Many studies in science education acknowledge the positive effects of context-based learning on students' interest and attitudes. However, little is known about the design criteria of contextual situations generating these effects and how facets of students' situational interest are affected while learning in a contextualised setting. This paper…

Interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has lately received attention in research due to a gap between the number of STEM students and the needs of the labour market. As interest seems to be one of the most important factors in deciding what to study, we focus in the present study on how STEM-interested students weigh…

The aim of this study was to investigate how career-related instruction implemented in secondary school chemistry education concerning water issues influences students' career awareness and their interest towards science learning. This case study is part of a larger design-based research study for the EU-MultiCO project, which focuses on promoting…

The aim of this article is to prove the advisability of using the interdisciplinary approach for the formation of learners' situational interest in physics. The general method of using the interdisciplinary approach in physics teaching has been created. The study of new material, the formation of abilities and skills, and the work on projects are…

We investigated psychological dimensions of academic interest among undergraduate students (N = 325) using a global academic interest scale. The scale was administered together with measures of academic performance, educational aspiration, career planning, goal setting, life satisfaction, attitudes towards leisure, personality and value.…

Considering the reported lack of interest in the STEM-domain and the consequential difficulties in recruiting talented and interested young academics, the development of effective enrichment measures is indispensable. This requires a precise picture of students' interests. The paper presents an approach to characterize interest profiles in…

Context-based approaches can bridge the gap between abstract, difficult science concepts and the world students live in. However, the relevance of specific contexts to different groups of learners, and its stability over time, have not been extensively explored. This study used four datasets, collected in different formal and informal settings, to…

This study is aimed at creating a general technique for the formation of learners' interest in physics in the context of sustainable development of education. The active means of training and active learning methods are the components of this technique. The sequence of interest formation for physics in the context of sustainable development of…

The goal of this study was to research the frequency of the use of diverse types of humor in the college classroom for a possible association with student interest in course material. This relationship was studied using quantitative methods. Participants answered questions about their interest in course material and the type of humor that their…

Many Hong Kong-Chinese parents are active in their support for their children's music training. To better understand this support, the Parental Involvement in Music Training Questionnaire (PIMTQ) is designed to measure the variability in parental involvement in their children's music training. This study begins by exploring the factor structure of…

We investigated emotional intimacy with nature and life, and intellectual interest in life among South Korean pre-service teachers (N = 114) training in biology education, analysing the differences between these two constructs as well as their relationship to environmental behaviour and sensitivity. In addition, differences in the respondents'…

In order to explore students' interest towards S&T, we developed and validated a questionnaire that simultaneously takes into account 18 components (general interest in school-S&T, utility of school-S&T, teaching methods preferences, perceived importance and preference for school-S&T with respect to other school subjects, etc.).…

The quantitative Undergraduate Research Questionnaire (URQ) is used to assess the impact of undergraduate research mentorship affects, such as informal conversations, supportive faculty and/or peer interactions, on student confidence and motivation to continue working, learning or researching in the sciences (Taraban & Logue, 2012). Research…

Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the specific vocational identity of secondary school students whose first choice of degree program is Psychology. In particular, this study analyzes when their interest in Psychology began, the curriculum track taken in high school and their profile of vocational interests and values. Method: The…

Engineers and policymakers have expressed concern that too few students enter the engineering pipeline. This has led to many efforts to engage students in engineering in after-school programs, summer programs, and more recently, in school curricula. The expectation is that, through these efforts, greater numbers of more demographically diverse…