Why students’ interest in science declined? On Focus Group of Japanese Undergraduate Students

Students ’ declining interest in science is internationally problematic, especially in developed countries. Despite efforts aimed at making science appealing to students, this problem persists. There is a shortage of studies that have applied fine-grained qualitative methods to examine how Japanese students’ views have shifted toward a dislike of science. This qualitative study aimed at elucidating how and why undergraduate students in Japan experienced disliking science during their lives. A total of 22 freshman and sophomore students attending a Japanese public university described how their dislike of science came about within small focus group discussions (3–4 participants per group). Data sources comprised participants ’ interview data and written papers about life events associated with their attitudes toward science. A grounded theory approach was applied for coding the qualitative data. The analysis revealed 14 sub-categories under the following six categories: comprehension, hands-on activity, teacher and teaching, autonomy of learning, perceived relevance of science, and engagement. The study’s findings demonstrated inter-relations among the sub-categories that influenced students’ attitudes toward school science. The results emphasized the practical importance of hands-on activities for fostering students ’ understanding of abstract scientific concepts and the influence of teachers ’ personalities in shaping students ’ attitudes toward school science. The dynamics among these factors require further exploration to advance understanding of such complex attitudinal changes toward science.