Experiences, Attitudes and Motivations for Excellence

Having looked at individual and school characteristics of top performers in science, this chapter turns to the analysis of student experiences, attitudes and motivations. It investigates differences among performance groups and identifies what characterises top performers in science. The chapter is divided into four sections: The first describes student experiences with science teaching and learning as they relate to top performance the second analyses the motivations of top performing students the third reviews the aspirations of top performers in science for a future career in science and the fourth and final section analyses a particular group of top performers in science, those relatively unmotivated. 