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Science engagement and literacy: a retrospective analysis for students in Canada and Australia

Woods-McConney, Amanda; Oliver, Mary; McConney, Andrew; Schibeci, Renato; Maor, Dorit

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Authors

Amanda Woods-McConney

MARY OLIVER Mary.Oliver@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of Science Education

Andrew McConney

Renato Schibeci

Dorit Maor



Abstract

Given international concerns about students’ pursuit (or more correctly, non-pursuit) of courses and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), this study is about achieving a better understanding of factors related to high school students’ engagement in science. The study builds on previous secondary analyses of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) datasets for New Zealand and Australia. For the current study, we repeated these analyses to compare patterns of science engagement and science literacy for male and female students in Canada and Australia. The study’s secondary analysis revealed that for all PISA measures included under the conceptual umbrella of engagement in science (i.e., interest, enjoyment, valuing, self-efficacy, self-concept, and motivation), 15-year-old students in Australia lagged their Canadian counterparts to varying, albeit modest, degrees. Our retrospective analysis further shows, however, that gender equity in science engagement and science literacy is evident in both Canadian and Australian contexts. Additionally, and consistent with previous findings for indigenous and non-indigenous students in New Zealand and Australia, we found that for male and female students in both countries, the factor most strongly associated with variations in engagement in science was the extent to which students participate in science activities outside of school. In contrast, and again for both Canadian and Australian students, the factors most strongly associated with science literacy were students’ socioeconomic backgrounds, and the amount of formal time spent doing science. The implications of these results for science educators and researchers are discussed.

Citation

Woods-McConney, A., Oliver, M., McConney, A., Schibeci, R., & Maor, D. (2014). Science engagement and literacy: a retrospective analysis for students in Canada and Australia. International Journal of Science Education, 36(10), https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2013.871658

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2014
Deposit Date Jan 21, 2015
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal International Journal of Science Education
Print ISSN 0950-0693
Electronic ISSN 0950-0693
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 36
Issue 10
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2013.871658
Keywords Engagement in science; Out of school activities; Secondary analysis
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1000170
Publisher URL http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09500693.2013.871658
Additional Information This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Science Education on 23/12/2013, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09500693.2013.871658