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Issue 62 (WAIS 2) Contents |
Encouraging Girls at School in
Science
Marian
Heard
Education and Public Awareness Manager
Australian Academy of Science
The question ‘What can women scientists and educators do to encourage girls at school in science?’ appears fairly straightforward. However, the underlying issues are complex and not all are gender related. As scientists and educators our first priority must be to achieve a high quality science education for all students, boys and girls, in Australian schools. How do we achieve this? There are many factors to consider but over-whelmingly the research in Australia and overseas indicates that the single most important factor in improving student achievement in, and enjoyment of, their schooling is the presence in the classroom of an effective teacher. This outweighs all other factors including school effects and socio-economic factors. How we attract and retain effective teachers in science and mathematics is currently the subject of a review by the Federal Government and we await the findings with interest.
The DETYA commissioned report by Goodrum, Hackling and Rennie, The status and quality of teaching and learning of science in Australian schools, March 2001, gives a comprehensive overview of what is happening in science education in Australian schools.
The report indicates that where science is taught in primary schools, it is generally taught well and students enjoy it. Unfortunately, it is not widely taught, largely because teachers lack confidence, generally have no support staff or resources and have many competing demands from across the key learning areas that they are required to cover. The challenge at primary school level is to encourage more science to be taught. Strategies to support this include:
• Australian Academy of Science’s Primary Investigations
• CSIRO’s Double Helix Science Club, including The Helix and Scientific magazines
• Primary CREST Awards
• BHP Billiton Science Awards
• Local science fairs/competitions/community science programs
The enjoyment that students, both boys and girls, have for science in primary school declines during their secondary school years. Assessment starts to play an important role and alters the education landscape. The challenge at secondary school level is how to make science more interesting and relevant for students.
The question of gender in science, whilst not unimportant in primary school, becomes more explicit in secondary school and in particular senior secondary school, because students choose their subjects. We start to see whether we have been successful in ‘turning them on’ to science.
There are two aspects to consider. Firstly, have they had positive experiences with science up to that point, encouraging them to choose science because they enjoy it? And secondly, do they see a future for themselves in science, encouraging them to choose it because they are aware to some extent where it will lead them?
At senior secondary level we have two areas for concern – declining enrolments in science and the small percentage of girls studying a physical science subject.
It would appear that students see the traditional subjects of mathematics, physics and chemistry as irrelevant and unnecessary in today’s world. We need to signal to students that those trained in chemistry, physics or mathematics are in short supply and are vitally needed for the future economic, social and environmental well being of their country and indeed the world. In addition, we need to convey that these subjects lead into the new and exciting areas of science and technology such as nanoscience, genomics and bioinformatics.
Girls in particular need reassurance that science does not involve working alone in an isolated laboratory and that science careers can make a difference to peoples’ lives. They need to see the relevance of what they are studying to the outside world. They also prefer hands-on experiences. An effective way to achieve these goals is for girls to participate in independent research projects such as:
• CSIRO’s CREST program
•CSIRO’s Student Research Scheme
•BHP Billiton Science Awards
Some other specific activities and strategies to help attract girls into science include:
•National Youth Science Forum
•Rio Tinto Science Olympiads
•Inviting women scientists in to the school to talk about ‘How they got to be where they are’ and careers in science
•Having teachers attend Science at the Shine Dome – the Australian Academy of Science’s teacher professional development program
• Video interviews with Australian scientists – both older, eminent scientists and young researchers. Transcripts of the interviews and teachers notes are available on the Australian Academy of Science’s website at www.science.org.au/scientists.
• Visiting labs with students
• Accessing university websites
• Participating in university forums and career days
• Having girls develop their own website
about opportunities and issues for girls in
science – see the example from St Leonard’s College
at
http://sciencegirls.stleonards.vic.edu.au
There is cause for concern about science education in Australia. We urgently need to attract and retain high quality teachers. To do this will require a concerted effort to raise the value of the teaching profession in the community, improve conditions in schools and provide attractive career pathways, including effective professional development, for teachers.
Australia cannot afford to fall behind in its scientific research effort. We must maintain our skill base, particularly in the enabling sciences, in order to address challenges, such as those facing the environment, that put our future at risk, and to maintain and improve our standard of living and quality of life.
We need a balance of genders contributing to our research effort and there is still much to be done in encouraging girls to take up careers in science. I hope this article has provided some strategies towards this.