Enhancing interest in physics learning has been an important component of education policy and policy implementation for decades. However, in many countries, student interest in physics has not increased. The aim of this study was to predict situational interest using individual interest and the instructional activities students engaged in. Also,…

In the last decades, secondary school students have indicated a low interest in science and a lack of awareness of authentic science careers that may impede their aspiration to work in science-related fields in future. To raise students' aspirations, several studies used context-based approaches, but few integrated career aspects into the school…

This longitudinal study focuses on evaluating grade 7-9 school students' perceptions of intervention modules intended to be relevant, as well as promoting learning attributes to raise awareness of science-related careers. Students are taught through six purposely developed and designed career-related teaching-learning modules (C-TLMs). Each module…

Research findings indicate a decline in students' motivation towards science learning through grade levels. However, there is a lack of studies investigating students' motivation comparing learning between science subjects and at different school levels. Using self-determination theory as a framework, this study compares perceived changes in…

Student perceptions of science teaching could be expected to differ in grade 6 compared with teaching in grade 9, as could student interest in science learning. To compare Estonian grades 6 and 9, lower secondary school student and science teacher perceptions of teaching/ learning approaches as well as student perceived interests/enjoyment on…

Context-based learning (CBL) approaches have been recommended and expanded in science education to make science more relevant to students by connecting science content with students' daily life. Subsequently, in order to implement CBL at school, a group of scenarios has been produced by several stakeholders. However, there is a lack of resources…

Outreach activities, like mobile science exhibitions, give opportunities to hands-on experiences in an attractive learning environment. We analysed attitudes, motivation and learning during a science exhibition visit, their relations to gender and future educational plans in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belgium (N = 1210 sixth-graders). Pupils'…

This article draws attention to the difference between interest and relevance in science education while recognising both can be considered components of intrinsic motivation--motivation for learning coming from students themselves. Research has shown the importance of intrinsic motivation and this study seeks an approach to enhance this through…

In this paper, we examine the nature of interest in science as represented in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 data. We discuss the interconnections between measures of knowledge, affect, and value as components of interest in science. Working from a perspective acknowledging that many of the models of motivation…

The PARSEL project was initiated to disseminate teaching modules, based on a philosophical model, which was in line with a need to promote scientific literacy, in a manner considered to be both popular and relevant for students. The project was based on the belief that this approach would allow students to better realize that science was for all,…

As Estonia has moved from a centrally planned towards a market-based economy, there has been a broad-based push to create an "egalitarian but innovative, "future-oriented" system of education, which would help to develop flexible, lifelong learning citizens open to new ideas." A national research and development strategy,…