Declining enrolments in senior secondary science have heightened concerns for meeting the demands for more STEM-qualified workers and a scientifically literate society. Students' attitudes to science are formed during schooling, particularly in adolescence when they are exposed to a variety of science topics. Students’ perceptions of their ability in science and their subjective task values are well established as predictors of their likelihood of engaging with and continuing their study of science. However, the role of classroom-based social support in supporting ability perceptions and task values is less well understood. In this study, we examined relationships between adolescents’ perceived classroom-based social support, task values, and self-efficacy, and how these perceptions and attitudes predicted adolescents’ intentions to study the three major science subjects (biology, chemistry, and physics) in senior high school. Participants were 475 adolescents in Grades 8 to 10 recruited from six schools in Sydney, Australia. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypothesised model in which social support from science teachers and peers predicted intended science subject selections through science self-efficacy, intrinsic valuing of science, and utility value of science. Results indicate that science teacher and peer support were not directly related to adolescents’ intentions to study senior science subjects. Instead, they were indirectly related via their positive relationship with science self-efficacy and task values. Utility value was the strongest predictor of adolescents’ intentions to study biology, chemistry, and physics, while self-efficacy and intrinsic value also predicted adolescents’ intentions to study chemistry. These results suggest that classroom-based social supports are important for supporting adolescents’ attitudes towards science, and that science utility value interventions may be useful in efforts to improve enrolments in senior science subjects.

高中科学入学人数的下降加剧了人们对满足更多 STEM 合格工作者和具有科学素养的社会的需求的担忧。学生对科学的态度是在学校教育期间形成的，特别是在青少年时期，当他们接触各种科学主题时。学生对其科学能力和主观任务价值观的看法已被确定为他们参与和继续科学研究的可能性的预测因素。然而，基于课堂的社会支持在支持能力认知和任务价值观方面的作用尚不清楚。在这项研究中，我们研究了青少年感知到的基于课堂的社会支持、任务价值观和自我效能之间的关系，以及这些感知和态度如何预测青少年学习三大科学科目（生物、化学和物理）的意图在高中。参与者是从澳大利亚悉尼的六所学校招募的 475 名 8 至 10 年级青少年。采用结构方程模型来检验假设模型，其中科学教师和同伴的社会支持通过科学自我效能、科学的内在价值和科学的实用价值来预测预期的科学科目选择。结果表明，科学教师和同伴支持与青少年学习高级科学科目的意图没有直接关系。相反，它们通过与科学自我效能感和任务价值观的积极关系而间接相关。实用价值是青少年学习生物、化学和物理意图的最强预测因素，而自我效能和内在价值也预测青少年学习化学的意图。这些结果表明，基于课堂的社会支持对于支持青少年对科学的态度非常重要，科学效用价值干预措施可能有助于提高高中科学科目的入学率。