Abstract

This article reports on a study into students’ attitudes to practical work. The findings suggest that students’ attitudes differ according to their age and the particular science where the practical work is conducted. The implication is that teachers should be more aware of how students’ attitudes to practical work change as lessons move further away from a focus on the enjoyment of science towards one that is examination-orientated. Simply doing the same amount of, and adopting the same approach to, practical work is unlikely to foster positive student attitudes towards practical work in all three sciences.