Dimensions Underlying Student Preferences in Science Education: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

Amid low enrollment rates in science education programs at Rizal Technological University, understanding the motivational drivers behind students' choices became a critical concern. This study aimed to develop and validate a scale to measure students' motivations for selecting Science Education as a career path, particularly within the teacher education programs. Grounded in qualitative thematic analysis of interviews with preservice science education students, an initial item pool was generated, capturing themes such as intrinsic passion, cognitive value, familial influence, and social encouragement. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), a three-factor structure emerged, Intrinsic and Familial Motivation for Teaching Science, Cognitive-Value Orientation Toward Science and Teaching, and Social Influences and Teacher-Inspired Motivation, explaining 57.5% of the variance. Reliability analysis yielded high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.942; McDonald's omega = 0.946), indicating a robust scale. This validated instrument provides a context-specific tool for understanding student motivation, offering actionable insights for improving recruitment, retention, and targeted support for future science educators.