Characterising high school students’ interest trajectory profiles

Students’ declining interest in science has become a significant concern. We approached this problem from multiple interests perspective. This study aimed to classify high school senior students’ interest trajectory profiles and extract the characteristics of each profile. 653 students in Japan answered online questionnaires with two-month interval about their interest in STEM, Humanities and Social Science (HSS), and non-academic subjects. We also collected data on self-efficacy and growth mindset. Latent Growth Curve Modelling revealed an overall decline in students’ interest across these three areas of interest. Latent Growth Class Analysis revealed seven interest trajectory profiles. ANOVA tests showed no self-efficacy variations across profiles but found lower growth mindsets in the favourable profile characterised by its high and sustained interest across all categories. Our findings suggest that the observed decrease in STEM interest was not associated with an increase in interest in other areas. In other words, during the survey period, there seems no indication of a competitive relationship between the interest in STEM and the other areas, as increases in interest were absent across these three areas of interests. Additionally, the finding suggests two implications for developing the multiple interests perspective: narrowing or expanding its scope.