Conclusion
The results in this study provide some evidence indicating that there are no major problems confronting students in transition in the schools sampled so far as science is concerned. The majority of students enjoy science at both levels, and, contrary to popular belief, there is no sharp drop off in student attitude as the year wears on.
The maintenance of student satisfaction and positive attitudes seem to be related to the nature of the curriculum materials used and the quality of the interpersonal relationship between teacher and pupils. It would appear that in the open-area high schools involved in this study, the materials used (largely A.S.E.P.) and the identification of the teacher with the school and the students were more conducive to student satisfaction than those in use in the more conventional schools.
That relatively few of the environmental measures used were found to be associated with student outcomes is a little puzzling. One suspects that in part the reasons may lie in the limitations of the instrument and in part in the lack of variance in student attitudes towards science across the transition period. A careful analysis of what actually happens in science lessons and interviews with the participants reveals that whereas most students are satisfied, the reasons for this satisfaction are as rich and varied as the patterns of adaptation utilized by students in transition.
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Power, C. Science achievement and attitudes at primary and secondary interface. Research in Science Education 9, 75–84 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02359146
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02359146