John De Laeter and John Dekkers
During the past half century, the post-industrial revolution has irrevocably altered the Western world. Unfortunately Australia has become more of an end-user of technology rather than a developer, and has become increasingly dependent on overseas technological advances.
A most influential report by Hawke and Jones (1989) on the status of science and technology in Australia recognised that science and its applications have a central role to play in retaining Australia's position as an advanced technological society. The position paper was concerned with the inability of Australian society to adapt its educational, political, industrial and commercial systems to an increasingly competitive world in which modem communication systems have reduced us to a global village. The paper took the position that the community's awareness of the importance of science and technology had to be improved, so that their essential role in terms of international competitiveness, social change, and the impact these changes have on cultural attitudes, could be understood.
The paper was based in part on a report by Smith (1989) that highlighted the urgent need to change attitudes to science and technology research, and research careers, if more school leavers were to be attracted to target areas in higher education. The report concentrated on upper secondary school level science and mathematics, and argued that in order to achieve the above objectives, the status of the teaching profession should be improved and that science education programs should be strengthened.
This article reviews the significant changes that have occurred in science education since 1989 as reflected in enrolment trends in the various science subjects at the upper secondary level.
At the upper secondary level (Years 11-12) the study of science is not compulsory. At this level, science is taught as a Public Examination Subject (PES) or as a School-Assessed Subject (SAS). The majority of students at Year 12 study PES subjects that enable them to meet entry requirements and/or selection criteria for tertiary courses at universities. The syllabi for the various PES science subjects bear a strong similarity from state to state, although there are no approved curricula at this time. School-assessed science subjects are designed for students who do not intend to pursue university study, and these subjects are not as academically demanding as PES.
In order to understand the changes that have occurred in upper secondary school science enrolments, it is necessary to examine the changes that have occurred in the student population. In 1970 only 30% of Year 8 students remained to Year 12. Most of the students at Year 12 intended to study a tertiary course and had the ability to do so. By 1980 the retention rate from Year 8 to Year 12 had risen slightly to 35%, but an important change had occurred to the composition of the Year 12 student cohort. Prior to 1976 the male retention had always exeeded the female rate, but from 1976 to 1995 the reverse situation was the norm.
After the small increase in retention from 1976 to 1982 there was a rapid increase in retention until 1992, when the total retention rate was 76.4%, a more than twofold increase over that 10 year period (Fig. 1). The retention rate has subsequently decreased, so that in 1995 the figure is 72% with 77.7% of females and 66.6% of males remaining to Year 12. Thus, over the last 25 years the increase in retention has been a factor of 2.4, with 172,357 students enrolled in Year 12 in 1995 as compared to 65,278 in 1970. Furthermore, the number of females (90,606) was larger than the number of males (81,751) in 1995.
There has therefore been a significent diversification in the Year 12 student cohort since 1970, with a much larger spectrum of academic ability and interests comprising the present day cohort than in 1970. This diversification has led to a number of changes in the science subjects available to students. Traditionally, the only science subjects available at the upper secondary level were the discipline-oriented PES subjects Biology, Chemistry, Geology and Physics.
However, in 1970 Western Australia offered a PES subject entitled Human Biology (an altemative to the Web of Life-based Biology), and then in 1979 Western Australia introduced Physical Science, which was an integrated chemistry/physics subject. In 1980 Queensland introduced General Science, which integated all the traditional science disciplines into a single subject. Other Altemative Science subjects such as Environmental Science and Agriculture followed, together with a number of specialist subjects in the ACT. In 1995 the total enrollment in these Altemative Science subjects almost equalled the number of students enrolled in Physics.
It should be emphasised that these Altemative Science subjects are genuine PES and qualify as pre-requisites for certain tertiary courses. In recent years other states have offered some of these Altemative Science subjects, so that General Science is now offered in Queensland (since 1980), NSW (1981), the ACT (1983) and Victoria (1991).
Another effect of the diversification of the Year 12 student cohort has been the introduction of School-Assessed Subjects. These SAS were first introduced in 1985, but are now available in every state and teritory, although their popularity varies widely. For example, in 1995, only 1.75% of the total enrolments in science in NSW were in SAS, whereas in Tasmania the proportion was 40.3%. Across Australia, there were approximately 10,500 enrolments in SAS science subjects in 1995, representing 6.6% of the total science enrolments in that particular year.
The proportion of secondary school students enrolled in PES science subjects as compared to the total number of Year 12 students has been declining over a period of many years (Dekkers et al. 1991). In 1987, the number of PES science enrolments (137,093) dipped below the number of Year 12 students (142,107) for the first time (Fig. 2). It must be emphasised that the PES science enrolment data includes all PES science subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics and all Alternative Science subjects), and that many students take more than one science subject at the PES level. Since 1987, the difference between the two data sets has widened so that in 1995, the number of PES science enrolments was approximately 150,000 compared to the Year 12 student enrolment of 172,357.
The enrolment trends for these PES science subjects are shown in Figure 1. Biology has the largest number of Year 12 enrolments, and the number of students increased progressively from 1982 to 1992 when the enrolments peaked at 68,179. The enrolments have subsequently declined by 22.9% over the period 1992-1995. The proportion of females enrolled in Biology over the past decade has averaged 64.2%, there being no great variation in this proportion over that period of time.
The trends in the Chemistry and Physics enrolments are very similiar, both having progressively increased since 1976, and both reaching a peak in 1992. Subsequently, enrolments have declined in both subjects between 1992 and 1995 to 17.4% for Chemistry and 21.5% for Physics. Traditionally, many students study both Chemistry and Physics at the PES level so that the similarity in these trends is not surprising.
The major difference between the two subjects is gender balance. The average proportion of females studying Chemistry over the past decade has been 43.5% compared with 28.0% for Physics. This is a major factor in the difference between Physics and Chemistry in that the latter has, on average, approximately 5000 more students than Physics. It is also of interest to note that the proportion of females studying Chemistry has increased from 39.4% to 47.6% over the past decade. The comparable proportions for Physics are 25.8% in 1986 to 28.8% in 1995.
The enrolment trend for the fourth discipline-oriented PES subject, Geology, does not follow the enrolment trends of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Rather the enrolment trend for Geology shows a continual decline, from a peak of 4,561 students in 1977 (Dekkers et al.1991) to a low of 1,263 students in 1995. This represents a 3.5-fold decline in enrolments since 1977. Geology can no longer be regarded as a 'major' subject at the PES level and there is every likelihood that it may disappear as a separate subject in at least some states in the near future. Many schools do not offer Geology because of difficulties involved in acquiring adequately trained teachers and facilities. Geology also suffers from the disadvantage that it is not a particularly useful subject for matriculation purposes.
The PES subjects that comprise Altemative Science (Agriculture, Environmental Science, General Science, Physical Science, Marine Science, Science for Life, Food Technology and Health Science), have enjoyed increasing enrolments since 1980. In that year only 1,481 students were enrolled in these subjects; but in 1995 the number had increased to 28,453. The most popular of these subjects is General Science with an enrolment of 10,002 in 1995.
Altemative Science enrolments are likely to continue to increase as more states offer these subjects. In the early 1980s the proportion of females enrolled in Altemative Science subjects was approximately 50%, but in the early 1990s the proportion had dropped to approximately 42%, and these proportions are similiar for the various Altemative Science subjects.
The most significiant features of the changes in the secondary school population have been the growth and changing'gender composition of the Year 12 population. Since 1970 the Year 12 population has increased by a factor of 2.6 and over 70% of the Year 8 students are currently remaining until Year 12. Furthermore, compared with the 1970s the present Year 12 student body now represents a wider range of abilities and aspirations than previously. In 1995 females outnumbered males by approximately 9000 in a total Year 12 population of 172,357.
It is apparent from the data presented in this paper that many upper secondary school students do not study a science subject, whether at the PES or SAS level. Furthermore, a declining proportion of the Year 12 cohort are opting to study a science subject, and this is particularly noticeable for PES science. In fact, quite significant decreases have occurred since 1992 in PES science subject enrolments, particularly in the discipline-oriented Biology, Chemistry, Geology and Physics subjects. If this continues, then it has quite serious implications for Australia's technological future. Some of the reasons for the disenchantment of young people in studying PES science have been discussed by Dekkers et al. (1992).
At a time when there is a growing realisation of Australia's dependence on overseas technology and the recognition of the importance of introducing new technology into the workforce, the signal from secondary school science enrolment data is that a rapidly decreasing proportion of students are preparing themselves for careers in engineering, science and technology. There is also some evidence from University enrolment statistics that the quality of young people entering these courses is not as high as in the past, at least as measured by tertiary entrance examination scores.
In 1992, Peter McGauran, who at that time was Federal Opposition Spokesman on Science and Technology, argued that the decline in the number of students studying Geology in secondary schools would rob the mining industry of core skills necessary to boost production, and allow for an expansion in the resources sector. Certainly the situation has deteriorated since that time.
The twin goals of science education are to develop student confidence in dealing with issues in science and technology (including curiosity, attitudes and problem-solving skills) in order to prepare them for their future responsibility as citizens, and to prepare a subset of these students for a career that utilises the scientific knowledge gained through their secondary schooling. The indications are that public awareness of science and technology is improving (Woolcott Research Pty Ltd 1995), but that upper secondary school students are opting out of PES science subjects and hence reducing the pool of young people who have adequate credentials for a career in engineering, technology or science at the tertiary level. There are also strong indications that the more able students are opting for careers such as medicine and law, where there are more clearly defined career paths than in some of the technological professions.
Much has been achieved in recent years to improve the quality of curriculum materials, and it is doubtful if further work is warranted at this time. Curriculum reform alone is insuffcient to increase the pool of PES science enrolments. If a greater proportion of upper secondary school students is to be attracted to prepare themselves for scientific and technological careers, then a concerted effort must be made at the State and National levels by the educational authorities, but more particularly by the engineering and scientific professional societies. It will be interesting to observe what effect the new three-tiered HECS fee structure will have on engineering, science and technology enrolments in the immediate future.
The authors would like to thank the educational authorities from the various states and territories who provided the data on which this article is based.
Dekkers, J., De Laeter, J.R. and Malone, J.A. (1992) 'Enrolment Trends in Australian School Science and Mathematics", Search, 23, 71-74.
Dekkers, J., De Laeter, J.R. and Malone, J.A. (1991) Science and Mathematics Enrolment Patterns in Australia, 1970-1989. Curtin University of Technology, Perth.
Hawke, R.J.L, and Jones, B.O. (1989) Science and Technology for Australia, Australian Govemment Printing Service, Canberra.
Smith, R.H.T. (1989) Higher Education Research Policy: A Summary Report. National Board of Employment, Education and Training, Canberra.
Woolcott Research Pty. Ltd. (1995) Strategy Development Study: An Evaluation of Changes in the Understanding of and Attitudes to Science and Technology. Report to the Science and Technology Awareness Program, Department of Industry, Science and Technology, Canberra.
(John De Laeter is Professor of Physics at Curtin University of Technology. John Dekkers is Professor of Distance Education at Central Queensland University. This article is reprinted, with permission, from Search, the ANZAAS magazine, Vol. 27, No. 9, October 1996.)