Participation in science and technology : young people's achievement-related choices in late modern societies

Young people’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a matter of international concern. Studies and careers that require physical sciences and advanced mathematics are most affected by the problem and women in particular are under-represented in many STEM fields. This article views international research about young people’s relationships to, and participation in, STEM subjects and careers through the lens of an expectancy value model of achievement-related choices. In addition it draws on sociological theories of late-modernity and identity, which situate decision-making in a cultural context. The article examines how these frameworks are useful in explaining the decisions of young people – and young women in particular – about participating in STEM and proposes possible strategies for removing barriers to participation.

Understanding declining science participation in Australia : a systemic perspective

In this chapter we describe the substantial declines in student participation in senior high school physics, chemistry and biology classes in Australia over the last two decades. We outline some of the explanations commonly offered to account for these declines, focusing on two contrasting positions: first, that they are due to today’s students holding less positive attitudes towards science classes and careers than their predecessors, and second, that the declines are related to policy and structural changes at the upper secondary and tertiary education levels which have affected the relative status of subjects and the dynamics of choice. We describe how the Choosing Science study investigated the extent to which the two hypotheses were supported by empirical evidence, and discuss our findings in the light of a third result from the study concerning the role of self-identity in subject choice. We conclude that the declines in high school science enrolments are most likely related to changes in school and university curriculum options and that within this expanded curriculum marketplace, identity becomes a very important reference point in students’ decisions about whether to take science in the final years of high school.

Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein pumping water outdoors; Ascona, Switzerland. Portraits Women

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Studio portrait of Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein. Portraits Women

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Portrait of Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein as an infant. Portraits Children

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Studio portrait of Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein; Ascone, Switzerland. Portraits Women

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Outdoor portrait of Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein with her husband Hans Bernkopf; Paris, France. Portraits Couples

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Profile view of bust of Henriette Gottschalk nee Rothschild by Ellen Bernkopf (Colmar) nee Catzenstein.

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Portrait of Franz Catzenstein and his little sister Ellen. Portraits Children

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Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein working on a sculpture Portraits Women

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"Dancing Lady" sculpture by Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein Artworks

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Sculptures by Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein in the home of her daughter Yael Arnold; Waldstetten.

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Sculptures by Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein Artworks

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Bust of Henriette Gottschalk nee Rothschild by Ellen Bernkopf (Colmar) nee Catzenstein.

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Sculpture by Ellen Bernkopf nee Catzenstein in the home of her daughter Yael Arnold; Waldstetten Artworks

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