Effects of science interest and environmental responsibility on science aspiration and achievement: gender differences and cultural supports

Abstract

The aim of the present study is twofold: (1) to investigate gender differences in the effects of science interest and environmental responsibility on science aspiration and achievement and (2) to explore the relations between cultural supports (macroeconomic and gender equality) and both boys' and girls' tendencies to integrate the aforementioned effects at the country level. The first part of the aim is addressed using structural equation modeling with data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) for 15-year-old students (N = 398,750) from 57 countries. The results show that the effects of interest on achievement and responsibility on aspiration are positive (the integrating effect) for boys but negative (the contrasting effect) for girls. Correlation analyses were used to address the second part of the aim. The results show that the integrating effect was associated with macroeconomic support for boys and both macroeconomic and gender-equality supports for girls at the country level.

Keywords:

• science interest
• environmental responsibility
• gender
• culture

Acknowledgements

Part of this research was supported by the National Science Council, Taiwan (NSC 99-3113-S-004 -001).