ABSTRACT

Opportunities for learning science outside of school make a significant contribution to science education. The 2006 PISA survey demonstrated that exposure to science-related extracurricular activities has positive relationships “not only to student performance, but also to students’ attitudes towards learning and their belief in their own abilities” (OECD, 2012, p. 4). Dabney and colleagues (2012) surveyed 6,556 university students and found that participation in out-of-school-time science activities was strongly related to career interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). When asked why they studied science, 726 Australian and New Zealand citizens with at least a bachelor’s degree in science ranked “Science-based television programs” 5th, “science books or magazines” 8th, and “a science center or museum” 10th (Venville, Rennie, Hanbury, & Longnecker, 2013). The highest-ranked reasons for doing science were “I was interested in science” and “I was good at science,” confirming the importance of students’ attitudes and beliefs in their ability to do science.