2012 - Longitudinal Analysis of the Relations Between Opportunities to Learn About Science and the Development of Interests Related to Science

Attribution: Alexander, Joyce M., Johnson, Kathy E., & Kelley, Ken
Researchers: Joyce M. AlexanderKathy E. JohnsonKen Kelley
University Affiliation: Indiana University- Bloomington; Indiana University Purdue University- Indianapolis
Email: joalexan@indiana.edu
Research Question:
The authors hypothesize that children's developing interest in science emerges over time through coregulation between children's interest and the informal science opportunities parents provide. Second, they suggest that this coregulation cycle may differ for boys and girls and this may ultimately account for some of the gender differences in science interest.
Published: Yes
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: Science Education
Journal Entry: Vol. 96, No. 5, Pp. 763-786
Year: 2012
Findings:

– Science interest was more prevalent among boys.
– Early science interests were strong predictors of later opportunities to engage in informal science learning, whereas the opposite pattern (early opportunities predicting later science interests) was not found.
– Young girls’ expressed science interests led parents to subsequently increase opportunities for science learning during the following year. Although boys followed this pattern early in the study, over time boys received similar levels of science opportunities regardless of their interest.
– Results showed no direct effect of early opportunities for science learning provided in the home on children’s subsequent expression of science-related interests for either gender, at least between the ages of 4 and 7 years.
– Earlier interests in science are the best predictors of later interests in science, and early informal science-learning opportunities predict later opportunities to engage in science related activities for both boys and girls.
– There was a similar stability from year to year in the frequency of science-related opportunities provided by the parents. This suggests that the middle-class families in their study established routines very early on in children’s lives and were apt to continue those same routines for a significant period of time.
– Their data finds that many children were already interested in science-related domains at age 4.
– .Parents reported that boys’ interests related to science declined significantly between the preschool years and early elementary school years, whereas girls’ interests were reported to remain relatively low and stable.
– Parents respond sensitively to children’s science interests by intentionally creating contexts for exploration and learning of science concepts during the preschool and middle childhood years.

 

Scholarship Types: Journal Article Reporting Empirical ResearchKeywords: Extracurricular ActivitiesGenderInterestOpportunity StructureScienceRegions: MidwestMethodologies: QuantitativeResearch Designs: InterviewsSurveyAnalysis Methods: Correlation analysisPath Analysis Sampling Frame:Parents that responded to ad
Sampling Types: RandomAnalysis Units: StudentData Types: Quantitative-Longitudinal
Data Description:

Families with 4-year-olds were recruited during a 12-month period during 1999-2000 through brief articles placed in local newspapers, flyers posted in pediatricians’ offices, and a local children’s museum, through university and community Listservs, and through preschools and daycares serving ethnically and socioeconomically diverse communities. Relations between parental reports of children’s interests related to science and opportunities for science learning were examined longitudinally in 192 children between ages 4 and 7 years. Science interests were tracked during 1-year periods (ages 4 – 5,5 – 6, and 6 – 7). The majority of the sample (86%) was Caucasian, with 6% African American, 3% Hispanic/Latino, and very small percentages of Asian and Native American children.

The authors operationalized informal science learning opportunities as community and home activities that might inform children’s growing conceptions about science and scientists and that were designed at a minimum to expose the child to science-related content.

Each parent completed activity-related questionnaires, whereas his/her child participated in unrelated annual laboratory assessments. After the first year, a small number of annual assessments were conducted as home visits when parents had difficulty traveling to the laboratory. Data about children’s interests were gathered beginning at age 4 years through bimonthly telephone or e-mail contacts (six per year). To control for natural variations among families in terms of the frequency with which they tend to engage in activities in general outside of the home, a family activity score was calculated.

The authors operationalized children’s interests through parent answers to three questions: (1) What does your child prefer to do during free play time?, (2) If your child had one hour to do anything, what would they prefer to do?, and (3) Does your child seem to have a focused interest (and what is it in)? Science interests were defined as those aligned with the content areas of the CHARTS, including life science and nature (e.g., dinosaurs, horses), earth science (e.g., rocks, space), mechanics (e.g., cars), or technology (e.g., computers).

Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:Gender and STEM; STEM Interest/Pursuit/Aspirations/Intent
Archives: K-16 STEM Abstracts