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Attitudes
and Motivation
Students’ attitudes, interests and liking for a subject have
a strong bearing on progress and learning outcomes. Students are
influenced and shaped by the quality and style of curriculum delivery,
the choice of content and the suitability of resources. Other important
factors influencing students’ achievements are the expectations
and support of significant people in their lives, the opportunities
and experiences they have in and out of school, and the extent
to which they have feelings of personal success
and capability.
The Science Survey and the Art Survey each sought information from
students about their curriculum preferences, their perceptions
of their own achievements and their involvement in related activities
in their own time. |
|
These
surveys were administered to the students in an independent
session (four students working individually on tasks supported
by a teacher). Reading and writing help was available if
requested.
Students were asked to indicate their
first three preferences from a list of six class science activities.
The percentages choosing each activity as first preference and
as one of the top three preferences are tabulated adjacent.
Students
liked more active and visual science activities, rather than being
told about science, reading about it, or talking about it. |
SCIENCE
ACTIVITIES :
|
1st
CHOICE |
TOP 3 |
|
|
%
responses |
%
responses |
| being
told about science |
8 |
26 |
| being
shown about science |
24 |
68 |
| reading
about science |
3 |
39 |
| talking
about science |
5 |
18 |
| going
on field trips |
29 |
84 |
| doing
things like experiments |
32 |
50 |
|
While “doing
things like experiments” was the most popular first choice
activity, “going on field trips” and “being
shown about science” were more often chosen among the three
preferred activities.
One open-ended question was asked. Responses to the question “What do you
like doing most in science in your own time” were coded into three categories.
Easily the most popular category was “doing experiments” (21%
of students). Reading, viewing, listening, or writing activities
related to science drew 10 percent support, and applied science
or technology activities (such as making a radio, building creations
or cooking) drew 13 percent support.
The students’ responses to nine rating items are presented
in a table on the next page, together with their perceptions of
the relative frequency of seven different science activities in
school.
|
| SCIENCE
SURVEY 2003
|
percentages:
Mäori
Immersion students |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
1.
How much do you like doing science at school?
|
27 |
65 |
8 |
0 |
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
some
|
very
little |
2.
How much do you think you learn about science at school?
|
19 |
37 |
35 |
8 |
| |
more |
about
same |
less |
|
3.
Would you like to do more or less science at school?
|
26 |
74 |
0 |
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
sometimes
|
never |
4.
How often does your class do really good things in science?
|
10 |
42 |
44 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
5.
How often do you do these things in science at school?
|
|
|
|
|
| a.
Field trips/work outside |
4 |
8 |
68 |
20 |
b.
Visit science activities |
0 |
20 |
35 |
45 |
| c.
Research/projects |
14 |
30 |
42 |
14 |
d.
Group work |
21 |
36 |
37 |
6 |
| e.
Experiments with everyday things |
8 |
21 |
58 |
13 |
f
. Experiments with science equipment |
8 |
25 |
55 |
12 |
| g.
Science competitions |
6 |
23 |
38 |
33 |
| |
|
|
|
|
6.
How good do you think you are at science?
[excluding 10% and 6% who said “Don’t Know”]
|
11 |
59 |
25 |
5 |
| |
heaps
|
quite
a lot |
sometimes
|
never |
7.
How much do you like doing science things in your own time, when
you’re not at school?
|
19 |
37 |
23 |
21 |
| |
|
|
|
|
8.
Do you do some really good things in science in your own time —
when you’re not at school?
|
11 |
12 |
45 |
32 |
| |
yes |
maybe
|
no |
|
9.
Do you want to keep learning about science when you grow up?
|
31 |
61 |
8 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
10.
Do you think you would make a good scientist when you grow up?
|
19 |
54 |
27 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
About a quarter
of the students were very enthusiastic about science at school and
most of the reminder liked it moderately well. Field trips, visits
and experiments occurred often for one third or less of the students,
in their view. Group work and projects were the most common science
activities.
–
link to Year 8 Science Survey - General Education 2003 –
In the Art
Survey, students were asked an open question: “What
do you like doing most in art in your own time?” Painting was
the most popular activity (38%), closely followed by drawing (36%)
and then printmaking (26%).
The students’ responses to 13 rating items are presented in a
table, together with their perceptions of the relative frequency of
10 different art-making activities in school.
| ART
SURVEY 2003
|
percentages:
Mäori
Immersion students |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
1.
How much do you like doing art at school?
|
58 |
40 |
2 |
0 |
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
some
|
little |
|
2.
How much do you think you learn about art at school?
|
28 |
42 |
30 |
0 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
3.
How often does your class do really good things in art?
|
12 |
48 |
38 |
2 |
|
|
more |
about
the same |
less
|
|
|
4.
Would you like to do more art or less art at school
|
50 |
47 |
3 |
|
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a
lot
|
some
times |
never |
|
heaps |
quite
a
lot
|
some
times |
never |
|
5. How often do you do these things in art at school?
|
|
|
|
|
|
drawing |
26 |
41 |
33 |
0 |
making
models |
5 |
28 |
54 |
13 |
painting
|
13 |
25 |
57 |
5 |
working
with clay |
13 |
19 |
39 |
29 |
printmaking
|
18 |
32 |
47 |
3 |
work
with fabrics/weaving |
8 |
20 |
39 |
33 |
collage
|
3 |
23 |
63 |
11 |
group
activities |
27 |
28 |
35 |
10 |
carving |
15 |
23 |
34 |
28 |
computer
graphics |
30 |
22 |
35 |
13 |
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
some
times |
never |
|
6.
How often do you look at art and talk about art at school?
|
13 |
13 |
54 |
20 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
7.
How often do you learn new things in art in school?
|
8 |
51 |
41 |
0 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
don’t
know |
8.
How good do you think you are at art?
|
41 |
41 |
8 |
5 |
5 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
9.
How good does your teacher think you are at art?
|
26 |
36 |
12 |
8 |
18 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
10.How
good does your mum or dad think you are at art?
|
40 |
35 |
3 |
0 |
22 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
11.
How much do you like doing art things in your own time – when
you’re not at school?
|
23 |
56 |
21 |
0 |
|
| |
heaps |
quite
a lot |
some
times |
never |
|
12.
Do you do really good things in art in your own time – when
you’re not at school?
|
10 |
28 |
47 |
15 |
|
| |
yes |
maybe |
no |
|
|
13.
Do you want to keep learning about art when you grow up?
|
40 |
57 |
3 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
14.
Do you think you would make a good artist when you grow up?
|
15 |
49 |
36 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
More
than half of the students were very enthusiastic about doing art
at school, although 40 percent were not happy about the frequency
of “really good” art activities. Drawing, group activities,
printmaking and computer graphics were reported to be the most common
art activities in school. Looking at art and talking about it in
class were reported to be infrequent activities for about three quarters
of the students.
–
link to Year 8 Art Survey - General Education 2003 –
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