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Are students in Italy really disinterested in science? A person‐centered approach using the PISA 2015 data
Author(s) -
Radišić Jelena,
Selleri Patrizia,
Carugati Felice,
Baucal Aleksandar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.21611
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , psychology , science education , mathematics education , immigration , citizenship , environmental education , socioeconomic status , ethnic group , pedagogy , developmental psychology , social psychology , sociology , geography , demography , political science , archaeology , politics , anthropology , law , population
Seen as one of the essential domains for active citizenship, examining how students relate to science has become crucial. Based on a person‐centered approach, this article investigates self‐related dispositions and motivation in science using the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data set. By employing a latent profile analysis, student profiles were investigated among 11,583 15‐year‐old‐students in Italy. Five distinct student groups were identified. The index of economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS), immigrant background, gender, study programs, and the accompanying learning environment were also inspected. Each group was observed against particular subdomains in science competence in line with the PISA framework and environmental awareness. The results indicate the profiles differed on the examined covariates and showed distinct patterns relative to achievement and environmental awareness. However, differences in achievement between the profiles could not be explained by students’ variability in immigrant background or ESCS across the examined groups.