Diversity and Equity in Science Education: Mind the Gap

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Diversity and Equity in Science Education Mind
the Gap?
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Take up of Science Post-16 (UK)
Humanities
Mixed
Science Maths only
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Decline in Interest in Science

• Well documented
• Osborne, J. F., Simon, S., Collins, S. (2003).
  Attitudes towards Science A Review of the
  Literature and its Implications. International
  Journal of Science Education, 25(9), 1049?1079.
• Osborne, J. F., Collins, S. (2001). Pupils'
  views of the role and value of the science
  curriculum a focus-group study. International
  Journal of Science Education, 23(5), 441-468.
• Cerini, B., Murray, I., Reiss, M. (2003).
  Student Review of the Science Curriculum. London
  NESTA.
• International
• American Centres for Learning Teaching (Maths
  Science)
• Maths and Science Partnershps initiative
• Canadian CRYSTAL project
• DfES/Wellcome Science Learning Centres

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Why?

• Science is perceived as hard
• Tension between the needs of the science and the
  supply chain and educating the individuals for
  citizenship
• Former requires an authoritarian and dogmatic
  approach
• Latter requires more discursive space to teach
  about science and explore the implications
• Increasing diversity of choice post 16
• Live in an increasingly humanistic society
• Lack of intellectual rigour
• Poor careers vision held by teachers of science
• Alternative and better sources of information -
  the growth of th informal sector

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Cognitive Demand National Tests at Age 14
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Science in the Media
Study casts doubt on heart risk factors
Birds and bees love genetic crops
Air crew risk breast cancer
Climate change may be hitting water quality
Glass of wine halves chance of pregnancy
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• I find the sciences interesting, rich,
  cultivated, civilized, useful, passionately
  engaging and I cant understand how so many
  scientists comply in making them cold, stupid,
  uncouth, contradictory, antisocial, useless and
  boring

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The Most Important Scientific Discoveries
(Teachers n118)
DNA 27 Splitting the Atom 21 Silicon
Chip/Microchip 21 Space 19 Penicillin 18 P
lastics/Polymers 15 Genetic Engineering 14 Com
puters 13
The Stepping Stones of the Century
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The Most Important Scientific Discoveries
(Students n1018)
Personal Computers 39 TV 24 Laser
Technology 23 Space/Science Fiction 17 Video
16 Telephone 14 Motor Cars 7
The World around me
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Careers

• Munro, M., Elsom, D. (2000). Choosing Science
  at 16 The Influences of Science Teachers and
  Careers Advisors on Students? Decisions about
  Science Subjects and Science and Technology
  Careers. Cambridge Careers Research and Advisory
  Centre (CRAC).
• Hughes, G. (2000). Marginilization of
  Socioscientific Material in Science-Technology-Soc
  iety Curricula Some Implications for Gender
  Inclusivity and Curriculum Reform. Journal of
  Research in Science Teaching, 37(5), 426-440.
• Fielding, H. (1998). The Undesirable Choices?
  Unpublished Undergraduate, King's College London,
  London.

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Growth in Science Centres and Museums
Source Annual Directory of Association of
Science-Technology Centres
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Comparing learning - Informal v Formal Context
Based on Wellington, J (1990) Formal and
Informal learning in Science. The role of
interactive science centers Physics Education 25
(5) 247-252
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Formal v Informal Learning

• Defined Curriculum
• Necessary Pedagogy
• Required Assessment

• No Curriculum
• No defined pedagogy
• No Assessment

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What do museums offer?

• Opportunity to meet experts - scientists,
  curators, specialist education staff.

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What do museums offer?

• Opportunities for joint experimentation,
  observation and interaction.
• Opportunities for play leading to development of
  skills in observation and the experimentation of
  ideas.
• A chance for the role of teacher and student to
  alternate..

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Ethnic Diversity

• Research would suggest that in the UK - there is
  not a problem
• Ethnic minorities are not under but
  over-represented
• Not evenly spread
• Teacher recruitment is not a problem
• Evidence that teacher retention is
• Significance of role models is questionable
• Not a homogeneous group
• Involuntary minorities (African
  American/Afro-Caribbean)
• Voluntary Minorities (Asian)
• Autonomous Groups (Jewish)
• Evidence of Different Groups have different
  Discourses
• However others would suggest that this is
  essentially a problem of class/youth culture
• White working class are under-represented.

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Sources

• MODOOD, T. (1993) The number of ethic minority
  students in British higher education some
  grounds for optimism, Oxford Review of Education,
  19, pp. 167-182.
• MODOOD, T. (1998) Ethnic minorities drive for
  qualifications, in T. MODOOD T. ACLAND (Eds)
  Race and Higher Education experiences,
  challenges and policy implications (London,
  Policy Studies Institute)
• MODOOD, T. SHINER, M. (1994) Ethnic Minorities
  and Higher Education why are there differential
  rates of entry? (London, Policy Studies
  Institute).
• MODOOD, T., BERTHOUD, R., LAKEY, J., NAZROO, J.,
  SMITH, P., VIRDEE, S. BEISHON, S. (1997) Ethnic
  Minorities in Britain diversity and disadvantage
  (London, Policy Studies Institute).

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Gender

• Problem is one of the uptake of Physics,
  Mathematics and Engineering
• Reforms of the 1980s have had some effect -
  feminization of chemistry
• The problem is chronic

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What we might want to know

• What is the data on uptake?
• What do young women define as being a good
  career and why?
• Focus groups with different ethnic groupings to
  discover what they think about school
  science/science why
• Review of educational research in this country
  and the US on what we know and what has been
  done.
• Identifying and tracking ability
• What would be the impact of scholarships on post
  16 colleges
• Science Teachers and Ethnic Minority Populations