CHOOSING SCIENCE: The Role Of Social Values

Abstract: AbstractIn this work, the researcher investigated if social values have a role in students' decisions to study thenatural sciences. The research employed ethnography which included interactive discussions on someRelevance Of Science Education(ROSE) slides and focus group interviews as data collectinginstruments.The research was done within the joint framework of Fishbein and Ajzen's Theory of Reasoned Actionand the Goal Theory. Collected data from the entire study indicate conformity with both theories to alarge extent.Findings reveal that social values play both motivational and attitudinal roles in the students' choicesof the natural sciences at higher secondary school level. Social values inform reasons for somestudents' attachment to the natural sciences as well as other students’ disenchantment with thosesubjects. Taken together, the findings suggest that social values may help explain present levels oftake-up of natural science as career.