Significance of the research
This research is significant as it focusses on the period
that students make their final subject selection decision. It explores the factors
they consider and who or what influences their decision making. Past research
has revealed numerous factors that students consider in their subject selection
process, such as whether a subject is enjoyable, difficult, useful, and who
helped them form this judgment (Lyons & Quinn, 2010; Nolan, 2012; Warton
& Cooney, 1997; Whiteley & Porter, 2004). Research that asks students
about the decision-making they go through at the time they choose their
subjects has not been conducted. Consequently, the relative importance of the
factors that students consider in making their subject choice decisions is undocumented.
In summary, current strategies to increase enrolments in science are generally focused on correcting perceived inadequacies in science and the way it is taught. Marketing theory allowed the problem to be seen from a new perspective which does not assume there is a problem with science itself but that thorough analysis of modern students as ‘customers’ and the environment within which they choose their subjects revealed opportunities for promotion.
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