In particular, the students in this study all have upper-secondary science studies as their educational background.
Despite the prevalent, demonstrated tendency for female students to avoid upper secondary school science, these females were successfully studying physics in schools with established success in science generally, and physics particularly.
Over the past decade, several studies have investigated student decisions to enrol in advanced, upper secondary school science.
Thus, prompted by studies that investigated student views about future enrolment in upper secondary school science, and the continuing low enrolment of females in physics and advanced mathematics, our research investigated the views and experiences of female students currently taking secondary school physics.
The participants described what they liked about science, past experiences that may have prompted their engagement in science and any influences for them to choose science in upper secondary school, and specifically to study physics.
Currently Malaysian schools are facing difficulties in encouraging student to take up science in upper secondary.
Systematic analysis of the interview data confirms that the influences on these females' choices to stay engaged in science, and to study physics at upper secondary comprise a combination of their school's science culture, their teachers, family, the participants themselves and their peers.
The interviews highlighted the idiographic complexities in understanding the wide range of important influences on these students studying physics at upper secondary school and their engagement in science.
In 1999, the Sonate project (coherent education in science and technology) started to monitor good practice in the field of coherent teaching in lower secondary and in the science stream of upper secondary (Geraedts et al. [2001]).
In summary, previous research about female preferences, participation, and performance in science and mathematics in upper secondary school reveals a complex picture.
What do female students describe as important influences or experiences in generating and sustaining their interest and engagement in science, particularly represented by studying upper secondary physics?
