurricular activities is done in accordance to her friends, or by trying to convince them to join Iris in an activity of her choice. This method greatly limits Iris in her choices and sometimes even prevents Iris from fulfilling her desires and going to activities that she finds interesting, but her friends do not. During the sixth grade, Iris started to feel that her social status was changing, her mother noticed this as well and this issue preoccupies them both.

Science is not a subject or topic of conversation at home. If it is mentioned, it is mentioned only in relation to her older brother who is considered successful and knowledgeable in the field.

‘I only know that my brother is high in mathematics, English and scientific excellence. My brother is really good at English.’

Iris loves her brother and uses his help in her studying, but also in other fields of interest such as music and design. Iris says that through him she is exposed to the world of science and from him, she learns things that are related to this field. However, since the subject does not interest her, she does not deepen her understanding any further.

• - It sounds like you and your brother get along well, right?

• - ‘Sometimes, only if there are like fights or hitting each other and stuff, between brothers like always. But in general, we're cool’

• - Does he help you? You talk a lot about him helping you‘He helps yes, he's nice but annoying’

• - What does he help you with?

• - ‘English a lot, he's good in mathematics, but he doesn't get good grades. He understands the material, but during the tests it's hard for him, I'm also like this. He helps me in drawing and playing music’

The exposure to science in junior high school and the great emphasis on this subject in junior high school may open a new world for Iris. Since the school regards the sciences highly and emphasises science subjects, some of Iris’ friends will likely attend scientific excellence programs and this could cause Iris to learn more and delve deeper into this subject, which is completely unknown to her.

Iris’ experiences in the science field came only from school. Iris’ science teachers, for her, are the embodiment of the subject and her liking or disliking it.

• - -Is your like or dislike of science related to the person teaching you?

• - -‘I don't know … In some classes it's related to the teacher because she's teaching, if she teaches well, if she's nice or not.’

The teachers who taught Iris did not conduct many experiments and mostly taught with a workbook and notebook, and sometimes also in a group activity. This method of teaching gave Iris a very narrow opening into the world of science. Iris says that she liked and preferred the teacher who prepares them the best for the test since that is most important, but also says that experiments are interesting and that she would like to have more of them.

‘Because she teaches better’

• - What does that mean? What helped you study with Natalie?

• - ‘She writes a lot of things in our notebook; she would make summaries for us. Even though I was bad at science she would make a summary for us in science and that was much more convenient’.

It appears that Iris is still ‘dormant’ and has not found her true inner motivation for her interests in life, and the will to pursue them. And if she did find an interest, it is possible that she has not gathered the courage to follow her dream and not her friends. Iris will probably not pursue a scientific field or a similar field. However, experiential and interactive studying could help Iris understand the subject and encourage her to take an interest in the field, and just as important, to prevent her aversion to it.

Ruth

Ruth is a cute and energetic girl. Ruth loves science, she is attentive during science classes and knows the material. Ruth also says that she conducts experiments at home.

• - ‘I conduct experiments at home, dad and mom are not very happy about it. I mix a lot of baking soda it's important that everything will be green.’

Ruth's parents are dominant in her life, she listens to their requests, and it is important to her to please them. Ruth's parents are not involved in school and would prefer to send Ruth to an anthroposophical school, but this did not work out with her sister and her parents let it go. They are not happy with the school and do not give great importance to the studying aspect. They believe the social aspect of school is more important.

• - Roni's [sic: Ruth's] mother says that the most important thing for her is that the girls go to school happily every day and willingly. So, they are probably doing something right over there. That is the most important thing to me, that they will feel good socially and the studying are a second priority for me’.

Since Ruth's parents are looking for a different place of education, one that suits their world view better, they encourage the girls to attend the ‘Shomrei HaGan’ extracurricular activity. In the beginning, Ruth was worried when going to this activity and did not feel connected to the activity, and preferred ‘Scouts’ over it. However, with time she started to enjoy herself more and more in this activity. And as time progressed this became an important activity for her, and she tries not to miss it.

• - What is interesting in ‘Shomrei HaGan’?

• ‘Forest time is interesting, when you just walk around and calm down and play with friends’

In addition to Scouts and ‘Shomrei HaGan’ Ruth goes to arts and crafts activities that she likes.

Ruth says that her parents buy her arts and crafts kits, and she turns them into science-related things. Ruth's sister gets science kits. Ruth has a complicated relationship with her sister. It is important to Ruth to be a good sister, she knows what is expected of her by her parents, but she is also jealous of her sister. Ruth's sister is interested in science and is apparently encouraged by her parents in this field. Ruth talks a lot about liking science as well, but when talking to her about this subject in depth she will usually mention her sister, and what her sister does in the house in relation to science.

• - ‘Science is fun, it's investigating and discovering things in different ways, I love science, every time I look at … My sister just got this … telescope and I always look at the stars, and she also got this thing that tests bacteria, and I always test stuff.’

• - This was bought for your sister?

• - ‘Yes, they bought for my sister’

• - Why only buy for your sister and not for you too?

• - ‘Because she also likes science, but she likes more to check things and then tell mom and dad that it's not right’

• - And you're not like that?

• - ‘I'm not like that, I like to conduct experiments, investigate, discover and write down the long process and then reveal the final result and ask if it's right.’

• - So, if your sister gets science related things, what do you get?

• - ‘umm really what do they get me … arts and crafts stuff, and I make them into science stuff’

Ruth's experience of science is positive. Even if the science teacher at school is not very pleasant it does not affect Ruth's love of the science subject. Nevertheless, the teacher who taught in the sixth grade caused Ruth to talk about the science subject with enthusiasm and engagement that were not present before.

• - How is Rose as a teacher?

• - ‘Wow she's fun’

• - What makes her fun?

• - ‘She like … She doesn't give us a lot of homework and she also teaches us everything with presentations’

• - And this is more convenient for you?

• - ‘Yes’

• - Do you study a lot from the workbook?

• - ‘No, we use the presentations more’

• - Who taught you last year?

• - ‘Natalie’

• - Is there a difference between them?

• - ‘Yes’

• - What's the difference?

• - ‘Natalie's more … She doesn't do experiments although there was one, no presentations, she yells during class’

• - ‘Rose doesn't yell?

• - ‘Rose doesn't yell’

• - Do you prefer Rose or Natalie?

• - ‘Rose, is better’

Ruth has an uncle who studied biology and works in this field. Ruth says that she visited his lab and that it looked magical to her. All of Ruth's experiences with science are positive, and even if they are not, she interprets them as positive or she is able to explain the reasons for the less positive interactions thus turning them from negative to positive.

• - -What would you like to do when you grow up?

• - ‘I'm still not sure, the first option is to be an actress because I really love acting or a singer, the second is science, my uncle tests bacteria and I want to be like him, and third is a fashion designer only for clothes.’

 … 

• - So, something that you would like to do when you grow up?

• - ‘Oh, that's it I have a few, first of all a scientist’

• - You have them prioritised?

• - ‘Yes, first a scientist, if I don't succeed in sciences, touch wood I will succeed. And then I'll move on to dancer and then pastry chef.’

Ruth is positive that she will study science when she grows up, and even wants to be a scientist as a priority. If this does not work out, then she will be a dancer or a pastry chef. It seems that Ruth will study science in high school and may even study science in an academic setting.

Jacob

Jacob is a pleasant and smart boy. He loves science and is mainly interested in animals. In Jacob's family studying science is encouraged openly and continuously. Jacob's older brother is an important figure in his life, and they share their joys and their hardships. Jacob is attentive to the path his brother is taking and is trying to learn from it and also find his path.

• - In what way would you want to be like your brother?

• - ‘He always has something that he wants to hand in’

• - In what way would you not want to be like him?

• - ‘In the studying thing mainly. He is also a pretty good students, he's not below average and I'd say he's even above. But he needs to work harder than me to get the same results’

Jacob's mother sees science studies as the right path for the future. Jacob understands this and chooses to go according to his mother's ambitions. Jacob's father works with computers. Jacob thinks that his father's job would suit him and achieve his life's ambitions. It is important to him that his life will be comfortable. Interest in his work is not one of the most important parameters for him right now.

• - ‘I don’t like working for long hours. I'm lazy, again this is why I keep thinking about professions that in the future in them … I don't really care that I won’t be really interested in what I do, and I don't care that I will have a little pressure and stuff. But I do want don't want [sic] to get up early in the morning and come back really late. I don’t mind getting up let's say at 6:00 am and arrive and then come back at 6:30 pm and have time for myself I want to have time for my hobbies when I grow up’

Jacob did not always want to go to school. In his first years in first to third grade Jacob had a very difficult time studying and he did not want to go at all. At the end of the third grade, Jacob was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. The diagnosis helped Jacob's self-image a lot, after it was explained to him during the diagnosis that he has difficulty with reading and writing, but his comprehension level is much higher than his age group. Jacob said that he relaxed and felt more at ease. At the same time the school started helping Jacob and adapted the requirements to his abilities.

• - Can you describe to me in what way your life has changed after you were diagnosed as dyslexic?

• - ‘A lot for the better’

• - Describe it to me

• - ‘I don't know if it's connected to it or not, because it's generally in the fourth grade, after the diagnosis, this was the year with the biggest leap I had in school, studying became really easy. I don't know if it's related or not.

• - What changed?

• - ‘It's just that everything became really easy for me, the diagnoses really boosted my self-confidence, because in the first and second grades, they taught how to read and write also in the third grade, and I couldn't do it and it frustrated me. And then in the evaluation they checked questions that were related to intelligence, and I started to answer and eventually reached an eleventh-grade level. This made me really happy and showed me that I was above average because I was always below everyone else.’

• - What changed in school?

• - ‘The teachers appreciated me; tests were read-aloud which gave me a huge boost in my grades. And the best thing was that behaviour in my report card was always very good and now everything is excellent and very good.’

The homeroom teacher in the fourth grade was very dominant and helped Jacob fill in the gaps and find ways for Jacob to show his knowledge. Jacob says that this change influenced him and made him the person he is today.

Moving on to junior high caused Jacob some concern. How will he be treated, and will they help him so that he will be able to show his knowledge. Jacob says that the move was fine and that he feels less appreciated by the teachers than in elementary school. This issue bothers Jacob and frustrates him, but he does not want to act to change this. Socially Jacob was always a leader, even when moving to junior high Jacob remained a popular boy with a lot of friends around him.

• - Here [in junior high] do you really need to work on a reputation?

• - ‘Yes, I still have much less than I had there, like if I say something then they won't really pay attention to what I think in terms of teachers’

Jacob is a critical child with a very clear vision of things from his perspective. Jacob criticises the teachers who teach him and can explain what he thinks they are doing wrong.

• - ‘The problem is that the qualifications for being a teacher are too low, like anyone who can’t get a degree in … anyone who has a matriculation certificate can study teaching. Now someone with a matriculation certificate is necessarily someone who Is right for it, there are people with no charisma whatsoever that you just don't feel like listening to even if they came and talked to you face to face you could easily ignore them, because they just don't have any charisma. Some of the teaches don't even care if you understand or not, they just say what they need to get their money at the end of the month.’

Even in elementary school Jacob explained and gave examples for how his science teacher was not really the ideal teacher for him. He was happy that she was teaching him because there was chaos in the classroom, and this enabled him to chat with friends.

• - ‘Natalie, like she tries to be cool and nice, but she just isn't … Not enough charisma’

… 

• - Do you remember things that made you enjoy learning science in the fifth and sixth grade?

• - ‘Fifth and sixth … Umm in science, science class was fun, because there was chaos. I wasn't a disruptive student. By the way I started to be a little less of a good student this year. A little a lot … But it's just that in science class in previous years, it was just sitting as far as I could, I sat in the back, and it was funny, that’s how they choose to seat all of the good students. So, I was a good student, you could talk quietly with the person next to you and no one would mind. So, I would talk to the person sitting next to me, I have a very good friend sitting next to me. I would sit and talk to him and at the same time listen to what she was saying. I would get over 90 points in tests like this as well.’

Jacob remembers and knows the material that was taught in class, he is attentive and likes to participate in class.

In junior high, the science teacher is much stricter according to Jacob. In the beginning, Jacob appreciated this and explained that this enabled learning, but as the year progressed, it seems that Jacob lacked empathy from the teacher and the standard she set for the class and for him made him feel like she was not connected to his world.

At the beginning of the seventh grade, Jacob passed a test and started attending scientific excellence classes at school, two additional hours of studying science at the end of the day. Jacob said that he enjoyed these classes and that the method of working in groups and conducting experiments every time was interesting and enjoyable for him.

• - What other changes are there in science class now?

• - ‘The thing with the experiments, in elementary school they didn't let us do a lot of experiments. Now they trust us more with these sorts of things, that they let us work for example with things from glass and with devices that cost money, in the lab. This kid who breaks things, broke something one time, and he dropped a beaker or an Erlenmeyer I think and it broke’

• - And what happened?

• - ‘Nothing, they just gave us a new one and cleaned it up and that's it’

• - How did that make you feel?‘First thing, I laughed hysterically, we kept telling him to stop touching things, because we use them and he was playing with all the things that he does, and we told him leave it leave it, ‘I'm not leaving it you can trust me nothing will happen’ and then boom, he dropped it and it broke, so we laughed’

• - So, no one was angry with you and they replace it?

• - ‘No … It was hilarious, just when he said you can trust me boom’

• - Did you expect them to get mad at you?

• - ‘Umm yeah a little still’

• - And that didn't happen?

• - ‘No’And it was okay that they weren't angry with you? Or do you think that they should've handled things differently?

• - ‘Yes, they told us that it wasn't okay, like they told us to be more careful next time and stuff … I think it's okay actually because we understood that these things cost money and we're not little kids.’

Jacob said at the end of the year that he went to scientific excellence in the seventh grade only because he wanted the option to continue excellence in the eighth grade. In eighth grade, the scientific excellence students leave the classroom during science class and attend advanced-level science classes at the same time as the regular science classes.

• - How was scientific excellence this year?

• - ‘It was fun’

• - Would you do it again?

• - ‘Yes, I'll do it again next year, I basically agreed to stay with it the whole year because I was waiting for next year’

• - What were you waiting for?

• - ‘Because this year scientific excellence was an additional two hours, at the end of the day. And next year it's instead of regular science class, that means that it'll be like regular science class only more interesting’

• - Meaning during regular school hours in a special class? And this was your real goal?

• - ‘Yes, most of the boys that I know who stayed in excellence are kids who wanted to be in excellence next year. It just gives them the trips and more.’

Jacob talks openly about the changes and emotions he goes through at the beginning of adolescence. Jacob talks about having a hard time getting up in the morning and falling asleep at night even though he tries. That he has a hard time listening in class, something which used to be easy for him. Jacob states very clearly that he thinks that his motivation for studying is declining, and he thinks this is connected to adolescence. It appears that Jacob does not know how to handle these changes and some of them even trouble him. If he is not capable of listening in class like before, how will he take the tests without studying like he is used to. In addition, Jacob talks about how the environment, the school, the teachers, do not understand his difficulties and the changes that are happening beyond his control.

• - ‘She [the science teacher] believes that it's all a matter of choice, meaning, you didn't do your homework, you chose not to do your homework, even if you had some … let's say she gave homework today for tomorrow. And just when I get home from school then I have an activity for the Bar Mitzvah that I must go to because if you don’t go you don’t know the exercises, it's three hours. And then from there I went with my parents I don't know where, we went to some event, and I got home only at I don’t know 12:00 am, and I was exhausted, and I fell asleep. Then I come to school, and I tell her all of this and she says that I could have skipped the activity, and she says that I could have stayed awake until 2:00 am to finish it. She tries to outsmart all the time with this even if it's things that no one would've done.’

• - ‘Who would've skipped an activity that you have to go to?! I currently have three things in my life that take up my time, there's school, the Bar Mitzvah activity, which is now my entire life, and the tasks from the Rabbi for the Bar Mitzvah. And each one of these three acts like it is the only thing in my life right now and it's just annoying. School acts like it's the only thing in my life and I don't do anything except school. In the Bar Mitzvah activities they keep telling us to practice more and more and act like this is the only thing that should interest us right now. And my Rabbi talks about it like it's the main thing in my life

• - You don't feel like they understand?

• - ‘No. Like nobody cares from the other side or your side. They only care that you do what they want you to do’

Jacob's experiences in the world of exact science go back to his early childhood. Jacob's mother says that for her teaching children, the knowledge and understanding of the natural and scientific world is the right way. For Jacob science studies have always been easy and enjoyable in every year, even when Jacob thought the teacher was not very good, he still studied and took an interest. Jacob does mention that a bad teacher could make him dislike a subject, but it appears that actually Jacob does not distance himself from the subject he likes.

Jacob will probably study science in high school as he planned, chemistry or biology or both. And in the future, Jacob will probably pursue a field related to science, perhaps programming, or computer science to please his father and resemble him and in this way achieve his aspirations for a good job that will be able to finance his desires.

Avi

Avi is a friendly and pleasant boy; he gets along with his classmates and likes to be the center of attention. Avi is the eldest child, and he has a brother and a sister. Avi's mother works in the field of body treatments and Avi's father works in the logistics department of a big pharmaceutical company. Avi is attentive and guided by his parents in many fields as well as in his approach to school. Avi started playing the guitar in the fifth grade and enjoys it very much. He would like to continue playing music later on as well.

• - From our acquaintance it sounds like music and guitar are very important to you … 

• - ‘They are very important to me, mainly, now. You remember that … I wanted to get accepted to a music school? So … I tell everyone that I [sic: stopped] thinking about it, but no.’

• - And what are you doing about this?

• - ‘I'm, the truth is I'm actually practicing a lot of jazz over other things. To get accepted to this, I need to play jazz music.’

Avi's parents are not pleased with the education system in Israel and for this reason, they do not invest resources or become involved in anything related to school. Avi's mom did volunteer for the second-grade parent committee, the grade of Avi's sister, but this was because she was so displeased that she felt something must be done. Avi's parents do not hide their dislike of the school from their children. However, they do not want to transfer them to other education systems that are available in the area.

• - I have no expectations from the school at all, I don't like the education system in Israel, everyone has made progress and only the education system is unchanged [from the conversation with the parents]

For Avi injustice or what he perceives as inappropriate treatment are valid reasons for stopping his studies in science class. In the sixth grade, Avi had disagreements with the science teacher. The disagreements and misunderstanding were in regard to a task that the teacher asked the class to perform. The teacher humiliated Avi and in his opinion lied in front of the class.

Avi decided that since the teacher behaves like this, he is quitting science class. Avi acted disrespectfully in class, and in our conversations it seemed like he had an aversion to this subject. Avi preferred in conversations to talk about any other subject that is not science.

• - ‘Science last year was really bad, I was really angry, and it was completely disrespectful to me. It was horrible. I just said, she [the teacher] isn't showing me respect so I won’t show her respect, I won't study. I also made an effort to learn the material. But I knew the material, they were materials we repeated from last year, so I didn't study.’

- You hold it against Natalie

- ‘Yes, I hold it against Natalie, luckily for me … She stayed in elementary school, and I continued to junior high’

In the seventh grade, a significant change occurred in Avi's approach to studying science to science in general. Credit for this change can be attributed to the new science teacher he met in junior high, a teacher who is new to the education system, pleasant and has a lot of patience, who loved sharing with the students her experiences from her bachelor's degree in marine biology. Avi was mesmerised by the knowledge she divulged in class. The way she chose to conduct herself in the behaviourally challenging class to which Avi belongs.

• - How's the atmosphere in the class Meagan teaches?

• - ‘Not good’

• - Is it different from elementary school or the same?

• - ‘No, Meagan is a good teacher our class is not as good’

• - Is it like this in all the classes?

• - ‘In most of them’

• - And is it like the science classes in elementary school?

• - ‘No’

• - Was everyone quiet in elementary school?

• - ‘Yes, they were afraid of Natalie, she actually sent to the principal’

• - Does Meagan specifically not do this or do all the teachers?

• - ‘No, you can do this, they can do this, but less, they do it less, because they don't want to. It’s a better method, the problem is that the students in our class didn't take it to a positive place, now the method is much worse, a lot less good’

In addition, Avi started attending the scientific excellence program at school. Through this program as well, Avi was exposed to scientific studies through experiments and work groups.

Only in the seventh grade, when the ‘barrier’ Avi created to all things related to science was removed, Avi spoke about the reason for him disliking science in the sixth grade. It seems that this ‘barrier’ denied Avi anything related to science and science studies. Avi simply decided to erase this subject because of an unpleasant interaction that he had with the teacher. In the fifth grade, Avi participated in a science enrichment program, which was provided at school. In the sixth grade, Avi did not mention this, but in the seventh grade, he began talking about the things he learnt in the program and enjoyed doing.

Avi has shown that a negative attitude to science can be changed, and that the teacher plays an important role, and in Avi's case a crucial role, in the student's attitude towards science.

• - Can you say for science last year [sixth grade] like or dislike?

• - ‘Dislike, because it totally depends on the teacher, this year the teacher is good’

• - You like it?

• - ‘Yes’

• - Then how much 1-10 does the teacher have to do with this in your opinion?

• - ‘9’

Avi's experiences, in relation to science studies, have known ups and downs. Even in the seventh grade, Avi had an unpleasant interaction with the science teacher, from his perspective. And he talks about it as the most unpleasant event he experienced in the seventh grade. It is possible that Avi was very disappointed in this incident because he puts so much effort into science studies. He may have feared that this event would affect his attendance at the scientific excellence program at school in the eighth grade.

It seems that Avi is interested in the science field, he enjoys acquiring knowledge in the field. It is possible that with time and his ability to separate his interests from his teachers, Avi will be able to enjoy science even without such a direct and extreme connection to the teacher teaching the subject. Currently, Avi wants to fulfill his guitar-playing fantasies. He understands that there is a possibility that they may not come true, and so he talks about the option of becoming a scientist, either part time or full time as a marine biologist.