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RESEARCH PAPER
Interest of middle school students toward life and earth sciences
1
Laboratory of Computer Science, Signals, Automation, and Cognitivism, Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, MOROCCO
Online publication date: 2024-06-18
Publication date: 2024-07-01
EURASIA J. Math., Sci Tech. Ed 2024;20(7):em2470
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Despite the importance accorded to life and earth sciences (LES) in the Moroccan curriculum, the
unsatisfactory results achieved by middle school students in assessments are a cause for concern.
Exploring their interest in this school subject seems essential, given its importance in stimulating
their learning and success. Thus, this study aims to examine the interest of students in LES and
the effect of gender, and grades obtained in LES on their interest to this school subject. The
researchers used a questionnaire for data collection. Factor structure analysis revealed a 19-item
questionnaire distributed into four dimensions: feeling, value, knowledge, and re-engagement.
This questionnaire was administered to a sample of 970 Moroccan students in the third year of
middle school. The results show that these students had a positive but low interest in LES. The
participants demonstrated moderate levels of feeling, value, and knowledge associated with this
school subject, but their re-engagement with it was low. In addition, the results reveal significant
differences in interest in LES and its dimensions in favor of females and students with high grades.
In conclusion, this study suggests the need to adopt appropriate measures to enhance Moroccan
students’ interest in LES.
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