Boring science
Terry Lyons from the University of New England, Australia has looked at studies of secondary students' attitudes towards science to find out what makes school science boring.
Each of the studies was prompted by declining applications to university science degree courses. The data from each country were gathered through student interviews, which covered the same issues and were done with comparable groups of students.
Lyons' analysis of the data showed that the experiences of students in the three countries were remarkably similar. He identified three major themes that contribute to their discontentment with science. The first is the method of teaching, which the studies showed to be predominantly submissive with students listening to the teacher and filling in gaps in workbooks.
Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.
Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access
Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.
Get all this, plus much more:
- unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
- teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
- applications for funding to support your lessons
Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.
Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.