Interest of teenagers in biology topics

Slovenian students have achieved above average success at assessments in natural science such as the PISA and the TIMSS. This could lead to the conclusion that they find natural science to be interesting, however, enrolment in natural science programs has been declining. The international comparative project ROSE collects data on factors which impact students’ attitude towards natural sciences, science, and technology, as well as their motivation for learning. In our study, we have primarily focused on these issues specifically in the field of biology. The aim of the thesis was determining to what degree students of primary and secondary schools find specific topics within biology to be interesting, how demanding they find Biology as a school subject, what their attitude is towards science and technology, and which factors are relevant in their choice of career. The survey involved a total of 307 students from three primary schools and one secondary school, of which 160 were girls and 147 were boys. The data was acquired via a questionnaire of 120 graded statements, for which the students expressed their agreement through a four-level Likert scale. We have found that students of primary and secondary schools are interested in many biological topics, particularly those associated with their daily lives, that their attitude towards science and technology is generally positive, and that they do not find Biology to be a difficult subject. We have also found that participants of different age groups display differences in their choice of interesting biological topics, their attitude towards science and technology, and their opinion on the difficulty of Biology at school. In all three fields, the greatest interest was expressed by 8th year students of primary schools. Girls expressed interest in more biological topics, while boys had a more positive attitude towards science and technology on the whole. The opinion on the difficulty of Biology as a school subject, however, showed minimal differences. Finally, we have established many correlations between factors which are relevant for career choice and the students’ interests in specific biological topics, their general attitude towards science and technology, and their opinion on the difficulty of Biology