Science as Interests but not for Career: Understanding High School Students’ Engagement in Science in Abu Dhabi
Guang Yang 1, Masood Badri 1, Karima Al- Mazroui 2, Asma Al-Rashedi 1, Peng Nai 3 *
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1 Abu Dhabi Education Council, UAE2 College of Education, UAEU, UAE3 Yunnan University of Finance & Economics, P.R. China* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background:
Understanding high school students’ engagement in science is important for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Material and methods:
Drawing on data from the ROSE Survey conducted in Abu Dhabi schools in 2013, this paper used a multi-dimensional framework to explore associations between high school students’ engagement in science and a range of student psychosocial and behavioral factors.

Results:
The results of multi-level regression revealed that students’ emotional and cognitive engagement in science was most strongly related to students’ confidence in abilities in science, students’ perceived benefits of S&T, students’ views about science and scientists, student’s out-of-school experience, and the job orientation of self-actualization. Students’ future career aspiration in science was also associated with students’ gender, grade, and socioeconomic background, which highlighted the role of social values, gender socialization, and family cultural capital in understanding students’ occupational engagement in science.

Conclusions:
These factors and policy implications were discussed in the light of international research findings and the empirical context of Abu Dhabi where the transformation of socioeconomic development is taking place.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 13, Issue 7, July 2017, 3621-3639

https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00749a

Publication date: 15 Jun 2017

Article Views: 2074

Article Downloads: 2700

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