Science learning takes place not only in the context of science class but also after class. Students' internal forms of motivation, such as curiosity and interest, affect the entire science learning process in both in-class and after-class contexts. In addition, both stable existing learner characteristics, such as science curiosity and interest…

This research sought to explore how teaching utilizing a marine science-related board game affected students' motivation, interest, and achievement in marine science learning at the high school level. The research utilized an experimental design with pre-test and post-test measurements and a classroom setting, and included an experimental group…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of maker-centred learning methodology on the motivation of secondary school students towards science learning using a quasi-experimental design pretest-posttest. For this purpose, a sample of 200 students in eighth grade (110 boys and 90 girls) was selected from two different schools in Madrid…

Middle school (G5-8) students' cognitive engagement, motivation, and future aspirations in science were quantified within informal contexts (week-long summer camps) with self-reported measures of cognitive strategies, self-regulation, value, self-efficacy, and future aspirations over the course of two phases (N = 152, N =140). The participating…

For scholars and policy-makers alike, deeper learning has been a promising paradigm for fostering students' interest in and mastery of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Deeper learning is assumed to result in a more thorough understanding of a subject that endures the test of time. To reach this level, a fascination with…

U.S. national data show that American Indians earn lower math and science scores than other ethnic/racial groups. In the current study, a brief, self-affirmation intervention was aimed at increasing science motivational beliefs in American Indian middle school students (n = 212, M[subscript age] = 12.7 years). Students, each read a biography of a…

It is essential for today's students to learn about science and engineering in order to make sense of the world around them and participate as informed members of a democratic society. The skills and ways of thinking that are developed and honed through engaging in scientific and engineering endeavors can be used to engage with evidence in making…

Cognitive interest is a vital learning motive for the successful learning process. Nowadays students' interest about science and mathematics are decreasing. The aim of the study is to explore the cognitive interest of Grade 9 students in science and mathematics. Students were surveyed and it helped to explore the respondents' cognitive activity…

It has been documented that American Indians and girls consistently underperform in STEM achievement compared to their European American and male counterparts, starting as early as adolescence. The goal of the current study was to develop a brief intervention aimed at mitigating the STEM achievement gap by shaping ethnic and gender identities to…

Most accounts of affect and motivation in the science education literature have discussed them as relevant to, but distinct from, disciplinary pursuits. These include Pintrich's seminal work on affective and motivational factors in learning science (P. R. Pintrich, 1999, 2003; P. R. Pintrich & E. De Groot, 1990; P. R. Pintrich, R. W. Marx,…

Learners encounter science in a wide variety of contexts beyond the science classroom which collectively could be quite influential on student attitudes and abilities. But relatively little is known about the relative influence of different forms of informal science experiences, especially for the kinds of experiences that students typically…

Lack of motivation and of real-world relevance have been identified as reasons for low interest in science among children. Game-based learning and storytelling are prominent methods for generating intrinsic motivation in learning. Real-world relevance requires connecting abstract scientific concepts with the real world. This can be done by…

Students' beliefs that success in science depends on exceptional talent negatively impact their motivation to learn. For example, such beliefs have been shown to be a major factor steering students away from taking science and math courses in high school and college. In the present study, we tested a novel story-based instruction that models how…

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'…