High school females' interests in physical science and related careers one year after participation in a summer intervention program

The purpose of this study was to investigate the interest in the physical sciences and in related careers in a group of high school females one year after their participation in the Newton (New Experiences for Women in Science and Technology) Summer Academy, a residential, summer intervention program focusing on physical science, mathematics, engineering, and technology funded by the National Science Foundation. Thirty-two Academy participants were given pretests and posttests of the Attitude Toward Science in School Assessment (ATSSA) (Germann, 1988), the Science Experiences Survey (SES) (Mason & Kahle, 1988), and the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) (Hannon, Hansen, Borgen, & Hammer, 1994). The posttest was administered one year after participation in the Academy.;As a group, the participants' interest in school science as measured by the ATSSA did not change over the 12-month period, nor did their interests in the physical sciences and related careers as measured by the SII. The participants' participation in out-of-school physical science experiences, as measured by a subscale of the SES, significantly decreased over the 12-month period.;Individually, many of the participants showed large increases or decreases in their physical science interests as measured by the SII, indicating an ability for these interest to be influenced by recent events in the students' lives. Three participants whose scores significantly increased and three whose scores significantly decreased were selected for semi-structured interviews to gain an understanding of the nature of their changing interests. The responses to the interview questions indicated that the participants' academic science experiences affected their interest in the physical sciences. Additionally, those whose scores increased expressed a greater interest in mathematics and a greater interest in hands-on science activities. The participants whose interest increased also were able to recall specific career-related activities from their Academy experience the prior year and commented on the positive affect of the Academy on their confidence in performing physical science related activities. No clear preference for either biological or physical sciences emerged from the students interviewed.