Informal Science: Family Education, Experiences, and Initial Interest in Science
Informal Science: Family Education, Experiences, and Initial Interest in Science
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DOI：
10.1080/21548455.2015.1058990
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发表时间：
2016-09-01
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
Scott, Michael R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dabney, Katherine P.;Tai, Robert H.;Scott, Michael R.
最近的研究和公共政策表明，需要通过发展对非正式和正式科学、技术、工程和数学经验的兴趣和参与来增加物理科学劳动力。本研究通过多元回归分析和逻辑回归分析，探讨了家庭教育与物理科学家非正式科学经历的关系，以及非正式家庭科学经历与早期科学兴趣的关系。研究问题如下：控制人口统计变量，物理科学家父母的教育水平是否与非正式家庭科学体验的参与有关？哪些非正式的家庭科学经历与那些在小学就对科学产生初步兴趣的物理科学家有关？这些问题是用交叉项目（N= 4285）的调查数据进行分析的，交叉项目是一项连续的混合方法研究，旨在研究影响进入物理科学博士课程的因素，以及从研究生到独立研究员的转变。结果表明，父母教育程度较高的家庭更有可能参加非正式的科学体验，因此更有可能为他们的孩子提供积极的鼓励，以培养他们对科学的早期兴趣。详细分析表明，下列家庭形式的非正式科学教育：职业、消遣和爱好以及鼓励与小学早期对科学的初步兴趣有关。
Recent research and public policy have indicated the need for increasing the physical science workforce through development of interest and engagement with informal and formal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics experiences. This study examines the association of family education and physical scientists' informal experiences in science along with the association of informal family science experiences and early initial interest in science through multiple and logistic regression analyses. Research questions addressed are as follows: Controlling for demographic variables, do physical scientists parents' level of education associate with participation in informal family science experiences? And which informal family science experiences are associated with physical scientists that report an initial personal interest in science by elementary school? These questions are analyzed with survey data from Project Crossover (N=4,285), a sequential mixed-methods study that examines factors influencing entrance into physical science doctoral programs as well as the transition from graduate students to independent researcher. Results indicate that families with higher parental education are more likely to take part in informal science experiences and therefore more likely to provide positive encouragement for their children to develop an early interest in science. Detailed analyses show that the following family forms of informal science education: occupation, diversions and hobbies, and encouragement are associated with an early initial interest in science by elementary school.