Study of Knowledge, Motivation and Preference on Chemistry Learning among Gifted and Talented Students’

STEM education is an area of great interest in Malaysia. However, learning STEM subject, focusing on chemistry at a younger age is a challenge among most of secondary school students. Thus, this study aims to investigate gifted and talented students’ knowledge and motivation toward learning chemistry, besides their preferred choice of learning. A total of 71 gifted and talented students taking chemistry at the age of 12 to 13 years old at a high school, were involved in this study. In this study, a survey questionnaire was used, as well as the Attitude toward Chemistry Lesson Scale and Glynn's Motivation Model. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21 was used to analyze the collected data, which included descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that students perceived chemistry to be important in many aspects of daily life. There was no substantial difference in the mean of male and female students' knowledge and motivation toward chemistry learning scores. The study's findings also show a moderately positive correlation between students' knowledge and career motivation, with the highest correlation value. This paper can help educators improve their students' knowledge and motivation for chemistry learning. As a result, educators' roles in bringing about changes in knowledge and motivation toward chemistry teaching and learning processes are critical.