Attitudes Toward the Relevance of Science: Growth Trajectories of a Project-based Internship

In order to increase the number of students pursuing science-related careers, science educators and policymakers have advocated for improving student attitudes toward science (SAS) through inquiry-based instruction, such as project-based learning (PBL). While challenges exist in PBL, research suggests cogenerative dialogue (cogen) can ease the transition for students from traditional learning to PBL. In the present study, a secondary analysis was conducted to examine SAS growth trajectories from participants of the Work With A Scientist Program (WWASP) – a student-scientist internship which integrated cogen with PBL. Additionally, a thematic analysis was conducted to explore student attitudes toward cogen. The growth curve model showed that SAS levels increased at a higher rate for females compared to males. Additionally, five themes emerged from the thematic analysis which highlighted how cogen enriched student experience at WWASP. Implications are provided in the discussion section