A new study shows that the number of students in Europe who choose to study science is influenced by how schools and teachers shape their attitudes.
The findings come from the EU-supported POLLEN project, which is led by Professor Tina Jarvis of the School of Education at the University of Leicester in England.
The two-year study examined how science and technology ideas develop in the minds of young children. It showed a clear link between the types of teacher and the rate of development of pupils’ understanding of science as well as their attitudes.
The study also found that the schools’ and teachers’ attitudes to science play a huge role in the career choice students make.
“There is a concern about the declining numbers of pupils choosing to study science in Europe,” Professor Jarvis says.
“There is evidence that the decline in attitudes to science starts in the primary school and is particularly noticeable for girls.”
She says it is vital that EU member states “educate the potential scientists of the future, as well as the citizens, to engage with socio-scientific issues”.
Learn more
Visit POLLEN’s website
