Finally, personal interest in science has been shown to relate to interest in science
class. In a longitudinal study of students’ leisure-time activities, Simpkins, Davis-
Kean, and Eccles (2006) found that students’ participation in math- and sciencerelated
activities (e.g. playing math games, going to a museum, and reading books
about science) in grade 5 predict their interest in high-school science as measured
by their enrolment in science courses. Furthermore, a study of adolescents participating
in a summer science programme showed that situational interest was positively
related to students’ individual science interest (Linnenbrink-Garcia, Patall, &Messersmith,
2012). In this study, we use engagement in leisure-time activities that involve
science (e.g. reading about science, visiting a science centre, etc.) to measure students’
personal interest in science.