COLLEGE SCIENCE MAJORS PERCEPTIONS OF SECONDARY-SCHOOL SCIENCE - AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION

This investigation collected and analyzed the perceptions of 45 college science majors regarding their formal science experiences in junior high and high school. Data were gathered using a 72-item survey developed by the author and distributed through subjects' college classes. Analysis included a comparison of subjects' responses with the perceptions of young adults not attending college. Results suggested that college science majors (a) generally hold science in higher regard than do noncollegiate young adults, (b) preferred science teachers who were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, friendly, inspirational, and "fun," and (c) favored science classes that offered laboratory work, teacher demonstrations, projects, and audiovisual materials. Discrepancics were discovered, however, between subjects' preferences and their recollected experiences in science classrooms, especially at the junior high level.