ABSTRACT

Theoretically framed within Social Cognitive Career Theory emphasising on the construct of situational interest, this study explores the impact of career-based scenarios, as an instructional approach, on students’ interest in science and understandings of STEM careers. This case study involved 16 students aged 13–15 years old, who participated in a classroom intervention consisting of five sessions in a period of two years. Data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews administered repeatedly after each session. The questionnaire data were analysed with the use of descriptive statistics and the interview data were analysed through content analysis. The findings illustrate that opportunities for active engagement in scientific practices and interactions with experts were important conditions for career-based scenarios to succeed in enhancing students’ situational interest and understandings of STEM careers. These findings hold important implications for educational practice as they offer insights into career-oriented curriculum design for the purpose of enhancing student interest in science as well as understandings of STEM careers.

摘要

社会认知职业理论的理论框架，强调情境兴趣的构建，本研究探讨了基于职业的情景作为一种教学方法对学生对科学的兴趣和对 STEM 职业的理解的影响。该案例研究涉及 16 名 13-15 岁的学生，他们参加了为期两年的由五节课组成的课堂干预。数据是通过问卷和半结构化访谈收集的，每次会议后重复进行。问卷数据采用描述性统计分析，访谈数据采用内容分析。研究结果表明，积极参与科学实践和与专家互动的机会是基于职业的情景成功提高学生对 STEM 职业的情境兴趣和理解的重要条件。