Good news, bad news and surprising news · Good news, bad news and surprising news Results and...
Transcript of Good news, bad news and surprising news · Good news, bad news and surprising news Results and...
Gender and science educationGood news, bad news and surprising news
Results and perspectives from recent research
Prague 15. May 2009
Svein Sjøberg and Camilla SchreinerUniversity of Oslo, Norway
Based on work supported by
ROSE and Eurobarometer (EB)n Focus on attitudes, experiences, interests,
future plans... n Standard survey methods n Target populations:n EB: Adults (15+) in 32 European Countriesn ROSE: 15 year-olds in schools in 40 countries,
all continentsn Representative samples (N> 1000) in each
countryn EB: Interviews, ROSE: Written questionnaire
Some simple dataOnly single variables:
Per cent agreementfor girls and boys in different countries
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
JapanEngland
N. IrelandScotland
IrelandGermany
AustriaSloveniaEstonia
LatviaCzech Rep.
PolandRussia (Kar)Spain (Bal)
PortugalGreeceTurkey
Trinidad & T.Malaysia
India (Mumb)India (Guj)
BangladeshPhilippinesBotswanaZimbabweSwaziland
LesothoGhana (Centr)
Uganda
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Mean G1. Science and technology are important for
society
Science and technology are important for society
GirlsBoys
Children in most countries agree
strongly that Science and technology areimportant for society
Countries are sortedby Human
Development Index(and geography)
Attitudes to S&T: A possible generation shift in Europe?
nBroad agreement about the importance of Science, Technology and (basic) Research!nBut youth in rich countries are more
ambivalent than the adultsn In particular the girls..
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(EB) The application of science and new technologies will make peoples’lives more interesting
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
NetherlandsBelgium
LuxemburgGreat Britain
N IrelandIreland
SwitzerlandAustria
Germany WGermany E
FranceItaly
SpainPortugal
GreeceCyprus
MaltaSlovenia
Czech RepublPoland
EstoniaLithuania
LatviaSlovakiaHungaryCroatia
BulgariaRomania
Turkey
1,0 1,5 2,0 2,5 3,0 3,5 4,0 4,5 5,0The application of science and new technologies will
make peoples’ work more interesting
Adults in all Europeagree, small gender
differences
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
JapanEngland
N. IrelandScotland
IrelandGermany
AustriaSloveniaEstonia
LatviaCzech Rep.
PolandRussia (Kar)Spain (Bal)
PortugalGreeceTurkey
Trinidad & T.Malaysia
India (Mumb)India (Guj)
BangladeshPhilippinesBotswanaZimbabweSwaziland
LesothoGhana (Centr)
Uganda
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Mean G5. New technologies will make work more
interesting
(ROSE) New technologies will make work more interesting
Scepticism and ambivalence amongyoung people in the
Nordic countriesand Japan, in
particular amonggirls.
Interest to learn about: (108 simple items)
nMain pattern:nThe more developed country, the less
overall interest nOr rather:
The more selective are the learners
Interest in S&T: Context is the key word:n Traditional “School science” has little appealn The gender difference increases with
development on all items:n Boys’ interests (and NOT the girls’)q The technical, mechanical, electrical, spectacular, violent,
explosive…n Girls’ interests (and NOT the boys’)q Health and medicine, beauty and the human body, ethics,
aesthetics, wonder, speculation (and the paranormal..)
How plants grow and reproduce
Very lowinterest, 20 %
average
Atoms and molecules
”No context” or ”School science”:Low interest, in
particular for girls
Chemicals, their properties and how they react
”No context”or ”school context”
Low interest, in particular for girls
Detergents, soaps and how they work
”Everyday context”Low interest for all
Famous scientist and their lives
Biographies of scientists.
Low interest, in particular for girls
How petrol and diesel engines work
”Technical context”
Only of interest for boys
Explosive chemicals
”Violent and spectacular context”
Only of interest for boys
What to eat to keep healthy and fit
”Body and health”Girls’ interest,
growing gender difference
Cancer, what we know and how we can treat it
”Health and medicin”
Girls’ interest, growing gender
difference
The “winner” is:
The possibility of life outside earth
”Space, life, wonder, openness”
The most popular for girls and boys
The environment and sustainable development?n Important for all, but mainly for girlsnBoys think problems are exaggerated and
trust experts to sort out the problems nGirls believe that each individual makes a
differencenGirls are willing to ‘pay the price’,
Boys are reluctant
Important for future work:n The prime importance of
values, attitudes and meaning!(For Girls in particular)nGirls’ priority:
Working with, and helping peoplen Boys’ priority:
Working with their hands, with things, machines and tools n (AND: Earning lots of money, becoming the boss
at the job, becoming famous ---n…. and having an easy job…)
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
JapanEngland
N. IrelandScotland
IrelandGermany
AustriaSloveniaEstonia
LatviaCzech Rep.
PolandRussia (Kar)Spain (Bal)
PortugalGreeceTurkey
Trinidad & T.Malaysia
India (Mumb)India (Guj)
BangladeshPhilippinesBotswanaZimbabweSwaziland
LesothoGhana (Centr)
Uganda
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Working with people instead of things
Future work:
“Working with people rather than things”
Girls want to work with
people
Many boys, in particular in
Scandinavia, are not very interested in
working with people.
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
JapanEngland
N. IrelandScotland
IrelandGermany
AustriaSloveniaEstonia
LatviaCzech Rep.
PolandRussia (Kar)Spain (Bal)
PortugalGreeceTurkey
Trinidad & T.Malaysia
India (Mumb)India (Guj)
BangladeshPhilippinesBotswanaZimbabweSwaziland
LesothoGhana (Centr)
Uganda
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Mean B2. Helping other people
Helping other people
Same pattern:
Girls want to help other people, boys
are reluctant
Many boys, in particular in the
wealthier countries, are not very interested
in helping other people.
Building or repairing objects using my hands
Boys want a job where they can build and repair things with their hands – girls do not want such jobs!
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
JapanEngland
N. IrelandScotland
IrelandGermany
AustriaSloveniaEstonia
LatviaCzech Rep.
PolandRussia (Kar)Spain (Bal)
PortugalGreeceTurkey
Trinidad & T.Malaysia
India (Mumb)India (Guj)
BangladeshPhilippinesBotswanaZimbabweSwaziland
LesothoGhana (Centr)
Uganda
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Mean B6. Building or repairing objects using my
hands
Recruitment:What about future careers and studies in S&T?
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
JapanEngland
N. IrelandScotland
IrelandGermany
AustriaSloveniaEstonia
LatviaCzech Rep.
PolandRussia (Kar)Spain (Bal)
PortugalGreeceTurkey
Trinidad & T.Malaysia
India (Mumb)India (Guj)
BangladeshPhilippinesBotswanaZimbabweSwaziland
LesothoGhana (Centr)
Uganda
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100I would like to become a scientist
I would like to become a scientist
In wealthy countries, very few want to
become scientists – in particular not the girls
In poor countries, ’everybody’ want to become scientists, (but very few get the possibility)
NorwayDenmarkSwedenIcelandFinland
JapanEngland
N. IrelandScotland
IrelandGermany
AustriaSloveniaEstonia
LatviaCzech Rep.
PolandRussia (Kar)Spain (Bal)
PortugalGreeceTurkey
Trinidad & T.Malaysia
India (Mumb)India (Guj)
BangladeshPhilippinesBotswanaZimbabweSwaziland
LesothoGhana (Centr)
Uganda
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100I would like to get a job in technology
I would like to get a job in technology
Same pattern: In poor countries,
’everybody’ want to work with
technology, but …
In wealthy countries, nearly no girls want
to work with technology, and even boys are ambivalent
Japan may face a problem…
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ROSE-articles, data etc. on www.ils.uio.no/english/rose
What’s next?
IRIS: an emerging EU-funded
research initiative to address
interest, recruitment and choice
Am I interested in the subject? Am I good
enough?
Will I manageto get a
job?
How are the salaries
What is my friends'
opinion about this?
Will I find thework
meaningful?
What are theemployees in thefield concernedabout at work?
What aboutmom and
dad's work?
Does it suit boys or girls?
How large is the risk, and
what do I have to sacrifice?
Will theprofessionsuit med?
Factors influencing recruitment, retention and gender equity in SMT higher education
Secured basicEU FP7 funding for a 5 country consortium
A network (based on ROSE)of 50+ countries want to take part. (not yet funded)