Upper Secondary School Pupils' Attitudes towards Natural Science

Students' attitudes towards natural science constitute an important area in science education as fewer students are interested in natural science and they do not choose corresponding science disciplines in postsecondary education. The current study reports preliminary results of a survey on high school students' interests and attitudes towards science topics according to their genders, grades, and parents' educational levels. This is part of a large project, an evidence-based research project to explore why students choose particular professions in college as well as factors that affect their decisions. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire at eight higher secondary school campuses in Turkey. A total of 422 students participated in the study. Of them, 162 were seniors and 260 were high school graduates. The results of the study revealed that some degree of relationship exists between students' attitudes towards science and corresponding variables: science interests, genders, grades, and parents' educational levels. In conclusion, the current study revealed participants' interests in various science branches and their relationships with factors such as genders, grades, and parents' educational levels and occupations. Students at high school level showed a relatively high interest level in all disciplines of science.