ABSTRACT
The issue of gender and science education has been debated for over three decades. In the 1970s and 1980s the main concern was with females’ access, participation and achievement in science. In the 1990s the concern shifted to focus on male underachievement and the general decline in interest in science amongst pupils post-16. A frequently cited quote in writings about science learning is that of Ausubel:
‘If I had to reduce all of educational psychology to just one principle, I would say this: The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him (sic) accordingly’
(Ausubel 1968: iv)