The Cult of Scientists?
Science dull and hard, pupils say (via BBC):
Some 51% of teenagers think science lessons are boring, confusing or difficult, a survey suggests. Figures from the OCR exam board, which interviewed 950 children aged 13 to 16 in England, showed 7% thought people working in the area are “cool”.
No information, though, on whether these teenagers find other subjects any less boring, confusing or difficult. (And, after all, it’s school, not a trip to the amusement arcade.) Only 7% thought scientists were cool. So? Are all scientists definition cool? Should they be? Maybe if they’d asked the teenagers a more sensible question (a more scientific one?) they might have got a more meaningful answer.
Clara Kenyon, director of general assessment at OCR, said: “The results go to show the growing apathy in today’s students about science and their ignorance of modern day achievements. It is startling that no students named those responsible for recent scientific advances, for example, Ian Wilmut who cloned Dolly the sheep or Professor Colin Pillinger who headed the Beagle 2 space probe to Mars project.”
Again, why should teenagers be familiar with these personalities? Many, I am sure, would be familiar with the general stories behind Dolly the sheep or Beagle 2 (though it might be argued that neither was much to write home about!) - does it matter if they can’t recall the names of the chief investigators? Would we be concerned if they couldn’t name some high profile geographers, historians or mathemeticians? I don’t think so.
So what was the point of this unscientific survey of science?
OCR is launching a different type of science GCSE from next year, which it says will encourage more involvement with modern topics such as cloning or mobile phone technology.
Ah, I see…
June 28th, 2005 at 3:47 pm
They might as well have asked a more general question like “Do you find school boring?” it would have met with a very similar response.
In fact ask any teenager about their feelings on any subject and you will be met with the same response, then ask their mates to ask them something altogether different and they will be bouncing like bunnies on a carrot hill.
June 29th, 2005 at 1:32 pm
Seeing as how a mere 16% said they would not choose science, pupils are not finding it all that difficult or confusing. Updating the curriculum is no bad thing, but I would draw the line at crazy frog ringtones