Dr Johanna Nieuwoudt

Students' attitudes towards science and time management may contribute towards academic success within science subjects. Possible relationships between the attitudes and time management skills of students and final grades achieved in an enabling science subject were investigated using the My Attitudes Toward Science (MATS) instrument and the time and study environment subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Results suggest academic success may not be related to a positive attitude toward science nor good time management, as no significant relationships were found between students' final grades and any subscales. Interpretations of results are limited by a small sample size and apparent unreliability of MATS subscales. Greater insight into factors influencing academic success in science subjects could be obtained using more reliable survey instruments in conjunction with targeted focus groups.