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Engagement with Science Across the Middle Years in New Zealand

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Abstract

International and national studies have revealed a sharp decline in student science engagement during the middle years of schooling. In Aotearoa New Zealand, over 20 years of cross-sectional evidence has repeatedly shown high levels of student engagement with science in primary school and lower levels in high school, but very little evidence in-between. In this study, we conducted an engagement survey (n = 429) across Years 7–10 (11–15 yo) to better understand this gap. We found that decreasing engagement with science was only apparent when considering school science, but not in other contexts like choosing science careers or science outside of school. Contrary to common rhetoric of a ‘decline’ in student engagement with science, we suggest that the middle years are marked with uncertainty about the role of science in students’ lives, which would benefit from a shift toward contextualised curricula.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank the students, teachers, and schools who participated in this study and made the research possible.

Funding

Funding for this project was provided primarily by a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship. A travel grant to reach isolated schools was provided by the Otago Into Action committee of the Participatory Science Platform.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Science Communication, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Kaitlyn M. Martin & Lloyd S. Davis

  2. College of Education, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Susan Sandretto

Authors
  1. Kaitlyn M. Martin
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  2. Lloyd S. Davis
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  3. Susan Sandretto
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Correspondence to Kaitlyn M. Martin.

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This study was approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee under Application Number 17/076.

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Martin, K.M., Davis, L.S. & Sandretto, S. Engagement with Science Across the Middle Years in New Zealand. NZ J Educ Stud 56, 83–99 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-020-00185-x

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