In a recent NSTA Reports (March 2008, Vol. 19 No.7), a publication of the National Science Teachers Association. the lead article entitled “Steer Your Students to a Science Career” pointed out that science teachers try to inspire their students to careers in science, yet in a very recent major study, the ROSE study, carried out at the University of Oslo, it was found that very few students in industrialized nations are interested in following this path. In fact, except for students in developing nations, students are ambivalent about pursuing jobs in science and technology. Indeed, organizations such as NSTA have encouraged teachers to support science career education. Yet, as Glenn Fay, Jr., another author in the same publication, points out, this effort raises a lot of questions. And Fay goes on to suggest that educators need to pay attention to students’ motivations and interests, and their world.

In the ROSE Study, students from over 40 nations, were asked their opinions of various topics and issues related to science and technology, as well as school science. For instance, when these students were asked to indicate their degree of agreement with the following statement: I would like to become a scientist,” the agreement in developed nations is rather low and girls are even more reluctant than boys. Also notice that there are significant gaps between boys and girls in many nations.

Thanks to Svein Sjøberg at the University of Oslo for providing this graphic.

The ROSE study sheds light on a number of issues that contribute to students’ lack of interest in pursuing careers in science. However, contrary to what many people think, youth believe that science and technology are important for society. Students in all countries agree strongly that science and technology (S&T) are important for society, and that S&T are needed for development. Lack of interest in science has more to do with how students perceive science, and their experiences with school science. In the ROSE study, students in most countries express more skepticism towards science than adults do. When they are asked to compare science with other school subjects, students in industrialized countries rated science as less popular than other subjects, and in most countries, girls dislike science more than boys.

The ROSE researchers concluded that there is a strong relationship between the HDI (Human Development Index) for a country and responses in the ROSE questionnaire. They suggest that the higher the level of development of a country, the lower the interest in science and technology-related topics. So, students in Uganda and Bangladesh show more interest in learning about topics in science than students in more developed nations like Norway, and Japan.

In Western societies, students have tended not to choose traditional career opportunities in science (physicists, technicians and engineers), but have gravitated toward medicine, biology and environmental studies, and often girls outnumber boys. If we compare this view to the nature of the school science curriculum, we are led to conclude that there is a mismatch between the content emphases in the science curriculum, and the career aspirations of many students.

Do you think there is a mismatch between the content emphases in the current science curriculum, and the career aspirations of many students? Could this be the underlying cause of student disinterest in science, and the lack of success in science career programs?

Tomorrow, I’ll discuss two views of the science curriculum, and explore how students relate to these two views, and how it might contribute to students’ attitudes toward science.