CHEMISTRY EDUCATION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2003, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 45-53 SPECIAL SECTION: 6th ECRICE / 2nd ECCE	RESEARCH REPORT Attitudes

Elaine REGAN and Peter CHILDS
University of Limerick, Department of Chemical and Environmental Sciences

AN INVESTIGATION OF IRISH STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TO CHEMISTRY: THE PROMOTION OF CHEMISTRY IN SCHOOLS PROJECT

ABSTRACT: Ireland's student participation in the sciences at Leaving Certificate (LC) level (17 years) has fallen considerably in the last fifteen years. We evaluate the opinions and attitudes of students at Junior Certificate (15 years) to science, prior to LC subject choice, as part of an intervention strategy to promote chemistry. This article is concerned with the reasons given by a group of third year students for their like or dislike of science and their reasons for choosing to study chemistry in the future. This case study shows positive views of science; most students would voluntarily choose science and chemistry (in the future) because they find it interesting. Physics was perceived to be less interesting than chemistry. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract.: 2003, 4, 45-53]

KEY WORDS: chemistry; attitudes; promotion; secondary schools

CORRESPONDENCE: Peter E. CHILDS, University of Limerick, Department of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, Limerick, Ireland; fax: 00353-61-202568; e-mail: peter.childs@ul.ie

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