Abstract:

Subject selection for the college entrance examination is one of the core elements of the new college entrance examination reform. Most of the existing studies on subject selection for the college entrance examination focus on individual and family background influences, neglecting the consideration of science education at the school level. Based on the STEM pipeline theory and structural equation modeling, this study, after analyzing the survey data on science education in general secondary schools in seven provinces and cities across China, found that activity courses and science and technology competitions had a facilitating effect on students’ choice of physics combination subjects, while statistical surveys showed a hindering effect; however, the effects of theme class meetings and extracurricular activities on students’ subject choice were not obvious; at the same time, the activity courses had a significant impact on students’ choice of subjects by increasing their knowledge of science-related content, career awareness, and access to resources, thereby facilitating students’ choice of physics subject combinations. Science and technology competitions, on the other hand, increased the likelihood of students choosing physics subject combinations by increasing early exposure and career awareness. In contrast, statistical surveys decreased the likelihood of choosing a physics subject combination by decreasing the level of career awareness and access to resources. Furthermore, the negative impacts of statistical surveys were mainly found in county high schools, while the positive impacts were found for students in urban high schools.

Key words: high school science education, advanced placement subject selection, urban high schools, county high schools, STEM pipeline theory