Interest of teenagers in biology topics

Slovenski učenci so na preverjanjih znanja iz naravoslovja, kot sta PISA in TIMSS, nadpovprečno uspešni. Iz tega bi lahko sklepali, da se jim zdi naravoslovje zanimivo, kljub temu pa se vpis na naravoslovne študije zmanjšuje. Mednarodni primerjalni projekt ROSE zbira podatke o dejavnikih, ki vplivajo na učenčev odnos do naravoslovja, znanosti in tehnologije ter njihovo motivacijo za učenje. V naši raziskavi smo se usmerili samo na biologijo znotraj naravoslovja. Cilj magistrskega dela je bil ugotoviti, v kolikšni meri se zdijo osnovnošolcem in srednješolcem posamezne biološke teme zanimive, kako zahteven se jim zdi predmet biologija, kakšen je njihov odnos do znanosti in tehnologije ter kateri dejavniki so pomembni za učenčevo izbiro poklica. Sodelovalo je 307 učencev iz treh osnovnih šol in ene srednje šole, od tega 160 deklet in 147 fantov. Podatke smo zbrali z anketnim vprašalnikom, ki je vseboval 120 trditev, učenci pa so nanj odgovarjali tako, da so svoje strinjanje ocenili s 4- stopenjsko Likertovo lestvico. Ugotovili smo, da osnovnošolce in srednješolce zanima veliko bioloških tem, predvsem tistih, povezanih z njihovim življenjem, da imajo osnovnošolci in srednješolci na splošno pozitiven odnos do znanosti in tehnologije ter da se jim biologija ne zdi zahtevna. Ugotovili smo tudi, da so med anketiranci različne starosti razlike v zanimanju za biološke teme, odnosu do znanosti in tehnologije ter mnenju o zahtevnosti biologije. Pri vseh treh dejavnikih so največje zanimanje izrazili učenci 8. razreda. Dekleta zanima nekoliko več bioloških tem, fantje so bolj naklonjeni znanosti in tehnologiji, njihovo mnenje o zahtevnosti biologije pa je podobno. Na koncu smo ugotovili tudi to, da obstaja veliko korelacij med dejavniki, ki so pomembni za izbiro bodočega poklica ter zanimanjem za posamezne biološke teme, odnosom do znanosti in tehnologije ter mnenju o zahtevnosti biologije.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