This thesis presents a set of models of enrolment behaviour in senior secondary science courses in New South Wales (Australia) schools. The models have been developed out of concerns about declining enrolments and continued sex differences in enrolments in these courses. They use the framework of the Science enrolment Model (SEM), a framework which uses an expectancy/value approach to examine the relationships between the various influences and their combined effect on enrolment behaviour. The SEM was constructed by fitting the factors which have been shown to influence enrolment behaviour in the sciences to the structure of the General Model of Academic Choice, a model of achievement related behaviour developed by Eccles and colleagues. Models were constructed for enrolment behaviour in three specialist science courses; Biology, Chemistry and Physics and two non-specialist science courses; General Science and Science for Life. These five courses account for 97 percent of enrolments in senior secondary science in New South Wales. Measures of enrolment intentions were predicted by, measures of interest, perceived career value, TER value (value as a means gaining university entrance) and a combined measure of self-concept and performance expectations. These constructs were, in turn, predicted by measures of perceptions of parent and teacher attitudes, perceptions of past performance, attributions for past performance and personality measures. The enrolment models explained between 60% and 70% of the variance in enrolment intentions in the specialist science subjects. 'Career value' was found to be a major influence on enrolment behaviour in all five subjects. The expectancy and value variables explained approximately 80 percent of the sex difference in enrolment intentions in the specialist science subjects. Career considerations accounted for between 30 percent and 50 percent of this difference / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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La ricerca presentata si inserisce nell'ambito dell'orientamento universitario quale studio di nuove metodologie in tema di orientamento richieste dalla riforma universitaria (a partire dalla Legge delega 127 del 1997). Con il nuovo sistema universitario, l'orientamento acquista un rilievo di primo piano, infatti, il D.M. 509/99, in attuazione alla delega (Legge 127/97), include l'orientamento tra le attività formative che devono essere obbligatoriamente previste nei regolamenti didattici d'ateneo. Il suddetto scenario ha motivato la presente ricerca tale da prevedere all'interno dell'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano un intervento di accoglienza orientativa anticipata ed integrata che si inserisce nelle attività insite nei Progetti ponte con l'obiettivo di sostenere le nuove matricole alla presa di decisione orientativa, per accogliere adeguatamente gli studenti in università e favorirne l'inserimento nel nuovo contesto di studi. Si tratta, pertanto, di una ricerca applicata con la finalità di valutare il servizio di accoglienza erogato. Questa riflessione su nuove metodologie di azione orientativa ha delineato nuove collaborazioni del CROSS (Centro di Ricerche sull'Orientamento Scolastico-professionale e sullo Sviluppo delle organizzazioni dell'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano) sia con i servizi alla persona interni all'università sia con enti esterni al fine di garantire servizi orientativi adeguati ai bisogni della persona. / The introduced search becomes part in the University Guideline which study of new methodologies in topic of guideline demanded from the University Reform (the Law delegation 127 of 1997). With the new university system, the guideline acquires an important relief, as a matter of fact, the D.M. 509/99, in performance to the law 127/97, includes the guideline between the formative activities that must obligatorily be previewed in the didactic regulations of athenaeum. The aforesaid scene has motivated the present such search to inside preview of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano as an participation of orientativa acceptance anticipated and integrated that becomes part in the activities inborn in the Progetti ponte to support the new matriculations to the taken one of orientativa decision, in order to receive adequately the students in university and to favor of the insertion in the new context of studies. This is, therefore, a search applied with the purpose to estimate the distributed service of acceptance. This reflection on new methodologies of orientativa action has delineated new collaborations of the CROSS (Centro di Ricerche sull'Orientamento Scolastico-professionale e sullo Sviluppo delle organizzazioni dell'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano) with the inner services to the person to this university and with external agencies to the aim to guarantee services oriented adapts to the needs of the person.