Secondary Student Perceptions of Factors Effecting Failure in Science in Portugal

Jesuína M. B. Fonseca; Joseph E. Conboy

doi:10.12973/ejmste/75455

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Jesuína M. B. Fonseca ¹ ² ^* , Joseph E. Conboy ³ ⁴

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¹ University of the Algarve² Centre for Educational Research, Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon, Portugal³ Instituto Superior Dom Afonso III, Loulé, Portugal⁴ Center for Education-Society Studies, Loulé, Portugal^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

High rates of failure in secondary level science classes are a problem worldwide. Effective teaching and efficient management of schools requires information as to the causes of failure. One approach to acquiring this information is to improve our understanding of what the students themselves perceive as the causes and antecedents of school failure. In this article, we analyze the perceptions of the factors of academic failure among grade-ten, science-tracked students. Students from eight schools in southern Portugal (N=346) participated in the study. The major factors of failure in 10th grade science courses, according to students, are quality of teaching and previous student preparation. One third of the students did not think that secondary science education prepared them for life in a scientific-technological society. A culture of high expectancy on the part of teachers, parents and administrators may be key to influencing rates of success.

Keywords

failure
management practices
secondary science
student perceptions
teaching

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2006, Volume 2, Issue 2, 82-95

https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75455

Publication date: 23 Jun 2006

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Article Downloads: 3113

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How to cite this article

APA

Fonseca, J. M. B., & Conboy, J. E. (2006). Secondary Student Perceptions of Factors Effecting Failure in Science in Portugal. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2(2), 82-95. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75455

Vancouver

Fonseca JMB, Conboy JE. Secondary Student Perceptions of Factors Effecting Failure in Science in Portugal. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2006;2(2):82-95. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75455

AMA

Fonseca JMB, Conboy JE. Secondary Student Perceptions of Factors Effecting Failure in Science in Portugal. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2006;2(2), 82-95. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75455

Chicago

Fonseca, Jesuína M. B., and Joseph E. Conboy. "Secondary Student Perceptions of Factors Effecting Failure in Science in Portugal". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2006 2 no. 2 (2006): 82-95. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75455

Harvard

Fonseca, J. M. B., and Conboy, J. E. (2006). Secondary Student Perceptions of Factors Effecting Failure in Science in Portugal. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2(2), pp. 82-95. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75455

MLA

Fonseca, Jesuína M. B. et al. "Secondary Student Perceptions of Factors Effecting Failure in Science in Portugal". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 2, no. 2, 2006, pp. 82-95. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75455