Realization of Self Through Science

Science education programs are often designed and evaluated based on how they influence student attitudinal variables such as interest, motivation, aspirations, or self-efficacy that may mediate long-term attainment of degrees or careers in scientific fields. This study disaggregates student reports of how a science education program affected their interest in science and science careers in order to examine how gender and pre-existing attitudes toward science were related to their responses to program activities. No average program effect was found across all students, but there was clear heterogeneity of treatment effect based on gender, developmental interest trajectories related to science, and prior foreclosure of science and science career interest. Themes in student comments about program effects on their interest in science were related to reports of positive, negative, or no program impact, with different subgroups of students reporting different reasons for increases, decreases, or lack of change in their interest in science and science careers. These findings are discussed in relation to career counseling research and recent psychological and neuroscience research and theory focused on refining the definition and measurement of interest, understanding developmental processes involved in interest, and clarifying the relationship of interest to motivation, persistence, and achievement.