THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL VOCATION OF THE SECONDARY GIRLS AND THE SINGLE-SEX EDUCATION

Abstract

This study analyzes the effects of single-sex education or coeducation on the secondary female students’ scientific and technological vocation through a lineal regression model based on attitudinal factors related to science that embrace a wide set of variables on science image, environmental preservation, attitudes toward the school science, out-of-school experiences and future work expectations. The results show the high predictive power of the attitudinal variables towards the vocation and pick up the most significant predictors that influence the vocation; both parameters discriminate two vocational patterns for the two groups of girls coming from the two contrasted educational models. The didactic implications for the innovation of science education to contribute to the development of the women’s scientific vocations are discussed.