FACTORS MOTIVATING FEMALE STUDENTS FROM MASVINGO, ZIMBABWE - THE CHOICE OF TAKING NATURAL SCIENCES AT UNIVERSITY

Memory Mandiudza

Abstract


Although there is a demand for the requirement for natural sciences skills, to date, the connection between natural sciences subject choices and their impact on female students’ educational pathways has not been widely studied. Natural sciences include Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Geography. In this paper we therefore investigate the factors that motivate Zimbabwean female students to choose natural sciences at university. The main body of data for the research was generated through semi-structured interviews. The preliminary results reflect that there are three are the main factors that motivated female students in the sample to choose natural sciences programmes: (1) self-efficacy, ability (2) the influence of their female teachers, relatives, parents and friends (3) relevance of natural sciences. Hence these three factors promote the constitution of a natural science identity, which in turn motivates the choice of natural sciences as a career female amongst female students.

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female natural science students, Masvingo students, natural science identity

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v6i2.1001

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