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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovative means for teaching and learning
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Coordinator
Partners
Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovative means for teaching and learning
Authors: StMary’suniversityCollege,SteinbeisInnovationCenter,Phaenovum; ColegiulnationalNicolaeTitulescu,UniversidaddeZaragoza,Elhuyar
Design: elhuyar
Legaldeposit:SS-1221-2013
Printers:GAMBONS.A.-VirgendelBuenAcuerdo48(PolígonoAlcaldeCaballero)-50014ZARAGOZA
INDEX
1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE FRAMEWORK OF THE “STIMULA” PROJECT . . . . . . . . 112 .1 COMPETENCE PROFILE AND PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH: A FRAMEWORK FOR
STUDENTS OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN POST-PRIMARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
2 .2 COMPETENCE PROFILE FOR STUDENT TEACHERS IN POST-PRIMARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
2 .3 PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262 .4 KEY AREAS, SUBSEQUENT MODES OF PRACTICE AND EXEMPLARS OF
ACTIVITIES: A FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENTS OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN POST-PRIMARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322.4.1 INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322.4.2 KEYAREASANDSUBSEQUENTMODESOFPRACTICE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3 A DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY, QUESTIONNAIRE AND GUIDELINES . . . . . . . 37
4 A DESCRIPTION OF THE “STIMULA” ACTIVITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454 .1 France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .454 .2 Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .484 .3 Northern Ireland (U .K . system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .514 .4 Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .534 .5 Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
5 RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595.1 Descriptionoftheanalysisprotocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .595 .2 Results:
5.2.1 France. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675.2.1.1 Results of the survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675.2.1.2 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
5.2.2 Germany. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995.2.2.1 Results of the survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005.2.2.2 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
5.2.3 NorthernIreland(U.K.system). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1515.2.3.1 Results of the survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1525.2.3.2 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
5.2.4 Romania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1905.2.4.1 Results of the survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1905.2.4.2 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
5.2.5 Spain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2255.2.5.1 Results of the survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2265.2.5.2 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
6 OVERALL CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
1 INTRODUCTION
Today,whenEUeconomiesarefacingacontinuoustransitiontoamoretechnologyintensivemodel, key competences in science and technology (S&T) are essential to develop theeconomicandsocialmodelofthefuture.However,accordingtoseveralEUstudies,pupilsinsecondaryleveleducationhavelowaspirationstowardsscientificandtechnologicalcareers.
Toovercomethissituation,STIMULAaimstodevelopinnovativemethodologiestofosteraspirations towards S&T careers among pupils in secondary level education, using as astrategytheactiveinvolvementoftheworldofwork(universities,research&innovationcentres,andresearch&developmentcompanies)ineducationalactivities.Thefocusoftheprojecthasbeenondesigning,implementingandvalidatingneweducationalinitiativesthatwillgeneratepositiveoutcomesrelatingtotheproject’saims.Theseinitiativesinclude:
• ApedagogicalS&Tguidelineforinitialteachereducation,whereinnovativewaystoapproachmoremotivatingS&Tteachingwillbeprovided.
• AguidelineforbringingS&Tclosertoteachers,toprovidecurrentandfutureteacherswithstrategiestobringtheworldofS&Ttothemselvesandtheirpupils.
• AS&Tcooperationguidelineforschools,withafocusondevelopingS&Tactivitiesforschoolstostrengthentheirrelationshipswiththeworldofwork.
• Diversecurriculumextendinginitiatives,aimedatfosteringaspirationsamongpupilstowardsS&Tcareers.
DocumentsrelatingtotheseinitiativeshavebeenpublishedonthewebsiteoftheSTIMULAproject:http://stimula-project.eu/
Theseprojectinitiativesareexpectedtocontributeto:
1. PupilsreceivingamorepracticalandmotivatingeducationinS&T.2. Teachers implementingbetterstrategiestofostermotivationtowardsthestudyof
S&T.3. Bridgingthegapbetweenschoolsandtheworldofworkbyestablishingmodelsfor
networking.
TheultimategoaloftheseinitiativesistoimprovetheacquisitionofkeycompetencesinS&Tbypupils,thereforecontributingtotheirpersonaldevelopmentandfutureemployment.
The partnership
This project hasbeenmanagedand coordinatedby the Elhuyar Foundation. Partnersofthe project are St. Mary’s University College Belfast, University of Zaragoza, Steinbeis,PhaenovumandColegiulNationalNicolaeTitulescu.
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RUSSIAN FED.
AUSTRIA
NETHERLANDS
FRANCE
GERMANY
DENMARK
ITALY
GREECE
SPAIN
MONACO
ANDORRAVATICAN
CITY
SANMARINO
LIECHT.
BEL.
LUXEMBOURG
SWITZ.
UNITED
KINGDOM
IRELAND
PORTUGAL
HUNGARY
CZECH REPUBLICSLOVAKIA
POLAND
ROMANIASLOVENIA
ALBANIAF.Y.R.O.M
BOSNIA & H.
BULGARIA
LITHUANIA
YUGOSLAVIA
CROATIAelhuyar
Elhuyar (Spain)
elhuyarZelaiHaundi3,Osinaldeindustrialdea20170–Usurbil(Gipuzkoa)Spainhttp://www.elhuyar.orgContactPerson:JosuWaliñoEmail:j.walino(at)elhuyar.com
Elhuyarwascreatedin1972aimedtojoinscienceandtheBasquelanguage.LateritsactivityextendedtothenormalisationofthestatusandcorpusoftheBasquelanguage.In2002,ElhuyargaveanimportantstepforwardfoundingElhuyarFoundation.ThemainobjectivesoftheFoundationare:
• To collaborate andpromote the social normalisationof theBasque language and,withthataim,topromoteandapplyresearchanddevelopmentactivities;
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
• Tostimulate,promoteandcollaborateintheintegrationofScienceandTechnologyinsociety;
• Tospreadandreport,intheBasqueCountry,aswellasbeyondit,thedevelopmentofthescientificandtechnologicalresearchdoneintheBasqueCountry;
• To promote the relationships between the education system and the science andtechnologysystemthroughpublications,conferences,meetings,seminars,etc.
Our working team is formed by 110 professionals of the areas of language specialists,scientificknowledgespreadingandeducationalpublications.
St.Mary’sUniversityCollegeBelfast,Queen’sUniversity(UK)
191FallsRoadBT126FE–Belfast(NorthernIreland)UnitedKingdomhttp://www.smucb.ac.ukContactPerson:KieranMcGeownEmail:k.mcgeown(at)smucb.ac.uk
St Mary’s University College Belfast’s purpose is to make a distinctive contribution ofserviceandexcellence, intheCatholictradition,tohighereducationinNorthernIreland.StMary’sisanacademiccommunitycommittedtothesearchformeaningandvalueintheintellectuallife,toacademicexcellenceandtoindividualattentionforstudents.Weworkfor thedevelopmentof thewholeperson inaChristian,values-sensitiveenvironment inpreparation fora lifetimeof learning, leadershipandservice.Wewant thecollege tobeareligious,educational,culturalandsocialresourceforthelocalcommunityandtoshowconcernforthepoorandpowerless.Weprovideteachereducationprogrammes,inEnglishand in Irish, aswell as a degree programme in liberal arts.Weoffer our students high-qualityteachingandhighlevelsofsupporttofacilitateeffectivelearning.Weaimtoreducetraditionalimpedimentstotheaccessibilityofhighereducationandtoenableparticipationfrom across a wide spectrum of society.We support economic regeneration and socialdevelopmentinitiativeswhichfacilitateconflictresolutionandpeace.WearecommittedtoarichinternationaldimensioninthelifeoftheCollege.Inordertopromoteourmission,weworkwithawiderangeofpartnersandseektobuildexcellentrelationships.
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Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain)
CallePedroCerbuna1250009–ZaragozaSpainhttp://www.unizar.esContactPerson:JesúsI.MartínezEmail:jimartin(at)unizar.es
TheUniversityofZaragoza(UNIZAR)isthemainhighereducationinstitutionintheAragonregioninSpain.Ithasmorethan35,000studentsandabout3,500lecturersandresearchers.Asfarasthedomainscoveredbytheprojectareconcerned,theUniversityhasaFacultyofScienceandaFacultyofEducation,withseveralofficialDegreesandMastersinSciencesandScienceEducation.ThetwostaffmembersthattakepartintheprojectaremembersofthesetwoFaculties.BothareexpertsinadvisingandmanagingS&TEducationprojects.
SteinbeisInnovationgGmbH(Germany)
Poststraße3579423HeitersheimGermanyhttp://www.stzedn.deContactPerson:AxelSikoraEmail:axel.sikora(at)hs-offenburg.de
TheSteinbeisInnovationgGmbHispartoftheSteinbeisFoundation,astateownedfoundationtargeting technology transfer fromuniversities into the economy.At themoment,morethan 700 transfer companies belong to the Steinbeis network,which employed in 2009atotalof801professors,alongsidewith1,385employeesand3,584contractors.Altogethertheygeneratedrevenueof€118min2009.ThewholeSteinbeisnetworkrunsaround50projectsontheEC-level.
The Centre for Embedded Design and Networking was founded in 2002 at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University in Loerrach, Germany. It is active in R&Dprojects around wireless and wired embedded connectivity for the internet of things.Since2003,itrunstheIT-SeminarLoerrach,anlong-termactivityforhigh-schoolstudentsworking on robotics. IT-Seminar Loerrach is now an organizational part of phaenovum
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
Schuelerforschungszentrum Loerrach-Dreilaendereck e.V., being also a Stimula projectpartner.
phaenovumSchülerforschungszentrumLörrach-Dreiländerecke.V.(Germany)
Baumgartnerstraße2679540–LörrachGermanyhttp://www.phaenovum.deContactPerson:DianaStöckerEmail:stoecker(at)innocel.de
The“phaenovum–SchülerforschungszentrumLoerrach-Dreiländerecke.V.“(PHAENOVUM)islocatedinthebordertriangleGermany-France–Switzerlandandcanbeattendedbypupilsof this region. PHAENOVUMwas founded in 2007 to connect and strengthen successfulactivitiesalreadyexistingintheregion.
It is defined as a network of research students coming from these three countries andit encompasses nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, private institutionsand companies. The global objective is to spark pupils’ interest in natural sciences andengineering and to keep up their enthusiasm for these fields, by offering them qualitytrainingsandeducation.
ColegiulNational“NicolaeTitulescu”Craiova(Romania)
Doljului12200690-CraiovaRomaniahttp://www.cnntitulescu.go.roContactPerson:MarilenaIonescuEmail:marlen.ionescu(at)yahoo.com
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TheRomanianNationalCollege”NicolaeTitulescu”(CNNT)hasaneducationaldivisionthatcoversboththesecondary-levelandhighschool,countingmorethan1,000studentsandmorethan70teachers.
Theschoolissetinanurbanareaandismainlyattendedbystudentscomingfromfamiliesthat have an average revenue or lower, including unemployed families. Is spite of theirpersonalorfamilybackground,agreatnumberofthestudentsobtainremarkableresultsatalltheOlympiadsorschoolandextra-schoolconteststheytakepartin.Also,manyoftheirgraduateshaveenrolledinuniversityeducationatwell-knownfacultiesandevenachievedgoodpoliticalandadministrativeRomanianpositions.
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE FRAMEWORK OF THE “STIMULA” PROJECT
ThemainobjectiveofthisprojectistofostertheS&TvocationamongtheyoungEuropeanstudents(12to18yearsold).AccordingtoPISA2006,theinterestandenjoymentofS&Tispositivelyassociatedwithbetterperformance,soitisexpectedthattheincreaseinthemotivationtowardsS&TwillalsocontributetotheimprovementanddevelopmentofkeycompetencesinS&TamongtheyoungEuropeanstudents,andtotheirscientificliteracy.
STIMULAprojectstrategyhasbeentobringS&TclosertotheyoungstudentsandatthesametimethestudentsclosertoS&T,throughbidirectionalcollaborativeinitiativesbetweenschoolsandagentsoftheworldofwork.Theprojectaimedto:
• Bring S&T to schools, through the proposal and practical implementation ofcurriculum extending S&T educational initiatives (in the form of live experimentsandcompetitionsbasedonproblems).Theywerecarriedout in theclassroomstopromoteteamwork,creativityandICTskills.
• TakeschoolstoS&T,throughthedefinitionofcollaborationstrategies,modelsandprogrammes of the schools with agents of the world of work (universities, R&Dcentresandcompanies.Thestudentscollaboratedwiththeseexternalorganisationsindifferentactivities(researchactivities,forexample).
Additionally,theprojectproposedspecificteachertrainingmethodsandprogrammesforcurrentandfutureS&TteacherssothattheycancontributetoeffectivelyfostertheS&Tvocationonyoungstudents.
Specificobjectives
Thespecificobjectivesoftheprojecthavebeenestablishedinconnectionwiththedescribedactivitiesandhavetobeconsideredfromthreepointsofview:
Fromthepointofviewofthestudents:
• Tostimulateyoungstudents’interesttowardsS&Ttohelpthemacquireandimprovethe key competences in S&Twhile stimulating their creativity, teamwork and ICTskillstoo.
• ToachievethepreviousobjectivetakingintoconsiderationtheirperceptionofS&T.
FromthepointofviewofS&Tteachers:
• TotraincurrentandfutureS&TteachersforamoreeffectiveS&Teducation.Toprovideteachers with improved methodologies, strategies and pedagogical approaches,whichwilltakeintoaccounttheperceptionofS&Tamongstudents.
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• To provide S&T teachers with new knowledge and skills so that they are able tocontextualisetheS&Teducationtothelocalorregional industrialcontextandstayupdatedwithS&T“realworld”.
• Participationonthedesignanddevelopmentofinnovativeinitiatives.
Fromthepointofviewofschools:
• To provide schools withmeans to establish collaboration and networkingmodelsbetweentheschoolworldandtheoutsidescientificworld(worldofwork).
• Toparticipateintrans-regionalprogrammes(Europeancompetitions,etc.)
Operativeobjectives
Finally,theoperativeobjectivesoftheproject leadingtotheachievementofthespecificobjectivesoftheprojectarethefollowing:
• To gain a better understanding andmeasure the perceptionof S&T among youngEuropeanstudents,inordertosetanimprovedpedagogicalbasisforS&Teducation.
• Based on these perceptions, to develop different measures to increase the S&Tvocation,andtoimprovetheacquisitionofscientifickeycompetencesamongyoungstudents.Thisincludes:
– DefiningS&Tteachertrainingmethodologies,toimprovetheS&TteachingskillsandknowledgeofS&Tteachersatschools,andbuildinglinksbetweenthemandtheworldofwork.
– Todesignacollaborationprogrammebetweenschoolsandtheoutsidescientificworld(researchcentresanduniversitiesmainly).
– To design several curriculum extending educational activities to be carried outwithin the classroom,basedonexperimentationandproblem solving,with theobjectiveof increasingtheinterestaboutS&T,thecreativityandtheteamworkskillsamongyoungstudents.
• To validate the developedmeasures through several pilot projects carried out atschoolswheretheresultsoftheprojecthavebeenbetestedinreallifeconditions.
• To extract the conclusions of the project and to elaborate guidelines and bestpracticesinordertoallowanadequatetransmissionoftheprojectachievementstotheEuropeaneducationcommunity.
Methodological approach
Theprojecthasbeendesignedtobedevelopedintwodifferentphases,carriedoutduringeachyearoftheproject:
• Year1:Perceptionstudyanddesignofactivities• Year2:Pilotsimplementationandpost-evaluationandconclusions
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
Themethodology for thedevelopmentof theprojectactivitieshas followeda“Pre-Test,InterventionandPost-Test” scheme.Details in termsoftime, sequenceof activities andmilestonesareshowninthenextfigure.
YOUNG STUDENTS’S&T PERCEPTIONSTUDY & RELATED
PEDAGOGICALCONCLUSIONS
S&T TEACHERTRAINING STRATEGIES
TAKING SCHOOLS TO S&T:Cooperation models between schools
and world of work
BRINGING S&T INTO SCHOOLS:Design of new curriculum extending
educational initiatives
PILOTS:IMPLEMENTATION &
VALIDATION OFPROPOSED MEASURES
AT SCHOOLSCONCLUSIONS
AND BESTPRACTICES
PEDAGOGICALCONCLUSIONS
GUIDELINES,RECOMMENDATIONS ANDACTIVITIES
Milestone 1Conclusions of the
S&T perceptionstudy
Milestone 2Measures for
increasedmotivation of
students developed
Milestone 3Measures for
increasedmotivation of
students tested
Milestone 4Conclusions andmeasurement of the increase of
motivation
School year 1
TIME
PRE-TEST INTERVENTION POST-TEST
School year 2
Thismethodologywasdesignedat thedefinitionphaseof theproposal,and ithasbeenfollowedbytheSTIMULAconsortiumduringthedevelopmentphase.
2.1 COMPETENCE PROFILE AND PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH: A FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENTS OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN POST-PRIMARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Developmentoftheprofile
ThecompetenceprofilewasdevelopedaspartoftheStimulatingScienceandTechnologyCompetencesThroughInnovativeMeansforTeachingandLearning(STIMULA)project.Thedevelopmentoftheprofilewasinformedbythreespecificelements:
• areviewandsynthesisofgenericteachercompetenceprofiles;• theanalysisandconclusionsofaquestionnairewhichsoughttoestablishtheviews
and perceptions of young people in post-primary education (11-18 years old) onScienceandTechnology;
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• aliteraturesearchandmappingexerciseofcurrentresearchrelatingtoScienceandTechnologypost-primaryeducationacrossEurope.
Objectivesoftheprofile
The key objectives of the competence profile for prospective Science and Technologyteachersinpost-primaryinitialteachereducation(ITE)areto:
• outlinetheessentialcorevaluesandareasofcompetencenecessaryforpreparingteachers to work in Science and Technology post-primary education. These corevaluesandareasofcompetencearetobedevelopedduringITE,butthenusedasafoundationforlaterprofessionaldevelopment;
• identify a framework of core values and areas of competence in Science andTechnology education which are applicable to any Initial Teacher Education (ITE)programmefocusingonpost-primaryeducation;
• highlight objectives which further explain the proposed core values and areas ofcompetence.
Valueoftheprofile
Assuch,itisenvisagedthatthecompetencyprofilecouldbeusedas:
• anagreeddescriptionofgoodpractice;• areferencedocumentwhichmayassistin:
– supportingtheprofessionaldevelopmentofScienceandTechnologypost-primaryteacherswithininstitutions;
– self-monitoringofprofessionaldevelopmentforstudentteachersofpost-primaryeducation;
– accreditation of professional development and achievement in Science andTechnologyteachingandlearningforstudentteachersofpost-primaryeducation;
– coursedesignforprogrammesofinitialteachereducationatpost-primarylevel;• ameansofraisingtheprofileofScienceandTechnologyeducationamongstpupilsin
post-primaryschool.
Target audiences
The target audiences for this competence profile are primarily teacher educators anddecisionmakerswhoareinapositiontoinfluencepolicyonthedevelopmentofScienceandTechnologypost-primaryeducationandteachereducationatpost-primary level.TheprofilepresentsastartingpointforstakeholdersinITEtouse,notasascript,butratherasastimulustodevelopeffectiveScienceandTechnologypost-primaryeducationprogrammesin different contexts in their respective countries. The profile can be used as a tool forreflectiontosupporttheprofessionaldevelopmentofstudentteachersandcanbeasourceofguidanceforScienceandTechnologyteachereducators’work.
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
The profile can also be used for practising post-primary teachers to identify personalprioritiesforcontinuousprofessionaldevelopmentactivities.
Leadersinpost-primaryschoolsmayalsobenefitfromtheuseoftheprofileasaguideforteacherinductionandlongertermcontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentplanning.
Structureoftheprofile
The interfacebetweenwhatmaybe regarded as generic competences and thosewhicharespecifictoScienceandTechnologymustbeacknowledged.Assuch, thisScienceandTechnology competence profile outlines what are essentially the generic attributes,knowledgeandskillsthatallteachersmusthaveinordertodevelopeffectivepractice.Aswellasthis,theprofileisstructuredaroundtheessentialdimensionsofallteachers’worki.e.acommitmenttotheindividuallearnerandtothebettermentofsociety;anunderstandingofcontemporaryandcontext-specificcurriculaandpedagogicalstrategiesandprocesses;the promotion of student learning and assessment; a commitment to collaboration andthe development of partnerships to promote learning; and a commitment to personal,professionallearninganddevelopment.
Inaddition, thisprofilehighlights thenecessity for teacherstohaveanunderstandingofand ability to implementwhatmay be described as the ‘21st Century Skills’ framework(AnandiadouandClaro,2009)whichwouldincludethenecessitytocommunicateeffectively;thinkcritically;collaboratewithothers;displaycreativityandimagination;connectlearning;problem-solve;andinnovate.
Theareasofcompetencedescribedintheprofilearetosupportthedevelopmentofpost-primaryteachersaslifelonglearnersandreflectivepractitioners,andhavebeenguidedby“Teaching:theReflectiveProfession”(GeneralTeachingCouncilforNorthernIreland,2007).
Therearethreebroadareasofcompetenceeachofwhichcontainthreekeyelements:
• ProfessionalValuesandAttributes – Commitmenttotheindividuallearner – Commitmenttothebettermentofsociety – Commitmenttoprofessionaldevelopment
• ProfessionalKnowledgeandUnderstanding – Socio-culturalknowledgeforscienceandtechnologyeducation – Curricularknowledge – Pedagogicalknowledge
• ProfessionalPractice – Planningandleading – Promotinglearning – Assessmentforlearning
Itisimportanttonotethattheareasofcompetencearenotpresentedinanyhierarchicalorderandshouldnotbeviewedinisolation.Rather,theymustbeviewedholisticallyasthey
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areallcloselyinter-connectedandhighlyinterdependent.Thisinterdependentrelationshipisillustratedinfigure1.
Values andattributes
Knowledgeand
Understanding
Practice
Figure 1
LinkstoEuropeanpolicyprioritiesforschoolandteachereducation
TheprofileofcompetencesforScienceandTechnologypost-primaryteacherslinkscloselywithEuropeanpolicyinitiativesaimedatimprovingteachereducation.EmergingfromtheoverallBolognaprocess, SjurandRadu (2010) suggest that competencedevelopment inrelationtothedevelopmentofknowledgeandskillsaswellasvaluesandattributesshouldbe a central objective of the higher education process.More specifically, in relation toteachereducation,competencedevelopmenthasbeenidentifiedasakeypriorityifteacherquality is to be improved (European Commission, Director General for Education andCulture,2010).
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
2.2 COMPETENCE PROFILE FOR STUDENT TEACHERS IN POST-PRIMARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION
Professional Values and Attributes
Competence Statements ITE Objectives
Competence Statement 1 – Commitment to the individual learner
Understand and demonstrate the teacher’s commitment to learners, colleagues and others in the profession
Student teachers will
• Know and understand that teaching is a values-based profession which involves the dedication and commitment of the teacher
Competence Statement 2 – Commitment to the betterment of society
Understand and demonstrate the teacher’s commitment to the betterment of the individual and of society through the promotion of Science and Technology learning and development
Student teachers will
• Know and understand the necessary commitments to pupils, the profession and society
• Know and understand the value of Science and Technology to the betterment of the individual and society
Competence Statement 3 – Commitment to professional development
Understand and demonstrate the teacher’s commitment to continuous professional development
Student teachers will
• Know and understand the importance of continuous professional development in Science and Technology education
• Understand that initial teacher education is the foundation for continuous professional development in the context of lifelong learning
• Take responsibility for personal and professional development and learning and in Science and Technology
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Professional Knowledge and Understanding
Competence Statements ITE Objectives
Competence Statement 4 – Socio-cultural knowledge for Science and Technology education 1
Know and understand the social and policy contexts in which Science and Technology education is defined and implemented
Student teachers will
• Be aware of policy initiatives in relation to Science and Technology education
• Know and understand the position of Science and Technology education in the curriculum
• Promote an awareness of the European and geo-political dimension in relation to Science and Technology education
• Promote an appreciation of the range of Science and Technology-based career options available
• Know and understand the statutory framework related to Science and Technology education e.g. in relation to safeguarding children, discrimination, health and safety, etc.
Competence Statement 5 – Socio-cultural knowledge for Science and Technology education 2
Have a developed knowledge and understanding of the interrelationship between Science and Technology teaching and learning in schools and Science and Technology in the community
Student teachers will
• Understand contemporary debates in Science and Technology
• Understand the importance of connecting the learning and skills associated with Science and Technology at school with the learning and skills associated with Science and Technology centres, industries, museums, exhibitions, etc.
• Understand the value of using experts/specialists in Science and Technology outside of school who can realistically demonstrate the scope and the limitations of Science and Technology
• Understand the value of field trips to promote better learning in Science and Technology
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Competence Statement 6 – Curricular knowledge 1
Be aware of Science and Technology curriculum requirements in preceding and subsequent stages of learning
Student teachers will
• Have a broad perspective on Science and Technology learning appropriate to different age groups
• Have relevant pedagogical knowledge appropriate to different stages of pupil learning in Science and Technology
Competence Statement 7 – Curricular knowledge 2
Understand appropriate Science and Technology curriculum development processes related to planning, implementation and evaluation
Student teachers will
• Know and understand the cultural, social, historical and economic influences on curriculum development in relation to Science and Technology
• Know and understand the curriculum planning cycle appropriate to Science and Technology i.e. planning, implementation and evaluation
Competence Statement 8 – Curricular knowledge 3
Maintain and develop up-to-date subject knowledge in the field of Science and Technology
Student teachers will
• Maintain an up-to-date subject knowledge of contemporary developments in Science and Technology
• Continuously develop personal knowledge and understanding of Science and Technology
Competence Statement 9 – Pedagogical knowledge 1
Have a detailed knowledge and understanding of appropriate teaching and learning strategies related to Science and Technology education
Student teachers will
• Have relevant Science and Technology subject knowledge
• Have relevant knowledge of the place of science and technology in the curriculum
• Have relevant pedagogical knowledge to promote pupil learning in Science and Technology
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Competence Statement 10 - Pedagogical knowledge 2
Understand the factors that promote and hinder effective learning in Science and Technology
Student teachers will
• Understand the importance of making Science and Technology education relevant
• Understand the importance of making Science and Technology education enjoyable
• Understand the importance of making Science and Technology education accessible to everyone
• Understand the importance of providing autonomous learning opportunities in Science and Technology education
• Understand the importance of developing connections between Science and Technology and contemporary media
• Understand the importance of developing connections between Science and Technology, industry and the economy
• Understand the importance of challenging negative stereotypes that exist in relation to Science and Technology careers and occupations
• Understand the importance of addressing individual needs in Science and Technology learning
Competence Statement 11 – Pedagogical knowledge 3
Have a developed knowledge and understanding of how to use technology effectively to support teaching and aid pupil learning
Student teachers will
• Have an up-to-date knowledge and understanding of contemporary technology such as digital projectors, video, computers, graphic calculators, software packages, interactive whiteboards, scanners, control and sensing technology, etc.
• Know how to use technology effectively to promote learning in Science and Technology
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Professional Practice
Competence Statements ITE Objectives
Competence Statement 12 - Planning and leading 1
Set appropriate learning outcomes for pupils in relation to Science and Technology learning
Student teachers will
• Set appropriate Science and Technology learning outcomes which take account of what pupils know, understand and can do
• Set appropriate Science and Technology learning outcomes which take account of what pupils need to know, understand and do in relation to prescribed curricula
Competence Statement 13 - Planning and leading 2
Plan and evaluate learning experiences that enable all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to meet the stated learning outcomes
Student teachers will
• Plan Science and Technology lessons showing high expectations
• Plan Science and Technology lessons showing an awareness of potential areas of difficulty and confusion for pupils
• Promote the idea of connectivity between Science and Technology and other subjects/disciplines
Competence Statement 14 - Planning and leading 3
Deploy, organise and guide the work of other adults to support pupil learning where appropriate
Student teachers will
• Deploy adults to support pupils’ learning where appropriate
• Understand the role of the teacher and other adults in supporting learning
• Source and deploy Science and Technology experts or practitioners who can enhance the learning experience for pupils
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Competence Statement 15 - Planning and leading 4
Plan out-of-school learning activities including school visits and fieldwork where appropriate
Student teachers will
• Appreciate and explore the potential of out-of-school resources to enhance and personalise pupils’ learning in Science and Technology
• Seek opportunities to assist with out-of-school Science and Technology visits and fieldwork
• Seek opportunities to work with experts/practitioners in the fields of Science and Technology
Competence Statement 16 - Promoting learning 1
Create and maintain safe, interactive and challenging Science and Technology learning environments
Student teachers will
• Understand the importance of creating safe, interactive and challenging Science and
Technology learning environments
• Observe and reflect on ways in which others create safe, interactive and challenging Science and Technology learning environments
• Learn from others how to set up purposeful Science and Technology learning environments
Competence Statement 17 - Promoting learning 2
Use a range of teaching strategies and resources in Science and Technology including eLearning where appropriate
Student teachers will
• Use a range of teaching strategies in Science and Technology which are appropriate to the age, ability, interest and experience of pupils
• Use appropriate resources which motivate, inspire and support learning in Science and Technology
• Use appropriate teaching strategies to capture and maintain pupils’ attention, interest and involvement in Science and Technology
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Competence Statement 18 - Promoting learning 3
Employ strategies in Science and Technology teaching and learning which motivate and meet the needs of all pupils
Student teachers will
• Develop an understanding of and an ability to employ a range of practical and interactive strategies in Science and Technology teaching which meet the range of pupils’ needs
• Develop an understanding of and ability to employ appropriate differentiation strategies in Science and Technology to meet differing pupils’ needs
• Actively promote Science and Technology to girls to counteract existing gender inequalities and stereotypes
Competence Statement 19 - Promoting learning 4
Encourage criticality and debate Student teachers will
• Encourage pupils to be critical of Science and Technology findings and conclusions
• Encourage critical debate on Science and Technology findings
• Promote an awareness and understanding of ethical issues associated with Science and Technology development
• Promote an awareness and understanding of contemporary political and economic agendas associated with Science and Technology development
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Competence Statement 20 - Promoting learning 5
Promote acceptable standards of behaviour to ensure effective learning in Science and Technology
Student teachers will
• Develop an understanding of and an ability to ensure appropriate standards of pupil behaviour in Science and Technology teaching and learning contexts
• Reflect on the example and ability of others to ensure appropriate standards of pupil behaviour in Science and Technology teaching and learning contexts
• Develop an understanding of and ability to employ appropriate strategies to pre-empt inappropriate standards of pupil behaviour in Science and Technology teaching and learning contexts
• Develop an understanding of and an ability to address inappropriate standards of pupil behaviour in Science and Technology teaching and learning contexts
Competence Statement 21 - Promoting learning 6
Collaborate with other teaching and support staff, parents and external agencies to promote learning in Science and Technology
Student teachers will
• Plan and collaborate with teacher tutors and other senior teachers for a range of Science and Technology learning experiences
• Collaborate with support staff to support learning in Science and Technology
• Understand the importance of parental involvement to support learning in Science and Technology
• Understand the importance of involving external agencies to support learning in Science and Technology
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Competence Statement 22 – Assessment for learning 1
Focus on assessment for learning in Science and Technology by monitoring pupil progress and providing constructive and timely feedback
Student teachers will
• Monitor pupil progress through observation, marking, targeted questioning and discussion
• Provide constructive feedback to reinforce learning, challenge understanding and promote progression in Science and Technology
• Help pupils understand their strengths in Science and Technology as well as their areas for improvement
• Use effective questioning and ipsative assessment tasks for pupils to reflect on and improve their learning
Competence Statement 23 - Assessment for learning 2
Use a range of assessment strategies to evaluate pupil learning in Science and Technology and use this information to plan for more effective teaching
Student teachers will
• Understand and use a range of ipsative, formative and summative assessment strategies in Science and technology
• Use information from ipsative, formative and summative assessments to assist for future planning in Science and Technology
Competence Statement 24 - Assessment for learning 3
Assess the level of pupil attainment in Science and Technology against relevant benchmarking data
Student teachers will
• Develop an understanding of a range of approaches to pupil assessment in Science and Technology and how it can be referenced to appropriate benchmarking data
• Understand the importance and value of target setting in Science and Technology and its relationship with pupil learning and progression
Competence Statement 25 - Assessment for learning 4
Liaise with parents and other key stakeholders, both orally and through written reports, in relation to achievement and development in Science and Technology learning
Student teachers will
• Seek opportunities to learn about the ways in which teachers engage with parents and others in sharing information regarding pupil progress in Science and Technology
• Seek opportunities to learn from experienced teachers about how to write reports of pupil progress in Science and Technology
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2.3 PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
Theoreticalunderpinning
Howchildrenthinkandlearnhasbeenakeyconsiderationforeducatorsinrecentyears.Therecanbenodoubtthattheprocessoflearningiscomplexandthatthereisawidevarietyofperspectivesandviewsastohowittakesplaceandevenwhatitinvolves.Hayes(2012),forexamplesuggeststhatlearninginvolvestheacquisitionofknowledge,thedevelopmentof conceptual understanding and the application of skills. Other writers (Robson, 2006;McGuiness,2000)suggestthatlearningandthinkingareintegralandcannotbeseparated.Others suggest that children learn in different ways and have different learning styles(Gardner,1983;HoneyandMumford,1992;RidingandRayner,1998).Flavell,(1976;1987)whodevelopedtheideaofmetacognitionsuggeststhatanunderstandingoftheconceptof learningshouldgobeyondthesimpleaccumulationofknowledgeand focusmoreontheabilitytolinknewknowledgetowhatisalreadyknownandfocusontheprocessesoflearningtherein.
Despitethesedifferentviewsonthenatureof learning,there isawidespreadconsensusthatlearningisenhancedandinformationisbetterretainedwhenitisexperiential,activeandinteractive(WraggandBrown,1993;MorganandSaxon,1994;Garnett,2006;Petty;2006;Hayes,2006).ActivelearningisdescribedbyTileson(2007)as,
…characterised by high levels of pupil engagement. It derives from constructivism that sees learning as a process of reflecting on personal experience. Active learning presupposes that teachers adopt coaching and facilitating roles, make use of real-world experiences and expect all pupils to achieve at a quality level.
Assuch,itisrecommendedthatwhenteachereducatorsandstudentteachersareusingtheScienceandTechnologycompetenceprofile,theyshouldadoptactivelearningapproachestoencourageeffectivelearning.
Key principles
Keyprinciples inpromotingactive learningcanbe identifiedas follows.Whereexamplesofgoodpracticearecited,theyarenotexhaustivebutmerelyprovideanindicationofthetrajectoryofpracticewhichstudentteachersshouldfollowtoencourageeffectivelearninginScienceandTechnology.
Relevance
When preparing learning activities for pupils, teachers should use themes and contextswhichhavereal-lifemeaningandrelevancetopupils.Lessonsandactivitiesshouldprovideopportunities forpupils to reflecton themoral,ethicalandsocialdimensionsof scienceandtechnologywhichimpactuponrealpeopleandcontexts.Pupilsshouldbeenabledtoconsidertheuseandvalueofscienceandtechnologyforfuture-worldscenarios.
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Examplesofgoodpractice
• The teacher structures real-life, practical learning experiences that motivate and engage pupils
• The teacher seeks out community-based learning experiences
Learnerfocus
Thefocusintheteachingandlearningsituationshouldbeonthepupilaslearnerratherthantheteacherasproviderofknowledge.Theteachershouldassumetheroleofthefacilitatoroflearningandthemediatorinthelearningexperience.
Examplesofgoodpractice
• The teacher assesses and manages the differences in learning styles among individuals or groups of pupils
• The teacher establishes learning situations and contexts in which the pupils can operate as investigators and learners
Collaborativelearning
Morrison(2001),usingtheworkofHabermas,suggestseightprinciplesofpedagogywhichhavedirectrelevancetoeffectivelearningandteachinginscienceandtechnology:
1. Theneedforco-operativeandcollaborativework2. Theneedfordiscussion-ledwork3. Theneedforautonomous,experientialandflexiblelearning4. Theneedfornegotiatedlearning5. Theneedforcommunity-relatedlearningtoexplorearangeofenvironments6. Theneedforproblem-solvingactivities7. Theneedtoincreasepupils’rightstoemploytalk8. Theneedforteacherstoactas‘transformativeintellectuals’
Examplesofgoodpractice
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• The teacher establishes varying patterns of interaction within and across learning experiences
• The teacher emphasises language as a vehicle for learning through talking, listing and the use of discussion
• The teacher provides learning opportunities for pupil collaboration, problem solving, inquiry and creative thinking
• The teacher plans collaborative learning experiences in which pupils can act as partners in learning
• The teacher builds upon the knowledge, personal experiences, language and culture that pupils bring to the learning situation
• The teacher encourages pupils to work together and to learn from their peers and from other members of the school and wider community
• The teacher facilitates pupils to connect new learning to their experiences
• The teacher helps pupils learn how to learn
• The teacher provides opportunities for pupils to investigate areas of personal interest
• The teacher encourages pupils’ involvement in classroom decision-making processes
• The teacher designs learning experiences which help pupils become autonomous learners
• The teacher makes provision for pupils to work both independently and collaboratively
Connected learning
Whenpreparingand teachingprogrammesof study inScienceandTechnology, teachersshould, wherever possible help pupils to connect their learning across all domains bypromoting an integrated approach rather than the delivery of discrete units of work.Thematic units of work assist pupils to develop their awareness and understanding ofrelationshipsbetweendifferentareasoflearning.
Examplesofgoodpractice
• The teacher makes the purpose of learning experiences explicit to pupils and links new concepts to prior knowledge
• The teacher makes explicit connections between content and pupils’ prior learning, contexts and interests
Inclusivepractice
Atalltimes,teachersmustapplyinclusiveprinciplestotheirpractice.Allpupils,regardlessof their particular needs must be provided with valid opportunities to develop theirunderstandingofscienceandtechnology.Thiswill includepupilswhomayhave learningdifficulties;physicaldisabilities;languagedifficulties;andsocialandemotionaldifficulties.Inaddition,pupilswhohaveexceptionalabilitiesorwhomaybedescribedasgiftedandtalentedmustalsobemotivatedandchallengedbythelearningactivitiestheyareaskedtoengagewith.AsScienceandTechnologyhastraditionallybeenassociatedwithmales,female pupilsmust be encouraged and providedwith relevant andmeaningful learningwhichstimulateandmotivetheirinterestinScienceandTechnology.
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
Examplesofgoodpractice
• The teacher values diversity and treats pupils equally and fairly
• The teacher identifies barriers that inhibit pupil learning and achievement
• The teacher identifies the needs of individual and groups of pupils and responds sensitively to meet those needs
• The teacher designs teaching and learning activities which are inclusive of the learning styles and needs of individuals or groups of pupils
• The teacher provides individualised support and/or programmes for pupils with specific needs
• The teacher responds to pupils’ emotional needs by providing appropriate support
• The teacher uses appropriate means of communication to meet the needs of all learners
Promotionofcriticalthinking
Inorder topromote critical thinking anddeep learning,pupils shouldbeencouraged todevelop independence of thought and action. The teacher should allowpupils to selectfromdifferentoptionsandarangeofalternativessothattheycanmake,andjustifytheirowndecisions.
Examplesofgoodpractice
• The teacher employs a range of questioning strategies to promote pupil involvement and help develop critical thinking
• The teacher promotes pupils’ awareness of, and ability to articulate their own thought processes
• The teacher encourages independence in learning and supports pupils to take increasing responsibility for their own learning
• The teacher provides clear explanations of concepts, relationships, procedures and processes
• The teacher employs problem solving activities to encourage critical thinking, inquiry and creativity
• The teacher provides appropriate and purposeful opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively
• The teacher integrates the use of ICT wherever appropriate to enhance pupil learning
• The teacher encourages pupils to set personal goals for learning
• The teacher allows pupils to assume control over aspects of the teaching and learning process, where appropriate
• The teacher values and encourages pupil risk taking
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anandiadou,KandClaro,M.(2009),21stCenturySkillsandCompetencesforNewMillenniumLearners in OECD Countries,OECD Education Working Papers, No. 41 OECD Publishing,Available at http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/fulltext/5ks5f2x078kl.pdf?expires=1341850689&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=5991D9AB613811021BB5F5600F20CB79(Accessed09/07/2012)
British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes, (2008), Competency Framework for Teachers of English for Academic Purposes,London:BALEAP
DepartmentofEducationandTraining(2004),Competency Framework for Teachers,Perth:DET
EuropeanCommission,DirectorGeneralforEducationandCulture,2010
European Institute for E-Learning, The eLearning Competency Framework for Teachers and Trainers, Available at http://www.eife-l.org/publications/competencies/ttframework(Accessed10/07/2012)
Flavell,J.(1976),MetacognitiveAspectsofProblemSolving,inResnick,L.(Ed.),The Nature of Intelligence,Hillsdale,NJ:LawrenceErlbaum,231-6
Flavell, J. (1987), Speculations about the Nature and Development of Metacognition inFried,R.(2001),The Passionate Teacher. A Practical Guide,Boston:BeaconPress
Gardner,H.(1983),Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences,NewYork:BasicBooks
Garnett,S.(2006),Using Brain power in the Classroom,Abingdon:Routledge
GeneralTeachingCouncil forNorthern Ireland(2007),Teaching the Reflective Profession, Belfast:GTCNI
Hayes,D.(2006),Inspiring Primary Teaching,Exeter:LearningMatters
Hayes,D.(2012),Foundations of Primary Teaching,London:Routledge
Honey,PandMumford,A.(1992),The Manual of Learning Styles,Maidenhead:PeterHoney
McGuinness,C.(2000),Activating Children’s Thinking Skills,Belfast:CCEA
Morrison, K. (2001), Jurgen Habermas, in J.A. Palmer, (Ed.), Fifty Modern Thinkers from Piaget to the Present,Abingdon:RoutledgeFalmer
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MicrosoftPartnersinLearning,21st Century Skills: Collaboration, Available at http://www.innovativeteachertoolkit.com/documents/skills/collaboration.pdf(Accessed10/07/2012)
Microsoft Partners in Learning, 21st Century Skills: Creativity, Available at http://www.innovativeteachertoolkit.com/documents/skills/creativity.pdf(Accessed10/07/2012)
Microsoft Partners in Learning, 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking, Available at http://www.innovativeteachertoolkit.com/documents/skills/critical_thinking.pdf(Accessed10/07/2012)
Microsoft Partners in Learning,21st Century Skills: Assessment, Available at http://www.innovativeteachertoolkit.com/documents/skills/assessment.pdf(Accessed10/07/2012)
MicrosoftPartners inLearning,21st Century Skills: Organization, Available at http://www.innovativeteachertoolkit.com/documents/skills/organization.pdf(Accessed10/07/2012)
Morgan,N. and Saxon, J. (1994),Asking Better Questions,Markham,Ontario: PembrokePublishers
Petty,G.(2006),Evidence Based Teaching,Cheltenham:NelsonThornes
Riding,R.andRayner,S. (1998),Cognitive Styles and Learning Strategies: Understanding Style Differences in Learning and Behaviour,London:DavidFulton
Robson, S. (2006),Developing Thinking and Understanding in Young Children, Abingdon:Routledge
Selvi,K . (2010),Teachers’Competencies-Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology,Vol.VII(1)
Sjur, B. and Radu, D. (2010), Higher Education for Modern Societies: Competences and Values,Strasbourg:CouncilofEuropePublishing
TeacherDevelopmentAgency,(2008),Professional Standards for Qualified Teacher Status and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training,London:TDA
Tileson,D.(2007),Teaching Strategies for Active Learning: Five Essentials for Your Teaching Plan,ThousandOaks,CA:CorwinPress
UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2008), ICT Competency Framework for Teachers,Paris:UnitedNations
Wragg,E.andBrown,G.(1993),Explaining,Abingdon:Routledge
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2.4 KEY AREAS, SUBSEQUENT MODES OF PRACTICE AND EXEMPLARS OF ACTIVITIES: A FRAMEWORK FOR STUDENTS OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN POST-PRIMARY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
2 .4 .1 INTRODUCTION
Developmentof keyareas and subsequentmodesofpractice in scienceand technologypost-primaryinitialteachereducation(ITE)
1.1 The previous chapter provided a competence profile and pedagogical approach forstudentteachersofpost-primaryeducation.However,thischapteroutlinesarangeofkeyareas and subsequentmodes of practice which students of post-primary initial teachereducation,specifictotheareasofscienceandtechnology,shouldreflectuponandstrivetowards in order to help raise pupils’ interest in,motivation towards and perception ofscience and technology. These key areas and subsequentmodesof practice are derivedfrompreviousresearchandacademicliteraturerelatedtothetopicofpupils’perceptionsofscienceandtechnologyataEuropeanlevelwithinpost-primaryeducation.Thesuggestionisthatwhenincorporatedintoinitialteachereducation,theymayassistinthedevelopmentofinnovativelearningenvironmentswithinpost-primaryscienceandtechnologyteaching.These key areas and subsequentmodes of practicemay help students of initial teachereducationtoguidetheirpedagogicalthinkingwithinascienceandtechnologypost-primaryclassroominordertofulfilacompetenceprofile.
1.2Thekeyareasandsubsequentmodesofpracticeareoutlinedbelow.Theyhavebeenconstructedunderdifferentheadingswhichinclude:
• Pupilengagementwithscience&technology;
• Schoollinkswithcareerinscience&technology;
• Raisingquestionsinscience&technology;
• Connectedlearningofscience&technology;
• Publicperceptionofscience&technology;
• Promotionandstatusofscience&technology;
• Wideraspectstoscience&technology.
1.3When it comes to the education of post-primary student teachers, lecturers shouldintroducethesekeyareaswithinthosecoursemodulesrelatedspecificallytoscienceandtechnology.Bydoingthis, thestudent teachersshould thenbeawareof the importanceof reflectinguponeachof themfor thepurposeof raisingpupils’ interest in,motivationtowardsandperceptionofscienceandtechnology.
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2 .4 .2 KEY AREAS AND SUBSEQUENT MODES OF PRACTICE
1 . Pupil Engagement With Science & Technology
Key Areas Subsequent Modes Of Practice
Avoid repetitiveness. Utilize what has been learned by the pupils in science & technology at the end of primary school, without repeating the same type of activities by making it more challenging and personal to post-primary pupils’ lives.
Innovate and inspire. Create a teaching environment in science & technology that uses visual and interactive learning resources that fill the pupils with wonder and awe, and that steers away from a teaching environment that is dominated by content and copying notes, is repetitive, hurried, lacking in discussion, fragmented, and simply catering for passing exams.
Create an enthusiastic response from pupils.
Avoid making science & technology an area of the curriculum that is dull, driven by theory/laws/concepts, and meaningless by referring to how science & technology helps to create for example, smartphones, games consoles, laptops, and tablets.
Emphasise practical work.
Practice with pupils the idea that science & technology at school and beyond is not just about the rote learning of facts, but also involves the physical aspect of doing, designing, creating and making things work.
Make science & technology relevant, curious and fun.
Devise lesson plans to include activities in science & technology that have relevance to the pupils’ daily lives, raise their curiosity of science & technology, and engage the pupils in a fun way.
Instil autonomous learning.
Introduce more opportunities for pupils to control and direct their own learning and activities within science & technology by giving them the autonomy over how they could be actively engaged further in science & technology which has personal meaning to them as a group.
2.SchoolLinksWithCareerInScience&Technology
Key Areas Subsequent Modes Of Practice
Seek experience outside school.
Create an opportunity for you to spend time ‘shadowing’ experts in the field of science & technology so that it reinvigorates the excitement associated with how they apply to the world of work.
Consider your professional development.
Become aware of the ever-changing world of teaching science & technology at post-primary school, and therefore be receptive to improving your own knowledge and skills through continuing professional development, that will enhance your creativity in the use of resources and opportunities outside of the school environment.
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Introduce a link between school and work.
Connect the learning and skills associated with science & technology at school with the learning and skills associated with science & technology centres, industries, museums, exhibitions.
Connect pupils with work.
Provide pupils with access to experts and specialists in science & technology outside of school who can realistically demonstrate the scope and indeed the limitations of science & technology to young people’s lives, in order to make them desirable for the future.
Integrate fieldtrips. Become trained in health and safety to enable leading fieldtrips to science & technology industries and centres and to integrate the learning achieved outside the school with science & technology at school.
Involve the family. Organise events that involve parents and other family members, who work within the fields of science & technology, coming to the school to contribute to lessons that are activity-based, issue-oriented, and include problem-solving related to local science & technology employers.
3.RaisingQuestionsInScience&Technology
Key Areas Subsequent Modes Of Practice
Introduce criticality and debate.
Encourage pupils to be critical of science & technology findings in the sense of highlighting that debate and disagreement among the science & technology community can advance the formation of scientific and technological knowledge.
Highlight philosophical conflicts.
Acknowledge that science & technology has opposing scientific thinking that deals with the metaphysical, spiritual and supernatural, and that science and technology wars exist that opposes the idea of a single truth or reality.
Form opinions. Practice the skills of pupils providing their own informed opinions and contributions which either support or reject the arguments made by science & technology ‘experts’.
Consider the value of tasks.
Design practical activities in science & technology that are investigative, debate-based, have a task value and an achievable goal relevant to the daily lives of young people.
Assess through interpretation.
Include assessment in science & technology that involves pupils critically interpreting or evaluating claims about relevant theories made by scientists and technologists in order to reveal errors or omissions, or at least be more sceptical and curious about the unexplained.
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4.ConnectedLearningOfScience&Technology
Key Areas Subsequent Modes Of Practice
Link with other subjects.
Show links between the activities and learning during science & technology in school and the other subject disciplines at school, especially mathematics.
Connect the disciplines.
Make clear and relevant connections between the two concepts of science and technology that relate to the modern world in which young people live.
Incorporate new types of media.
Associate the lessons and activities in science & technology at school, with relevant and current media, such as television programmes, magazines, YouTube videos, Facebook and Twitter groups.
Demonstrate valuable generic skills.
Promote the skills and qualifications associated with science & technology as generic in that they are relevant to other careers outside of science & technology.
5.PublicPerceptionOfScience&Technology
Key Areas Subsequent Modes Of Practice
Recognise pupil identity.
Realize that young people are very conscious of their self-identity at school, which can impact on the perception of it being ‘uncool’ to have an interest in science & technology.
Address stereotypes. Create a learning environment which counteracts the negative stereotypes that currently exist in relation to those who have a career in science & technology.
Overcome fear and elitism in science & technology.
Make science & technology ‘trendy’, bring it outside the laboratory, instil in pupils that it can be easy to understand with nothing to fear, and emphasise that it is not just for those who are deemed to be the elite, intelligent and hard-working.
Approach gender inequalities.
Actively promote science & technology among post-primary girls to counteract the inequalities that currently exist between the two genders in the uptake of certain careers related to science & technology.
Associate ‘celebrity’ with science & technology.
Acknowledge the attractiveness and interest young people have towards ‘celebrity’ and ‘fame’ in the world of entertainment, by linking it to those ‘celebrities’ who are associated with the world of science & technology, for example those who appear on television or through other types of media.
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6.PromotionAndStatusOfScience&Technology
Key Areas Subsequent Modes Of Practice
Present scope within higher education.
Have up-to-date and relevant knowledge of opportunities in higher education and in careers related to science & technology in order to inform pupils who wish to pursue them for their future education and potential career.
Be enthusiastic specialists.
Demonstrate to pupils that teachers are specialists who are extremely well qualified to teach the specific subject disciplines within science & technology and are enthusiastic about these subjects in school and beyond.
Highlight the European dimension.
Communicate to pupils the importance of science & technology for Europe and the real need for young people within Europe to pursue it as a career, so that the countries within Europe do not fall behind the rest of the world.
Raise the status of science & technology teachers.
Show the pupils that a teacher working within science & technology is considered to have a positive and well-respected status in society, and that a career in science & technology has a high level of esteem.
Demonstrate a work/life balance.
Recognise that a pupil’s enjoyment of science & technology inside and outside school can lead to a positive choice and attainment of science & technology for a future career, which can be easily combined with a positive family life.
7 . Wider Aspects To Science & Technology
Key Areas Subsequent Modes Of Practice
Cater for both pure and social science.
Jointly facilitate those pupils who are interested in the world of science & technology, as well as those who are interested in science & technology-based social concerns.
Extend beyond science & technology facts.
Include contemporary cultural and social aspects to science & technology, with some reference to the historical aspects.
Realise political and economic agendas.
Activate pupils’ thinking about potential agendas of science & technology, and whether they help or hinder advances in the world.
Approach ethical issues.
Instil the idea that science & technology have many ethical issues associated with procedures and participants, and that there is an importance attached to those working within science & technology of the need to have empathy towards the concerns of human beings, other living creatures, the environment and society at large.
Focus on positive outcomes of science & technology.
Emphasise the positives associated with science & technology, especially in relation to counteracting global warming or pollution to create a better environment, as these are deemed to be very important to young people.
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3 DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY, QUESTIONNAIRE AND GUIDELINES
PerceptionsOfPost-PrimaryPupils’TowardsScienceand/orTechnology
Guidelines
Thisquestionnairehasbeendesignedbyateamofresearchers fromGermany,NorthernIreland, Romania and Spainwho are very interested in finding outwhat pupils in post-primaryschoolsacrossEuropethinkaboutscienceand/ortechnology.
Eachquestionrequiresyoutogiveyouropinionbyplacingatick[√]inabox.Thisisnotatest,sotherearenorightorwronganswers.Insteadtheresearchteamareveryinterestedinfindingoutyourownopinionsonscienceand/ortechnology.Theinformationyouprovidewillremainanonymousandconfidentialtotheresearchteam,sopleasedonotwriteyournameonthequestionnaire.Bycompletingandreturningthisquestionnaire,youwillhaveshownyouragreementtoitbeingusedforthepurposeofthisproject.
Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
38
1. Whatgenderareyou?(tickoneboxonly)
Male
Female
2. Whatageareyou?
Age
3. Whatisyourschoolyeargroup?(tickoneboxonly)
4. Whatisthehighestlevelofeducationcompletedbyanyofyourparents/guardians?Tickoneboxonly
University of equivalent
Secondary school or equivalent
Other
Don’t know
5. Doanyofyourparents/guardianshaveacareerrelatedtoscienceand/ortechnology?(tickoneboxonly)
Yes
No
6. Whatisyourlevelofinterestinthefollowing?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Very interested
Fairly interested
Not very interested
Disinterested
Food and/or consumer issues
Science and/or technology
Movies
Art and/or culture
Sports
Economy and/or business
Education
Medicine and/or health
Environmental issues
Politics
Famous people (actors, rock stars...)
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
7. Howoftendoyougetinformationonscienceand/ortechnologyfromthefollowing?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Always Sometimes Never
Television
Radio
Newspapers
Magazines
Books
Encyclopaedias
Educational software programmes
DVDs
Teachers
Parent/guardian
Blogs/on-line discussion forums
Podcasts
YouTube
Other
8. Whatisyourlevelofinterestinlearningaboutthesegeneralareasofscienceand/ortechnology?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Very interested Fairly interestedNot very
interestedDisinterested
Biology
Geology
Chemistry
Electronics
Engineering
Mathematics
Physics
Product design
Product manufacture
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9. Doyouthinkthatlearningaboutscienceand/ortechnologyprovidesyouwiththefollowing?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Yes No Don’t know
Improves your understanding of the things that affect you and your family
Improves your understanding of opinions on society and political issues
Improves your understanding of communicating with different people
Improves your understanding of solving problems in your daily life
Improves your understanding of being more sensitive towards other people
Improves your understanding of being a more responsible consumer
Improves your understanding of a career in science and/or technology
10.Whatareyouropinionsonthefollowingstatements?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Strongly agree
Agree Undecided DisagreeStrongly disagree
Science and/or technology subjects at school are boring
Studying science and/or technology subjects at school will help me obtain my desired job in the future
Science and/or technology activities are fun
Science and/or technology issues are difficult to understand
I like science and/or technology
Science and/or technology subjects are the most interesting to study at school
I am interested in science and/or technology subjects that relate to people’s health
I like learning about science and/or technology that relate to space travel and the universe
I like learning about laws of science and/or technology
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
11.Which of the following careers would interest you in the future? (tick one box only for eachstatement)
Yes No Don’t know
Doctor
Researcher
Engineer
Judge
Lawyer
Sports person
Artist
Journalist
Business person
Teacher
Politician
Inventor
Designer
Other
12.Whatareyouropinionsonthefollowingstatements?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Strongly agree
Agree Undecided DisagreeStrongly disagree
My parents/guardians will be a strong influence on my choice of career
My other relatives will be a strong influence on my choice of career
My friends will be a strong influence on my choice of career
My teachers will be a strong influence on my choice of career
Famous people will be a strong influence on my choice of career
13.Whatisyourlevelofinterestinthefollowingscienceand/ortechnologyactivities?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Very interested
Fairly interested
Not very interested
Disinterested
Doing research projects
Planning research projects
Collecting information for research projects
Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
Testing solutions to problem-solving
Examining results from research projects
Writing research reports
Working as a member of a research team
Making presentations about research
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14.Whatareyouropinionsonthefollowingstatements?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Strongly agree
Agree Undecided DisagreeStrongly disagree
Science and/or technology provide the best ways to understand our world
Science and/or technology are increasingly complicated
Science and/or technology are harmful to our health
Science and/or technology help improve our environment
Science and/or technology provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
Science and/or technology enable me to make friends
Science and/or technology should be used properly to avoid danger
Science and/or technology help cure diseases
Science and/or technology are concerned with the needs of people
Science and/or technology cause a division between rich and poor people
Science and/or technology make life enjoyable
Science and/or technology present serious risks to the world
Science and/or technology are very beneficial to society
15.Whatareyouropinionsonthefollowingstatements?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Strongly agree
Agree Undecided DisagreeStrongly disagree
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically old
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically boring
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically men
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically creative
People who have a career in science and/or technology typically work alone
People who have a career in science and/or technology typically work in a laboratory
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically competitive
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically hard-working
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically geniuses
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically nerdy
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically strange
People who have a career in science and/or technology are typically addicted to their work
16.Whydoyouthinkpeoplechoosescienceand/ortechnologyasacareer?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
True False Don’t know
They earn a lot of money
They think it is worthwhile
They enjoyed studying it
They believe other people think it is worthwhile
They can become famous
They get the opportunity to travel
17.Sincestartingthisschool,haveyouvisitedanyofthefollowingonascienceand/ortechnologytrip?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Yes No Don’t know
Science and/or technology museum
Science and/or technology exhibition
Science and/or technology fair
Science and/or technology library
Science and/or technology park
Science and/or technology conference
18.Doyouthinkyourschoolshouldprovidemorescienceand/ortechnologytrips?(tickoneboxonly)
Yes
No
19.Doyouthinkyourschoolshouldallowyoutodomorepracticalprojectsrelatedtoscienceand/ortechnology?(tickoneboxonly)
Yes
No, I don’t need more practical projects
No, because my school allows us enough practical projects
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20.Doyouseemathematicsatschoolhavinglinkswithscienceand/ortechnology?(tickoneboxonly)
Yes
No
21.Doyouseeothersubjectsatschoolhavinglinkswithscienceand/ortechnology?(tickoneboxonly)
Yes
No
22.Howwouldyourateyourcurrentknowledgeinscienceand/ortechnologyforyourtypicalage?(tickoneboxonly)
Excellent
Very good
Good
Average
Poor
23.Dothefollowingscienceand/ortechnologyactivitiesatschoolinterestyou?(tickoneboxonlyforeachstatement)
Yes NoSchool doesn’t offer such
activities
Science and/or technology competitions
Science and/or technology experiments
Science and/or technology research projects
Science and/or technology speakers
Science and/or technology trips
Science and/or technology assemblies
Science and/or technology displays
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
4 A DESCRIPTION OF THE “STIMULA” ACTIVITIES
This chapter is devoted to collect the main features of the activities developed duringthepilotsoftheSTIMULAprojects.Theactivitiesweredesignedattendingtothespecificcharacteristicsoftheschools,andspecificallytothedifferentcurriculaandformalactivitiesdeveloped by the pupils. All the activities share the same general objectives, but wereadaptedtoeachspecificcountryandschool.
Eachparagraphdescribestheactivities inonecountry.Atablecollects thenamesof theschools and number of groups; the basic features of each activity (contest, experiment,visit…)aredescribedbymeansofaseriesofquestionsandanswers.
4.1 France
Name of the school Groups Level-age(1st survey)
Level-age(pilot-2nd survey)
Bernat Etxepare Lizeoa 3 Lycée 2ème (15-16 y.o.) Lycée 1ère (16-17 y.o.)
Zirubuko Kolegioa 3Collége 4ème
(13-14 y.o.)Collége 3ème (14-15 y.o.)
Zirubuko Kolegioa 3Collége 6ème
(11-12 y.o.)Collége 5ème (12-13 y.o.)
Contest:
• Howoldwerethestudents?14-15 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedinthecontest?1 class
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?No.
• Whichtopicdidtheyselect?Invasive species
• Didtheydoanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?No
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• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.)The topic was not directly related with the curriculum of the students, so they had problems with time.
Experiment:
• Howoldwerethestudents?15-16 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedintheexperiments?2 classes
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?4-5 pupils in each team.
• Whichexperimentdidtheydo?Black box and Rube Goldberg machine
• Didtheyrealizeanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?No
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.).No
Visit to research centre:
• Howoldwerethestudents?16-17 years old
• Wheredidtheygo?TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION (Parque tecnológico de San Sebastián), 5th of December of 2012.
Tecnalia is the first private R&D&I entity in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. Its mission is to transform knowledge into real economy, improving people’s quality of life by generating business opportunities for companies.
• Howmanyclassesdidthevisit?One.
• Didalltheclassdothevisittogetherordidtheysplitinsmallergroups?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?All together
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• Howwasthevisitorganized?Marketing department of Tecnalia proposed a schedule
• Whatdidthestudentsdo?(programmeofthevisitday) – 09:00-9:30: Welcome of marketing director, introduction of Tecnalia and
corporative video. – 9:30- 10:30 Talk with researcher and visit industry and transport division and
virtual demo lab. – 10:30-10:50 Break – 11:00-12:00 Talk with a researcher and visit lab. – 12:15-13:30 Talk a with researcher
• Whichwastheprofileoftheresearcherthestudentsstayedwith?Regular researcher.
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.):Feedback from the teachers:
– It is better to manage and prepare the visit with a high profile manager of the centre, so the researcher that is going to stay with the students don’t have overload of work.
– A class of 30 students is too big for the visit, next time it should be better to split in 2 groups of 15. That means more researchers and rooms.
– The localization and the facilities of the technology centre are crucial for the experience (heater, the loud-speaker etc.).
– It is a good idea for the students to take prepared questions for the researchers, especially questions that serve as icebreaker.
– It is necessary to foresee any help for handicapped students. – It is advisable to have balanced gender in the researchers. – Talks and visits to lab, both are interesting. – The coffee break is a very good place to make contact between researchers and
students. If there is a table and they have to sit together they connect faster than if they have to stand.
– Language of foreign researchers can be a problem if the students can’t understand him or her.
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4.2 Germany
Name of the school Groups Level-age(1st survey)
Level-age(pilot-2nd survey)
Freie Evangelische Schule Lörrach2 (experimental
and control)Klasse 10 (15-16 y.o.) Klasse 11 (16-17 y.o.)
Freie Evangelische Schule Lörrach2 (experimental
and control)Klasse 8 (13-14 y.o.) Klasse 9 (14-15 y.o.)
Freie Evangelische Schule Lörrach2 (experimental
and control)Klasse 6 (11-12 y.o.) Klasse 7 (12-13 y.o.)
Hans Thoma Gymnasium2 (experimental
and control)Klasse 9 (14-15 y.o.) Klasse 10 (15-16 y.o.)
Hans Thoma Gymnasium2 (experimental
and control)Klasse 8 (13-14 y.o.) Klasse 9 (14-15 y.o.)
Hans Thoma Gymnasium2 (experimental
and control)Klasse 6 (11-12 y.o.) Klasse 7 (12-13 y.o.)
Contest:
• Howoldwerethestudents?12 – 13 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedinthecontest?Two classes, one of each participating school.
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?They did teamwork with the whole class. Hans-Thoma-Gymnasium Loerrach (HTG) class: 31 pupils; Freie Evangelische Schule Loerrach (FES) class: 23 pupils.
• Witchtopicdidtheyselect?“Invasive species” (HTG) and “Music of the body” (FES).
• Didtheydoanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?The HTG class got help of a workgroup to produce the video and do the final cut.
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.)No.
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
Science experiments:
• Howoldwerethestudents?14 - 15 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedintheexperiments?2 classes, 1 of each participating school
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?2 pupils per team
• Witchexperimentdidtheydo?Hydroelectric-Turbine generator
• Didtheyrealizeanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?In addition to this experiment, the FES class did as well the Black Box and the Rube Goldberg machine.
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.).Both teachers were enthusiastic about the experiment Hydroelectric-Turbine generator. They will do this experiment in the following years with further classes as well.
Visit to research centre:
• Howoldwerethestudents?The pupils were between 15 and 16 years old.
• Wheredidtheygo?The students attended a robotics workshop conducted by the Steinbeis Innovation Centre for Embedded Design and Networking (SIZEDN).
The Steinbeis Innovation gGmbH is part of the Steinbeis Foundation, a state owned foundation targeting technology transfer from universities into the economy. At the moment, more than 700 transfer companies belong to the Steinbeis network, which employed in 2009 a total of 801 professors, alongside with 1,385 employees and 3,584 contractors. Altogether they generated revenue of €118m in 2009. The whole Steinbeis network runs around 50 projects on the EC-level.
The Centre for Embedded Design and Networking was founded in 2002 at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University in Loerrach, Germany. It is active in R&D projects around wireless and wired embedded connectivity for the internet of things. Since 2003, it runs the IT-Seminar Loerrach, a long-term activity for high-school students working on robotics. IT-Seminar Loerrach is now an organizational part of
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Phaenovum Schuelerforschungszentrum Loerrach-Dreilaendereck e.V., being also a Stimula project partner.
As the SIZEDN has not the facilities to house a workshop for classes of about 30 pupils, one workshop has been conducted at the partner school, the other at the Phaenovum pupil’s research centre.
• Howmanyclassesdidthevisit?There were two classes taking part at the activity. One class from the Hans-Thoma-Gymnasium Loerrach (HTG), the other from the Freie Evangelische Schule Loerrach (FES).
• Didalltheclassdothevisittogetherordidtheysplitinsmallergroups?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?The first workshop took place in the computer lab of the HTG. The whole class of 27 pupils took part at the same workshop.
The second workshop took place at the Phaenovum. Since the rooms there are too small for more than 20 pupils the class of 29 pupils has been divided into two workshops.
• Howwasthevisitorganized?The workshops have been organized by the SIZEDN and the partnering schools.
• Whatdidthestudentsdo?(programmeofthevisitday) – 08:30 – Round of Introductions – 09:00 – Presentation: “Robotics - brief overview” – 09:10 – Presentation: “Lego Mindstorms – the platform” – 09:35 – Introducing the task: The Line Follower – 09:40 – Introduction to NXT-G (LabView) – 10:15 – Break – 10:30 – Construction & Programming of a Line Follower – 12:15 – Feedback Session – 12:30 – End of workshop
• Whichwastheprofileoftheresearcherthestudentsstayedwith? – Engineer / Project Staff from SIZEDN – Pupils from the Phaenovum
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.):The class from the FES showed a higher level of attention than the class from the HTG. There may be two circumstances explaining this: The FES class was split in 2 groups of ~15 pupils each and their workshop was held outside of their school building at the Phaenovum placing them in an unfamiliar environment.
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4.3 Northern Ireland (U.K. system)
Name of the school Groups Level-age(1st survey)
Level-age(pilot-2nd survey)
Loreto College2 (experimental
and control)Year 11 (14-15 y.o.) Year 12 (15-16 y.o.)
St Michael’s Grammar School2 (experimental
and control)Year 11 (14-15 y.o.) Year 12 (15-16 y.o.)
St Dominic’s Grammar School2 (experimental
and control)Year 9 (12-13 y.o.) Year 10 (13-14 y.o.)
St Dominic’s Grammar School2 (experimental
and control)Year 8 (11-12 y.o.) Year 9 (12-13 y.o.)
St Paul’s Junior High School2 (experimental
and control)Year 9 (12-13 y.o.) Year 10 (13-14 y.o.)
St Paul’s Junior High School2 (experimental
and control)Year 8 (11-12 y.o.) Year 9 (12-13 y.o.)
Contest:
• Howoldwerethestudents?12-13 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedinthecontest?Two classes- one from St Paul’s Junior High School and one from St Dominic’s Grammar School
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplewereineachteam?Yes, the pupils in each class were divided into teams which had approximately 5 pupils in each team
• Whichtopicdidtheyselect?The topic was Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and its possible applications in terms of meeting a human need.
• Didtheytakepartinanycomplementaryactivities(talkfromanexpert…)?Yes they were given a presentation by a Dr Michael Cregan from Queen’s University Belfast who is an expert on Wi-Fi applications.
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• Anyotherinterestingissues(noforeseenproblemsetc.)There were no unforeseen problems.
Experiment:
• Howoldwerethestudents?13-14 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedintheexperiments?Two classes- one from St Paul’s Junior High School and one from St Dominic’s Grammar School
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplewereineachteam?Yes, the pupils in each class were divided into teams which had approximately 5 pupils in each team
• Whichexperimentdidtheydo?The pupils built a model of a Hydroelectric-Turbine generator.
• Didtheytakepartinanycomplementaryactivities(talkfromanexpert…)?Yes they visited an organic farm where a Hydroelectric-Turbine had been installed and had informed discussions with the owner. The owner had participated, as the client, in the overall design of the installation. He was therefore able to provide the pupils with an expert insight in the advantages/disadvantages of both installing and running the Hydro-Turbine system on his farm.
• Anyotherinterestingissues(noforeseenproblemsetc.):There were no unforeseen problems with the project.
Visit to research centre:
• Howoldwerethestudents?15-16 years old
• Wheredidtheygo?St Michael’s Grammar school pupils visited a local product designer’s research studio. Loreto Grammar pupils visited Armstrong Medical a local company that had incorporated robots into its industrial production cycle.
• Howmanyclassesdidthevisit?Two classes- one from St Michael’s Grammar School and one from Loreto College
• Didalltheclassdothevisittogetherordidtheysplitinsmallergroups?Each of the classes made the visit as single units.
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
• Howmanypeoplewereineachteam?There were approximately 15 pupils from each school on each of the visits. However the pupils were organised into groups of 3-4 for the associated project work.
• Howwasthevisitorganized?St Mary’s University College organised the visits for each school
• Whatdidthestudentsdo?(programmeofthevisitday)The pupils were taken on a tour of each facility with the local engineer/designer explaining in detail the design and production cycles that operated within each of the facilities. The pupils then asked some research questions that focussed on how both Science and Technological based knowledge was being applied within each industry/facility in order to meet a human need.
• Whichwastheprofileoftheresearcherthestudentsstayedwith?The researcher/designer/engineers in each of the facilities were employed in prominent roles that entailed them managing both the design and manufacturing processes.
• Anyotherinterestingissues(noforeseenproblemsetc.):There were no unforeseen problems.
4.4 Romania
Name of the school Groups Level-age(1st survey)
Level-age(pilot-2nd survey)
Colegiul National “Nicolae Titulescu”
2 (experimental) Level X (16-17 y.o.) Level XI (17-18 y.o.)
Colegiul National “Nicolae Titulescu”
2 (experimental) Level IX (15-16 y.o.) Level X (16-17 y.o.)
Colegiul National “Nicolae Titulescu”
2 (experimental) Level VII (13-14 y.o.) Level VIII (14-15 y.o.)
Colegiul National “Stefan Velovan”
2 (control) Level X (16-17 y.o.) –
Colegiul National “Stefan Velovan”
2 (control) Level IX (15-16 y.o.) –
School N. 39 2 (control) Level VII (13-14 y.o.) –
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Contest:
• Howoldwerethestudents?14-15 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedinthecontest?2 classes
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?In one class they worked in 3 teams- 8 students, in the other no teams.
• Witchtopicdidtheyselect?Renewable energy for everyone; Wireless connections
• Didtheydoanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?No
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.)They had problems with time.
Experiment:
• Howoldwerethestudents?15-16 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedintheexperiments?2 classes
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?6 pupils in each team.
• Witchexperimentdidtheydo?Rube Goldberg machine and Black box
• Didtheyrealizeanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?No
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.).No
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Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
Visit to research centre:
• Howoldwerethestudents?16-18 years old
• Wheredidtheygo?The Regional Meteorological Center of Oltenia;
Faculty of Automation, computers and electronics-mecatonica specialization – University of Craiova
• Howmanyclassesdidthevisit?2 classes
• Didalltheclassdothevisittogetherordidtheysplitinsmallergroups?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?All together
• Howwasthevisitorganized?DepartmentofResearchoftheFacultyofAutomation,ComputersandElectronics– University of Craiova
• Whatdidthestudentsdo?(programmeofthevisitday)The Regional Meteorological Center of Oltenia
– Welcome and visiting weather stations in the monitoring area. Collection of data from stations
– Visiting Centre-presenting applications and weather data processing tools and turn them into weather information.
– Break – Talk with researchers
Faculty of Automation, computers and electronics-mecatonica specialization – University of Craiova
– Welcome and introduction to Lego Robotics – Talk with researcher -they built a Bumper Car (with touch- and ultrasound
sensors) – Break – Visiting the labs. – Talk with researchers
• Witchwastheprofileoftheresearcherthestudentsstayedwith?Regular researchers and a university professor.
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• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.):Feedback from the teachers: The students were very excited.Researchers have adapted to the students ‘ language, which made the communication easier. We have established new partnerships to continue these visits in the next year, which will be better organized in terms of time management, students and researchers will solve new tasks together.
4.5 Spain
Name of the school Groups Level-age(1st survey)
Level-age(pilot-2nd survey)
Fray Juan de Zumárraga-Durango BHI
2 (experimental and control)
1º Bachillerato (16-17 y.o.)
2º Bachillerato (17-18 y.o.)
IES Elorrio BHI2 (experimental
and control)DBH 2/2º ESO
(13-14 y.o.)DBH 3/3º ESO
(14-15 y.o.)
IES Elorrio BHI2 (experimental
and control)DBH 3/3º ESO
(14-15 y.o.)DBH 4/4º ESO
(15-16 y.o.)
Contest:
• Howoldwerethestudents?14-15 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedinthecontest?2 classes
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?4-5 pupils each team.
• Whichtopicdidtheyselect?Invasive species
• Didtheydoanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?Interview to expert (Honey maker)
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.)Teachers and pupils liked very much to participate in the contest.
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Experiment:
• Howoldwerethestudents?15-16 years old
• Howmanyclassesparticipatedintheexperiments?2 classes
• Didtheyworkinteams?Howmanypeoplehadeachteam?4-5 pupils each team.
• Whichexperimentdidtheydo?Black box and Rube Goldberg machine
• Didtheyrealizeanycomplementaryaction(talkofexpert…)?No
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.).No
Visit to research centre:
• Howoldwerethestudents?16-17 years old
• Wheredidtheygo?TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION (Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia), 10th of December of 2012
Tecnalia is the first private R&D&I entity in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. Its mission is to transform knowledge into real economy, improving people’s quality of life by generating business opportunities for companies.
– How many classes did the visit? – One. – Did all the class do the visit together or did they split in smaller groups? How
many people had each team? – All together – How was the visit organized? – Marketing department of Tecnalia proposed a schedule – What did the students do? (programme of the visit day)
· 09:00-9:30: Welcome of marketing director, introduction of Tecnalia and corporative video.
· 9:30- 10:30 Talk with researcher and visit to health lab. · 10:30-11:30 Talk with two researchers and visit the automotive lab.
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· 11:30-11:45 Break · 11:45-12:30 Talk with researcher and visit the artificial vision lab. · 12:30-13:30 Visit to experimental house about energy with researcher.
• Whichwastheprofileoftheresearcherthestudentsstayedwith?Regular researcher.
• Anyotherinterestingnote(noforeseenproblemsetc.):Feedback from the teachers:
– It is better to manage and prepare the visit with a high profile manager of the centre, so the researcher that is going to stay with the students don’t have overload of work.
– A class of 30 students is too big for the visit, next time it should be better to split in 2 groups of 15. That means more researchers and rooms.
– The localization and the facilities of the technology centre are crucial for the experience (heater, the loud-speaker etc.).
– It is a good idea for the students to take prepared questions for the researchers, especially questions that serve as icebreaker.
– It is necessary to foresee any help for handicapped students. – It is advisable to have balanced gender in the researchers. – Talks and visits to lab, both are interesting. – The coffee break is a very good place to make contact between researchers and
students. If there is a table and they have to sit together they connect faster than if they have to stand.
– Language of foreign researchers can be a problem if the students can’t understand him or her.
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5 RESULTS
5.1 Descriptionoftheanalysisprotocol
INTRODUCTION
Asitssubtitleindicates,STIMULAprojectismainlydevotedtostimulateS&Tcompetenceinpost-primarypupils. It isthoughtthatthesenew(orbetter)competenceswill improveperceptionsandinterestonS&Tbypupils,leadingtoanincreaseoftheS&Tvocations.
Thepartnersoftheprojecthavedesignedanddevelopedseveralactivitieswiththisaim,and it is very important for us to have available tools for detecting the effects of theseactivities.Themaintoolsforthisarethetwosurveyswepassedtothepupilsduringtheproject.Theirmaincharacteristicsarethefollowing:
– Thequestionnairesforthesurveysinclude23questions,andweredesignedbytheSTIMULAteam.
– ThequestionsaremainlydevotedtoknowtheviewsofthepupilsonseveralitemsrelatedtoS&T,bothasacademicorsocialissues.
– Theanswersaredisplayedasachoicebetweenseveral(closed)possibilities:Yes/No,levelofagreementwithagivenassessment,etc.
– Thesamequestionnairewasfilledoutbythepupils inallthecountries,schoolsandagegroups.
– Thefirstsurveywasdoneseveralmonthsbeforetheactivities;thesecondone,justaftertheactivities(severaldaysorweekslater).
– Thesamequestionnairewasfilledoutbythepupils inbothsurveys, inordertodetectchangesrelatedwiththeactivities.
– Besidesthe“experimental”groups,thesurveyshavealsobeenpassedby“control”groups(thatdidnotparticipateintheactivities).
Fortheanalysisoftheresults,wehavedevelopedagroupof“workinghypotheses”.Wehadfocusedonthemtogettherelevantinformationforthesurveys.Thiswillbedonebyusingaspecificprotocoltoobtain(statistical)informationforthesurveyresults.
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WORKING HYPOTHESES
Themainworkinghypothesesarethefollowing:
WH1)Thequestionnairesallowobtainingstatisticallyrelevantinformationonperceptions about S&T, interest about S&T issues and vocations in S&T of the post-primary pupils’groups.
WH2)Positiveperceptions,interestandvocationsareconnected.
WH3)TheparticipationofpupilsinthedesignedactivitiescauseaenrichmentintheirS&Tcompetences.Asaconsequence,pupils:
a) DevelopmorepositiveperceptionsaboutS&T,
b) IncreasetheirlevelofinterestaboutS&Tissues,
c) IncreasetheirinterestinpursuingcareersinS&T.
WH4)Individualfeaturesofthepupilscaninfluenceperceptions,interestandvocationsinS&T.Specifically,wewillanalyze:
a) Gender
b) Levelofeducationoftheparents/guardians
c) PupilownperceptionofS&Tknowledge.
WORKING PROTOCOL
Thequestionnairecontains23questions.Exceptforthosecorrespondingtoindividualdata(age,gender,socio-culturalenvironment)thequestionsaremainlydevotedtoevaluatetheperceptionsonS&Tissues(bothintheacademicenvironmentandinSociety)ofpupils.Insomequestions,pupilsshoulddeterminetheirlevelofagreementwithanassessment,ortheirlevelofintereststowardsaspecificissue.Inothercases,adirectquestionisput,andpupilsshouldchooseanansweras“Yes”or“No”.
FIRSTANALYSISOFTHESURVEY
The main objectives of the STIMULA project are related with motivation (i. e. positiveinterest)towardsS&T,andparticularlywithfosteringvocationsinS&T.Thus,thesurveyisfocusedinstudyingelementsoftheperceptionsconnectedwithmotivationandvocations.
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Withtheseideasinmind,andfollowingthehypothesisWH1,wecanselectfourmain items tobeevaluatedinouranalysis:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I4)Instrumentalissues
Eachquestionwill beassociated tooneof thosemain items. Logically, all the itemsarerelated:positiveperceptions, interest,academic interestandvocationswillusuallybeallconnected.Moreover,itisnotalwayseasytoclearlyseparatetheseitems.Butwethinkwecanmakeuseofthisstructureforasuitableanalysisofthesurvey.
Statisticaltools
Thepercentageoftheanswerstoeachquestionwillbeusedtoinferthestatisticalopinionsof thepupilsaboutperceptions, interestandvocations.Forquestionscontaining severalstatements,methods,etc.,statisticalranksofagreement,interest,use…withinthequestioncanbeestablished.Directquestions (wherepossibleanswersare“yes”or“not”)canbeeasily ranked for a simple statistical analysis. However,whenquestions ask for levels ofagreementorlevelofinterest,answersareobtainedasordinalvalues,thatis,fourorfivequalitativevaluesthatcanbeordered,fromthelowerslevelofagreementorinterest,tothehighestone.Inthiscase,obtainingarankofagreementorinterestwithinthestatementsofaquestionbecomesmoredifficult.Theuseofthepercentageofeachansweristherightway for comparing, butwith a so large collectionof data, this canbe cumbersomeandevenpreventobtainingclearconclusions.Theuseofestimates, likethemodevalue(themostansweredone),thepercentageofoneextremelevelofagreementorinterest,ortheaggregatepercentageofthetwohighestorlowestlevelsofagreementorinterest,ortheuseofquantitativeestimatesbytransformingtheordinalvaluesintoascale,areinprinciplenotsuitablebecauseinsomecasesitcandrivetoawronganalysis.Fortunately,thisdifficultycanbeovercomewhenthestatisticaldistributionoftheordinalvaluesshowabellshape.Itcanbeseenthatitissoformostofourresults.Insuchacase,allthepreviouslydescribedestimatesdisplayalmostthesameordering,andameaningfulrankingisobtainedfortheanalysisoftheresults.Forthisanalysis,wewillmainlymakeuseofthemodevalueofeachanswer,butalsoglobalcomparisonoftheanswerswillbeused.
Descriptionoftheanalysis
Thegroupsincludepupilsofthesamecountryandthesameeducationallevel.“Experimental”and“control”groupswillbeanalyzedseparately.
Inthefollowing,wewilldescribeeachmainitemwithsomedetail,developingitinsecondaryitemsandexplainingthewaytheyareusedfortheanalysis:
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I.1)PerceptionofS&T
WecandefineitasthepupilsviewofS&Tasusefultoolsforunderstandingtheworldandformodifyingitinawaythatbothsolvespracticalproblemsofindividualsorgroupswithoutdamagingotherindividuals,groups,ortheenvironment.
Inourquestionnaire,thefollowingquestionsarerelatedwithperceptionofS&T:
– Question9
– Question14
– Question15
– Question16
– Question20
– Question21
WecanselectthefollowingsecondaryitemsonperceptionofS&T:
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects:Eachstatementofquestion9wasusedforanestimationoftheusefulnessperceptionofusefulnessinaspecificfield.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T:Eachstatementofquestion14wasusedforanestimationoftheusefulnessinaspecificfield.Thestatementscanbeseparatedinthreegroups:
i)Practicalissues:“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”
ii)Ethicalissues:“S&Tareethicallypositive”
iii)Ambivalence:“S&Tarepositiveornegativedependingonthewaypeopleusethem”
The statements of question 14 were separated in these three groups and used for anestimationoftheusefulnessperceptioninaspecificfield.
Notethatsomestatementsarewritteninanegativestyle.Insomediscussions,thepositiveperceptionwillbeconsidered.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T
Thereareseveralgroupsofstereotypes:
I.1.2.a)Individualfeatures:Thelevelofassumptionofthesestereotypescanbeestimatedfromquestion15,statements15.a,15.cand15.i.Theyareconsidered“negative”astheycorrespondtothestereotypeof“male,oldpeople,geniuses”.
I.1.2.b)Socialskills:The levelofassumptionof thesestereotypescanbeestimatedfromquestion15,statements15.b,15.g,15.j,15.kand15.l.Theyareconsidered“negative”astheycorrespondtothestereotypeof“boring,competitive,nerdy,strange,addicttowork”.
I.1.2.c)Workingconditions:Thelevelofassumptionofthesestereotypescanbeestimatedfrom question 15, statements 15.e and 15.f. They are considered “negative” as theycorrespondtothestereotypeof“workingalone,workinginalaboratory”.
I.1.2.d)Positiveviews:Thelevelofassumptionoftwopositiveviewscanbeestimatedfromquestion15,statements15.dand15.h.Theyareconsidered“positive”astheyshowfeaturesthatcouldbeemphasized(“beingcreative”,“workinghard”).
I.1.2.e)ReasonsforchoosingaS&Tcareer:The levelofassumptionofthesestereotypescanbeestimatedfromquestion16.Arankingofthereasonsestimatedbythepupilscanbeestablished.
I.1.3)PerceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects
I.1.3.a)ConnectionbetweenMathematicsandotherS&Tsubjects:Fromquestion20.
I.1.3.b)ConnectionbetweenS&Tsubjectsandothersubjects:Fromquestion21
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
WecandefineitasapositiveviewofpupilsiftheywanttoknowmoreaboutS&Trelatedissues,tolearnmoreS&Tintheclassroom,andtoiftheychooseS&Tissueswhendecidingtheiracademicitinerariesorcurricula.
Inourquestionnaire,thefollowingquestionsarerelatedwiththeinteresttowardsS&T:
– Question6
– Question8
– Question10
– Question13
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– Question18
– Question19
– Question23
WecanselectthefollowingsecondaryitemsoninteresttowardsS&T:
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues
Arankingofinteresttowardsgeneralissuescanbeestablishedfromquestion6.Besidestherankof6.b(“ScienceandTechnology”)attentionshouldbepaidto6.a,6.d,6.g,6.hand6.i,astheactivitiesoftheprojectcouldbeconnectedwithsuchissues.
I.2.2)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects
I.2.2.a) A ranking of interest towards academic S&T subjects can be established fromquestion8.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardsacademicS&Tsubjects
Question10reflectsthreedifferentaspectsofaffinity:
i)EnjoymentwithS&T:correspondstostatements10.a,10.c,10.eand10.f
ii)Rationalinterest:correspondstostatements10.band10.d
iii)InteresttowardsspecificissuesinS&T:correspondstostatements10.g,10.hand10.i
Notethatsomestatementsarewritteninanegativestyle.Insomediscussions,thepositiveaffinitywillbeconsidered.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T
Arankingofinterestininstrumentalactivitiescanbeestablishedfromquestion13
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T
I.2.4.a)InterestinS&Ttrips:Fromquestion18.
I.2.4.b)InterestinS&Tpracticalprojects:Fromquestion19.Thelevelofinterestforpracticalprojectswasinferredforanswers“Yes”,“No,Idon’tneedmorepracticalprojects”,and“No,becausemyschoolallowsusenoughpracticalprojects”.
I.2.4.c)Interestindifferentkindsofactivities:Fromquestion23.Weconsiderthreedegreesofoffer foreachactivity (from thepercentageof theanswer “Schooldoesn’toffer suchactivities”):
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i)<20%:Weconsiderthattheschoolofferstheactivitytoallofthestudents
ii)between20%and85%:Weconsiderthattheschoolofferstheactivitytorestrictedgroupsofstudents
iii)>85%:Weconsiderthattheschooldoesn’toffertheactivity.
Additionally,arankingofinterestinschoolactivitiescanbeestablishedfromthepercentageoftheanswer“Yes”.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
WecandefineitastheconsiderationofpupilsfordevelopingaS&Tcareerinthefuture.
Inourquestionnaire,thefollowingquestionsarerelatedwithvocationsinS&T:
– Question11
– Question12
WecanselectthefollowingsecondaryitemsonvocationsinS&T:
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers:Fromquestion11.Arankingofcareersconsideredbypupilscanbeestablished.Attentionshouldbepaidtocareer11.a,11.b,11.c,11.land11.m,thatarerelatedwithS&T.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice:Fromquestion12.Arankingoftheperceivedinfluencescanbeestablished.
I .4) Instrumental issues
Itincludesquestionsabouttoolsandmethodsthatcouldbeusefulfordesigningactivities.
Weconsiderthefollowingquestionsasrelatedwithinstrumentalissues:
– Question7
– Question17
– Question22
Wecanselectthefollowingsecondaryitemsoninstrumentalissues:
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T:Fromquestion7.Arankingofmediacanbeestablished.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool:Fromquestion17.WeconsiderthreedegreesofofferofS&Ttrips(fromthepercentageoftheanswer“Yes”):
i)>80%:WeconsiderthattheschoolofferssuchS&Ttripstoallofthestudents
ii)between80%and15%:WeconsiderthattheschoolofferssuchS&Ttripstorestrictedgroupsofstudents
iii)<15%:Weconsiderthattheschooldoesn’toffersuchS&Ttrips.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T:Fromquestion22.
CROSSANALYSISWITHINTHESURVEY
ThepreviouslydescribedprotocolallowsobtaininginformationaboutourfirsthypothesisWH1. Fordetectingconnectionbetweenperceptions, interestandvocations(WH2),andtherelationshipwithindividualfeatures(WH4),additionalstatisticaltoolsshouldbeused.Inthisreport,onlythegenderinfluencewillbetakenintoaccount.Amoredetailedcrossanalysisofthedatawillbedoneinthefuture.
THEEFFECTOFTHESTIMULAACTIVITIES
InordertoobtaininformationabouttheeffectoftheSTIMULAactivities(WH3),theprotocolofthe“firstanalysis”andthe“crossanalysis”(theprevioustwosections)willbeappliedtothequestionnairesofthesecondsurvey.Again,“experimental”and“control”groupswillbeanalyzedseparately.Fromtheseresults,wewillcomparethetwosurveys:
– Changesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthe“control”groupwillberecorded.As they won’t be connected with the activities, they will inform us about thevariablilityofthedata,mainlyrelatedtotime.
– Changesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthe“experimental”groupwillgivevaluableinformationabouttheWH3hypothesis.
Fromthisanalysisstructure,conclusionsaboutthefourhypothesesforeachageandcountrycanbeobtained.Then,finalresultsandconclusionswillbeellaborated.
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5.2 Results
5 .2 .1 France
Code Activity Questionnaire Age Number of questionnaires
E1 ContestFirst questionnaire, experimental group
11-12 y.o. 52
E2 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire, experimental group
13-14 y.o. 59
E3 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
experimental group14-15 y.o. 55
E4 Visit to RCFirst questionnaire, experimental group
15-16 y.o. 60
Becauseofsomeproblemswhendevelopingthesurvey,thefollowingincidencesoccurfortheFrancegroups:
– Forpupilsofthegroups11-12yearsoldand15-16yearsold,thesecondsurveycouldnotbepassed.
– Forpupilsofthegroup13-14yearsold,acontrolgroupwasnotavailable.
5.2.1.1 Results of the survey
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, Classe 6ème (PUPILS 11-12 Y .O .)
Onlyone(experimental)groupwasavailable.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
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Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 35
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 19
9.c Communicating with different people 52
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 54
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 31
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 37
9.g A career in science and/or technology 75
Ingeneral,pupilsperceivesmallusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsforpracticalissues,exceptforvocations
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
17 31 29 15 2
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 6 27 48 8 6
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 4 2 35 35 19
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
10 19 52 8 6
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 2 12 25 29 29
14.h S&T help cure diseases 13 21 35 15 10
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 12 15 42 15 12
PupilsareratherundecidedaboutusefulnessofS&T.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
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Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 13 42 29 8 4
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
25 27 31 8 2
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
12 23 42 13 6
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
8 10 52 12 15
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
12 8 38 25 12
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 2 13 42 8 6
PupilsshowamorepositiveviewofusefulnessofS&Tinethicalissues.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 10 12 46 13 13
15.b are typically boring 4 17 29 37 10
15.c are typically men 6 15 40 29 8
15.d are typically creative 10 17 52 10 4
15.e typically work alone 8 10 35 38 8
15.f typically work in a laboratory 15 19 48 12 2
15.g are typically competitive 10 6 65 10 4
15.h are typically hard-working 17 35 35 4 4
15.i are typically geniuses 13 21 35 21 2
15.j are typically nerdy 10 17 40 23 6
15.k are typically strange 4 15 37 29 12
15.l are typically addicted to their work 6 10 60 19 2
Pupilsareratherundecidedaboutstereotypes.Thismeansthattheyareinfluencedbytheminsomedegree.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 37
16.b Think it is worthwhile 56
16.c Enjoyed studying it 25
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 35
16.e Can become famous 38
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 44
VocationisconsiderednearlyasimportantasotherpracticalreasonsforchoosingacareerinS&T.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 38 50
Other subjects 54 37
PerceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects,especiallyMathematics,ispoor.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 8 25 31 19
6.b Science/technology 33 44 10 6
6.c Movies 48 27 12 4
6.d Art/culture 44 38 10 2
6.e Sports 50 17 19 8
6.f Economy/business 12 15 27 31
6.g Education 19 29 21 10
6.h Medicine/health 17 37 19 15
6.i Environment 19 37 23 6
6.j Politics 4 13 25 48
6.k Famous people 40 33 8 10
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PupilsarequiteinterestedinS&T,andfairlyinterestedinEducation,MedicineandHealthandEnvironment.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 23 33 33 10
8.b Geology 15 25 17 15
8.c Chemistry 29 38 17 8
8.d Electronics 33 33 19 8
8.e Engineering 17 23 23 19
8.f Mathematics 27 33 21 15
8.g Physics 23 23 27 13
8.h Product design 21 17 29 19
8.i Product manufacture 44 13 15 19
Pupilsshowsimilarinterestinallthesubjects.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 2 15 12 40 31
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
25 23 35 13 4
10.c S&T activities are fun 12 37 37 12 0
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
10 15 23 38 8
10.e I like S&T 42 29 21 4 2
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
17 21 27 21 12
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
10 37 33 12 6
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
21 29 33 10 6
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 15 27 21 12 4
PupilshavearatherpositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 23 35 17 21
13.b Planning research projects 15 15 33 29
13.c Collecting information for research projects
6 37 31 23
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
23 37 17 15
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
13 25 29 21
13.f Examining results from research projects
21 31 19 23
13.g Writing research reports 8 19 33 27
13.h Working as a member of a research team
17 35 27 13
13.i Making presentations about research
8 25 42 17
Pupilsareinterestedindoingresearchprojects,buttheyhavelessinterestintheactivitiesduringtheprocessofresearch.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 42
More S&T practical projects 54
JustahalfofthepupilswantsmoreS&TtripsorS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 21
Experiments 54
Research projects 33
Speakers 12
Trips 31
Assemblies 10
Displays 42
Only“experiments”areinterestingS&Tactivitiesforamajorityofthepupils.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 25
11.b Researcher 27
11.c Engineer 21
11.d Judge 12
11.e Lawyer 13
11.f Sports person 44
11.g Artist 38
11.h Journalist 27
11.i Business person 13
11.j Teacher 19
11.k Politician 2
11.l Inventor 40
11.m Designer 19
11.n Other 75
Ingeneral,pupilsareundecidedaboutthechoiceoffuturecareers.InteresttowardscareersrelatedwithS&Tisfair,exceptforacareeras“inventor”,thatisconsideredinterestingformanyofthem.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, % Undecided, %
Disagree, % Strongly disagree, %
12.a Parents/guardians 21 21 42 4 8
12.b Other relatives 13 23 44 8 6
12.c Friends 8 37 27 19 6
12.d Teachers 6 19 37 13 17
12.e Famous people 13 8 31 12 31
Pupilsconsider that theyarequite influencedbyexternalpeopleon theircareerchoice,especiallyfromparentsandrelatives.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 27 65 8
7.b Radio 17 38 44
7.c Newspapers 10 48 42
7.d Magazines 6 46 46
7.e Books 33 37 29
7.f Encyclopaedias 15 23 54
7.g Educational software programmes 2 19 58
7.h DVDs 8 56 33
7.i Teachers 25 52 13
7.j Parent/guardian 35 35 23
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 6 25 63
7.l Podcasts 2 10 69
7.m Twitter 0 12 87
7.n Facebook 2 23 71
7.o Google 37 46 17
7.p YouTube 19 40 40
7.q Other 12 52 27
“Google”,“Parents”and“Teachers”arethemostusedmethods.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 30 B
17.b S&T exhibition 17 B
17.c S&T fair 9 C
17.d S&T library 11 C
17.e S&T park 15 C
17.f S&T conference 6 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 8
Very good 17
Good 40
Average 15
Poor 10
Self-evaluationinS&Tismedium.
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CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– MalepupilsconsiderS&Tacademicsubjectsmoreusefulforresolvingproblemsofdailylifeandforconsumerissues.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– MalepupilsshowamoremorepositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&T,bothinpracticalandethicalissues.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– MalepupilsshowamorestereotypedviewofpeopleworkinginS&T.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsfood/consumerissues.
– MalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsS&T,Economy/businessandsports.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Male pupils are more interested in “Electronics”, Engineering”, “Mathematics” and“Productmanufacture”.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– MalepupilsshowamorepositiveviewoftheS&Tsubjects.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Male pupils are more interested in doing research projects, but in the instrumentalactivitiesmaleandfemalepupilsshowsimilarscores.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– Malepupilsshowmoreinterestincompetitions,researchprojectsanddisplays.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
FRANCE
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, Classe 4ème (PUPILS 13-14 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, Classe 3ème (PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .)
Onlyone(experimental)groupwasavailable.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
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Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 34
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 24
9.c Communicating with different people 29
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 47
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 8
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 47
9.g A career in science and/or technology 78
Ingeneral,pupilsperceivesmallusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsforpracticalissues,exceptforvocations
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
12 27 49 5 7
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 12 36 46 3 3
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 2 8 36 34 20
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
19 34 39 3 5
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 3 7 25 32 32
14.h S&T help cure diseases 19 39 27 12 3
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 10 22 39 14 14
PupilsareratherundecidedaboutusefulnessofS&T.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
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Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 15 34 31 14 7
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
22 39 31 2 7
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
8 22 49 8 8
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
14 17 46 12 10
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
5 15 51 17 12
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 5 10 64 7 5
PupilsarealsoundecidedaboutethicalissuesconcerningS&T.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 5 5 46 22 20
15.b are typically boring 2 7 34 36 20
15.c are typically men 3 12 31 27 25
15.d are typically creative 7 25 46 7 12
15.e typically work alone 3 5 41 36 14
15.f typically work in a laboratory 12 31 27 19 7
15.g are typically competitive 5 14 51 10 14
15.h are typically hard-working 14 32 34 14 5
15.i are typically geniuses 8 20 32 22 15
15.j are typically nerdy 3 14 47 20 14
15.k are typically strange 7 10 27 31 24
15.l are typically addicted to their work 3 10 54 14 14
Pupilsareratherundecidedaboutstereotypes.Thismeansthattheyareinfluencedbytheminsomedegree.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 47
16.b Think it is worthwhile 73
16.c Enjoyed studying it 58
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 31
16.e Can become famous 46
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 42
VocationisconsiderednearlyasimportantasotherpracticalreasonsforchoosingacareerinS&T.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 76 22
Other subjects 56 44
OnlyahalfofthepupilsperceivetheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 7 29 42 17
6.b Science/technology 12 39 34 12
6.c Movies 47 44 8 0
6.d Art/culture 15 46 27 10
6.e Sports 47 36 10 3
6.f Economy/business 2 25 29 42
6.g Education 10 47 31 12
6.h Medicine/health 22 32 29 17
6.i Environment 19 31 36 14
6.j Politics 7 10 14 64
6.k Famous people 34 39 20 5
Pupils show just medium interest in “S&T”, “Education”, “Medicine and Health” and“Environment”.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 17 39 29 15
8.b Geology 5 29 37 29
8.c Chemistry 17 25 29 29
8.d Electronics 27 32 29 12
8.e Engineering 17 15 39 27
8.f Mathematics 17 39 22 19
8.g Physics 14 17 34 34
8.h Product design 17 29 25 24
8.i Product manufacture 12 32 27 25
Pupilsshowsimilarinterestinallthesubjects.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 17 22 25 24 10
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
24 34 14 17 12
10.c S&T activities are fun 17 22 20 27 14
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
19 36 19 22 5
10.e I like S&T 15 27 17 29 10
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
7 10 20 41 22
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
10 29 46 12 3
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
14 17 36 19 15
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 7 25 24 24 10
Affinity towardsacademicS&Tsubjects is fair;manyquestionsshow“undecided”as themodeanswer.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 15 37 31 17
13.b Planning research projects 10 37 32 17
13.c Collecting information for research projects
12 29 39 20
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
19 39 27 14
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
22 27 34 17
13.f Examining results from research projects
10 24 46 20
13.g Writing research reports 12 24 29 34
13.h Working as a member of a research team
24 32 17 24
13.i Making presentations about research
22 22 24 31
Ingeneral,pupilsshowmediuminteresttowardsS&Tactivities.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 61
More S&T practical projects 54
JustahalfofthepupilswantsmoreS&TtripsorS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 15
Experiments 66
Research projects 31
Speakers 10
Trips 22
Assemblies 7
Displays 37
Only“experiments”areinterestingS&Tactivitiesforamajorityofthepupils.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 22
11.b Researcher 15
11.c Engineer 24
11.d Judge 17
11.e Lawyer 24
11.f Sports person 47
11.g Artist 36
11.h Journalist 36
11.i Business person 10
11.j Teacher 20
11.k Politician 3
11.l Inventor 25
11.m Designer 32
11.n Other 63
Ingeneral,pupilsareundecidedaboutthechoiceoffuturecareers.InteresttowardscareersrelatedwithS&Tisfair.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree, %
Strongly disagree, %
12.a Parents/guardians 10 22 32 19 15
12.b Other relatives 5 7 53 15 19
12.c Friends 5 12 19 44 19
12.d Teachers 0 17 24 34 24
12.e Famous people 7 8 15 29 39
Pupilsperceiveinfluenceontheircareerchoicefromtheirparents/guardians
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 36 58 7
7.b Radio 22 47 31
7.c Newspapers 7 44 49
7.d Magazines 10 47 42
7.e Books 19 46 34
7.f Encyclopaedias 7 22 71
7.g Educational software programmes 2 24 69
7.h DVDs 12 59 29
7.i Teachers 34 58 7
7.j Parent/guardian 22 56 20
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 8 32 59
7.l Podcasts 0 22 73
7.m Twitter 3 10 86
7.n Facebook 15 31 53
7.o Google 42 41 17
7.p YouTube 37 34 25
7.q Other 14 41 41
“Television”,“Google”,and“YouTube”arethemostusedmethods,evenmorethan“Parents”and“Teachers”.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 75 B
17.b S&T exhibition 27 B
17.c S&T fair 10 C
17.d S&T library 19 B
17.e S&T park 31 B
17.f S&T conference 12 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 5
Very good 10
Good 44
Average 31
Poor 8
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Self-evaluationinS&Tisratherlowerthangood.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– MalepupilssupportpracticalreasonsforchoosingacareerinS&T,femalepupilsthinkthatvocationisthemostimportantone.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsfood/consumerissues,art/culture,educationandmedicine/health.
– MalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsS&Tandsports.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Malepupilsaremoreinterestedin“Electronics”,Engineering”and“Productmanufacture”.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingacareerasdesigner.
– Malepupilsareabitmoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasengineerorinventor.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Malepupilsscorethemselvesabithigherthanfemalepupils.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Ingeneral,perceptionofusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsisabitincreased.
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Stereotypesseemtobeabitmoreacceptedaftertheactivities.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesaredetected
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– InteresttowardsEducation,Medicine/healthandEnvironmentisabitreduced.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– InteresttowardsProductdesignandProductmanufactureisabitreduced.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesaredetected
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
TheinteresttowardsS&Tresearchprojectsisincreased.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
FRANCE
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, Classe 2ème (PUPILS 15-16 Y .O .)
Onlyone(experimental)groupwasavailable.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 62
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 35
9.c Communicating with different people 28
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 50
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 15
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 63
9.g A career in science and/or technology 93
PupilsperceiveusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsforvocations,andalsoforthingsaffectingtheirfamilies,problemsofdailylifeandconsumerissues.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
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Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
15 35 28 17 5
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 17 57 20 5 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 0 8 30 35 27
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
17 38 30 12 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 0 5 20 47 28
14.h S&T help cure diseases 23 60 15 0 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 5 32 32 23 7
PupilshaveapositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&Tinpracticalissues,exceptformakingfriends.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 15 47 32 5 014.g S&T should be used properly to
avoid danger23 65 8 3 0
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
7 43 42 5 0
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
8 17 52 15 8
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
8 23 40 23 3
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 7 47 38 5 0
PupilsareratherundecidedabouttheusefulnessofS&Tinethicalissues.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 2 8 27 43 18
15.b are typically boring 0 3 10 63 23
15.c are typically men 2 10 8 43 37
15.d are typically creative 7 23 47 13 8
15.e typically work alone 2 8 23 53 13
15.f typically work in a laboratory 5 30 30 30 5
15.g are typically competitive 7 17 48 22 7
15.h are typically hard-working 18 57 15 10 0
15.i are typically geniuses 2 25 25 40 7
15.j are typically nerdy 2 27 30 37 5
15.k are typically strange 2 10 17 53 18
15.l are typically addicted to their work 3 18 47 28 3
Pupilsarelittleinfluencedbynegativestereotypes,andratherundecidedbypositiveones.
Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 47
16.b Think it is worthwhile 90
16.c Enjoyed studying it 85
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 50
16.e Can become famous 20
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 35
VocationisconsideredthemostimportantreasonforchoosingacareerinS&T,prestigeandpracticalreasonareconsideredinsomedegree.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 70 30
Other subjects 78 18
PupilsperceivetheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 8 33 55 2
6.b Science/technology 18 57 23 2
6.c Movies 30 40 22 8
6.d Art/culture 22 40 32 5
6.e Sports 22 30 33 12
6.f Economy/business 5 30 47 17
6.g Education 17 33 33 12
6.h Medicine/health 27 35 28 10
6.i Environment 22 32 40 7
6.j Politics 5 22 23 43
6.k Famous people 20 27 30 20
PupilsarefairlyinterestedinS&T,Education,Medicine/HealthandEnvironment.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 48 38 13 0
8.b Geology 22 32 35 12
8.c Chemistry 23 48 23 5
8.d Electronics 8 17 55 18
8.e Engineering 10 25 47 17
8.f Mathematics 22 28 35 15
8.g Physics 28 35 32 5
8.h Product design 13 33 28 23
8.i Product manufacture 10 32 32 23
PupilsareveryinterestedinBiologyandlittleinterestedinElectronicsandEngineering.
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I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, % Undecided, %
Disagree, %
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 0 13 5 47 33
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
20 50 20 7 3
10.c S&T activities are fun 7 65 15 12 0
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
10 30 27 25 5
10.e I like S&T 25 52 8 8 5
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
15 35 13 23 10
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
23 48 15 8 5
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
17 28 20 20 15
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 5 33 37 13 3
PupilshaveaquitepositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 30 43 17 8
13.b Planning research projects 12 32 43 13
13.c Collecting information for research projects
5 40 37 18
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
22 48 25 5
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
18 48 27 7
13.f Examining results from research projects
18 40 30 12
13.g Writing research
reports
2 30 33 33
13.h Working as a member of a research team
32 35 25 7
13.i Making presentations about research
10 27 35 27
Pupils are interested in doing research projects and instrumental activities, except forplanningplanningresearchprojects,writingreportsandmakingpresentations.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 72
More S&T practical projects 73
ManypupilswantmoreS&TtripsorS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 7
Experiments 95
Research projects 72
Speakers 20
Trips 47
Assemblies 7
Displays 38
Competitions,assembliesandspeakersarenotinterestingforpupils.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 37
11.b Researcher 30
11.c Engineer 15
11.d Judge 5
11.e Lawyer 17
11.f Sports person 23
11.g Artist 27
11.h Journalist 23
11.i Business person 8
11.j Teacher 32
11.k Politician 7
11.l Inventor 22
11.m Designer 27
11.n Other 57
“Doctor”, “Researcher” and “Teacher” are quite interesting careers for pupils. Interesttowards“Engineer”and“Inventor”islower.
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I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong
influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 3 30 10 33 20
12.b Other relatives 3 8 23 38 25
12.c Friends 0 10 22 38 28
12.d Teachers 0 17 23 40 18
12.e Famous people 0 3 10 32 53
Pupilsconsiderthattheyarelittleinfluencedbyexternalpeopleontheircareerchoice.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 27 70 3
7.b Radio 8 63 28
7.c Newspapers 3 63 32
7.d Magazines 8 73 18
7.e Books 7 60 33
7.f Encyclopaedias 10 55 33
7.g Educational software programmes 0 22 68
7.h DVDs 8 50 38
7.i Teachers 52 42 7
7.j Parent/guardian 17 70 10
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 5 30 63
7.l Podcasts 3 13 80
7.m Twitter 5 8 85
7.n Facebook 12 30 58
7.o Google 25 63 12
7.p YouTube 12 42 45
7.q Other 2 50 27
“Teachers”isbyfarthemostusedmethodforobtaininginformationonS&T.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 45 B
17.b S&T exhibition 22 B
17.c S&T fair 2 C
17.d S&T library 12 C
17.e S&T park 28 B
17.f S&T conference 7 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 0
Very good 8
Good 50
Average 38
Poor 3
Self-evaluationinS&Tislowerthangood.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– MalepupilsaremoreconcernedaboutS&Tethicalissues.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– MalepupilsshowamorestereotypedviewofpeopleworkinginS&T.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
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Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Female pupils show more interest towards art/culture, medicine/health and famouspeople.
– MalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsS&T,Sports,Economy/businessandPolitics.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Malepupilsaremoreinterestedin“Electronics”andEngineering”.
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedin“Biology”.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Malepupilsaremoreinterestedindoingresearchprojects,workinginaresearchteamandmakingpresentations.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Malepupilsshowmoreinterestinpursuingcareersasengineerorinventor.
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinterestinpursuingcareersasdoctororteacher.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
5.2.1.2 Conclusions
FRANCE
In general, the youngest pupils perceive small usefulness of learning S&T subjects forpracticalissues,exceptforvocations.TheoldestgroupsperceivetheusefulnessoflearningS&Tforvocationstoo,andalsoforthingsaffectingtheirfamilies,problemsofdailylifeandconsumerissues.
PupilshavearatherpositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects,butitisjustmediumfortheyoungestpupils.Forolderpupils, interesttowardsBiologyincreasesandinteresttowardsElectronicsdecreases.IngeneralallgroupsshowmediuminteresttowardsS&Tinstrumentalactivities.
PerceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjectsispoorintheyoungestgroupbutincreasesinoldergroups.
JustahalfofthepupilswantmoreS&TtripsorS&Tprojectsinthefirstandsecondgroups,andmanypupilswantthemintheoldestgroup.Only“experiments”arequiteinterestingS&Tactivitiesforamajorityofthepupils.IngeneraltheoldestpupilsshowmoreinterestinS&Tschoolactivities.
Pupilsareratherundecidedaboutstereotypes.Thismeansthattheyareinfluencedbytheminsomedegree.
PupilsareratherundecidedaboutusefulnessofS&Tinthefirsttwogroups.TheoldestoneshaveapositiveviewofS&Tinpracticalissues,exceptformakingfriends.
The vocational reason to choose a career in S&T growswith the age of the pupils, theyoungest consider it nearly as important as other practical reasons, the second groupconsiders vocationmore important than other practical reasons, and the oldest groupsconsider vocation themost important reason, although practical reasons remain highlyscored.
Pupils are interested in S&T, and fairly interested inMedicine/health andEnvironmentalissues.
VocationsinS&T
Ingeneral,pupilsareundecidedaboutthechoiceoffuturecareers.Inthiscontext,interesttowardscareersrelatedwithS&Tisrelativelyhigh.
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Pupils consider themselves quite influenced by external people on their career choice,especiallyfromparentsorguardians.
“Google”, “Parents”, “Television” and “Teachers” are the most used methods to getinformationaboutS&T,especiallytheteachersinthelastgroups.
Self-evaluationinS&Tisbetweengoodoraverageinallgroups.Thescoregoesdecreasingwiththeage.
GENDER INFLUENCE
MalepupilsoftheyoungestandoldestgroupsshowamorepositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&T,bothinpracticalandethicalissues,andtheyshowamorestereotypedviewofpeopleworking in S&T. Themalepupils of the youngest group consider S&Tacademic subjectsmoreusefulforresolvingproblemsofdailylifeandforconsumerissuestoo.
In the second group female pupils think that vocation is themost important reason forchoosingacareerinS&T,whilemalepupilssupportsomepracticalreasons.Inthesecondgrouptoomalepupilsscorethemselvesabithigherthanfemalepupils.
AbouttheinteresttowardsS&T,ingeneralfemalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsfood/consumerissues,artandculture,andmedicineandhealth,whilemalepupilsshowmoretowardsS&T,Economy/businessandsports.
AskedabouttheinterestoflearningsubjectsofS&T,themalepupilsoftheyoungestgroupshowamorepositiveviewoftheS&Tsubjectsthanfemalepupilsofthefirstgroup.Thatgroup and the next age-group are more interested in “Electronics”, “Engineering” and“Productmanufacture” than female pupils of the same group, and female pupils of theoldestgrouparemoreinterestedinBiologythanmalepupils.
AbouttheinterestindoingresearchprojectsandinstrumentalactivitiesofS&T,malepupilsofthefirstandthirdgrouparemoreinterestedthanfemalepupils,andthosepupilsofthefirstgroupshowmoreinterestincompetitions,researchprojectsanddisplaystoo.
Asked about their vocations, female pupils aremore interested in pursuing a career asdesignerinthesecondgroupandasdoctororteacherinthethirdgroup,whilemalepupilsofthesecondandthirdgroupareabitmoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasengineerorinventor.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
Ingeneral,perceptionofusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsisabitincreasedandstereotypesseemtobeabitmoreacceptedaftertheactivitiesinthesecondgroup.
There are some small effects more in the second group, for example, interest towardsEducation,Medicine/healthandEnvironmentisabitreduced.
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InthisgrouptheinteresttowardsS&Tresearchprojectshasincreased,butinteresttowardssomeinstrumentalactivities(“Productdesign”and“Productmanufacture”)hasreduced.
SUMMARY
FrenchpupilsareratherlessinterestedbyS&Tthanothergroups;theyshowingenerallessaffinity toS&Tsubjectsandperceive lessusefulnessofS&T.They feel themselves ratherinfluencedbyothersforchoosingtheirfuturecareers.Althoughtheyarequiteundecidedabouttheirvocations,S&Trelatedcareersarerelativelylowconsidered.
Ingeneral,the“Stimula”activitiesdon’thaveaveryrelevanteffectinperceptions,interestorvocationsofthepupils.
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5 .2 .2 Germany
Code Activity Questionnaire Age Number of questionnaires
E1 ContestFirst questionnaire, experimental group
11-12 y.o. 55
C1 ContestFirst questionnaire,
control group11-12 y.o. 54
E2 ContestSecond questionnaire,
experimental group12-13 y.o. 54
C2 ContestSecond questionnaire,
control group12-13 y.o. 55
E1 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire, experimental group
13-14 y.o. 49
C1 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire,
control group13-14 y.o. 47
E2 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
experimental group14-15 y.o. 52
C2 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
control group14-15 y.o. 43
E1a Visit to RCFirst questionnaire, experimental group
14-15 y.o. 29
C1a Visit to RCFirst questionnaire,
control group14-15 y.o. 28
E2a Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
experimental group15-16 y.o. 25
C2a Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
control group15-16 y.o. 27
E1b Visit to RCFirst questionnaire, experimental group
15-16 y.o. 24
C1b Visit to RCFirst questionnaire,
control group15-16 y.o. 19
E2b Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
experimental group16-17 y.o. 22
C2b Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
control group16-17 y.o. 9
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5.2.2.1 Results of the survey
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, KLASSE 6 (PUPILS 11-12 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, KLASSE 7 (PUPILS 12-13 Y .O .)
Experimental group
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 25
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 42
9.c Communicating with different people 33
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 42
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 31
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 42
9.g A career in science and/or technology 58
Pupilsperceive the influenceof theS&Tacademic subjectson their vocations (9.g), andshowperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tin“practical”issues(9.d,9.f)andalsoin“social”ones(9.b).Perceptionofusefulnessisreducedforpeopleandfamilyissues(9.c,9.e,9.a)
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
13 40 36 7 4
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 15 33 42 5 4
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 2 2 42 24 29
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
11 36 47 0 4
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 4 7 27 31 29
14.h S&T help cure diseases 16 27 44 5 5
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 9 18 56 11 4
Exceptforthestatements“S&Tprovidethebestwaystounderstandourworld”,and“S&Tenablemetomakefriends”,themodevaluesarefor“undecided”.Pupilsdon’tshowaclearperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 18 31 42 4 2
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
27 33 33 4 2
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
5 22 65 4 2
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
13 5 56 13 11
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
11 15 51 15 7
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 18 29 45 2 4
Again,themodeanswerforallthestatementsis“undecided”,indicatinganambivalenceintheperceptionofS&T.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 2 7 36 36 16
15.b are typically boring 2 5 47 24 22
15.c are typically men 5 11 38 35 11
15.d are typically creative 15 33 42 9 2
15.e typically work alone 0 2 65 27 5
15.f typically work in a laboratory 15 42 27 13 4
15.g are typically competitive 0 4 64 18 13
15.h are typically hard-working 11 27 53 7 2
15.i are typically geniuses 11 15 49 16 5
15.j are typically nerdy 2 2 44 20 33
15.k are typically strange 4 9 35 29 24
15.l are typically addicted to their work 2 11 45 29 13
Many statements show “undecided” as themode answer, indicating that a stereotypedvisionofpeopleworking inS&T isaccepted insomedegree. Inparticular, thestatement“peoplewhohaveacareerinS&Ttypicallyworkinalaboratory”showslargeagreement.
Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 38
16.b Think it is worthwhile 76
16.c Enjoyed studying it 64
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 25
16.e Can become famous 27
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 40
PupilsseemtoperceiveS&Tcareerasveryvocational.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 36 64
Other subjects 51 47
TheperceptionofthelinksbetweenmathematicsandS&Tisquitelow.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 9 45 40 5
6.b Science/technology 24 49 18 7
6.c Movies 51 35 13 2
6.d Art/culture 31 38 20 9
6.e Sports 49 35 9 5
6.f Economy/business 5 24 51 18
6.g Education 27 42 24 7
6.h Medicine/health 24 45 20 9
6.i Environment 51 33 13 2
6.j Politics 5 33 38 22
6.k Famous people 27 40 22 7
Only “sports”, “movies” and “environment” show amajority of pupils “very interested”.Pupilsseemtobelessinterestedin“economy/business”and“politics”issues.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 27 47 16 7
8.b Geology 22 47 20 9
8.c Chemistry 58 27 7 5
8.d Electronics 36 45 9 7
8.e Engineering 35 38 13 13
8.f Mathematics 31 24 20 24
8.g Physics 31 31 24 11
8.h Product design 25 31 31 11
8.i Product manufacture 20 35 31 13
Pupilsaremoreinterestedin“Chemistry”,“Mathematics”and“Physics”,andlessinterestedin“productdesign”.
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I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, % Undecided, %
Disagree, %
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 4 7 27 35 27
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
11 15 44 18 13
10.c S&T activities are fun 25 45 27 2 0
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
0 33 42 22 4
10.e I like S&T 25 42 24 5 2
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
16 9 33 27 15
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
9 9 55 24 4
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
24 31 27 9 7
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 16 18 31 27 7
ThereisapositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects(they“likethem”,theyareconsidered“fun”,and“notboring”).
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 44 36 15 5
13.b Planning research projects 11 47 33 7
13.c Collecting information for research projects
9 44 27 18
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
18 36 29 13
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
27 38 16 15
13.f Examining results from research projects
22 36 25 15
13.g Writing research reports 7 25 25 40
13.h Working as a member of a research team
29 35 22 13
13.i Making presentations about research
16 35 27 22
Pupilslikedoingresearchprojects,butitseemstheydon’tliketowritethem.Itseemsthattheydon’trealizethat“doing”aprojectshouldalwaysinclude“reporting”theresults.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 73
More S&T practical projects 56
BothS&TtripsandS&Tpracticalprojectsarequiteappreciated.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 13
Experiments 73
Research projects 44
Speakers 13
Trips 51
Assemblies 7
Displays 33
ItisworthnotingthatS&Tspeakersandcompetitionsareamongthelessscoredactivities.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 27
11.b Researcher 25
11.c Engineer 33
11.d Judge 13
11.e Lawyer 20
11.f Sports person 42
11.g Artist 35
11.h Journalist 27
11.i Business person 25
11.j Teacher 24
11.k Politician 7
11.l Inventor 49
11.m Designer 51
11.n Other 42
Careersperceivedas“creative”areinterestingforpupils(designer,inventor,artist),buttheydon’tconsider“doctor”,“researcher”or“teacher”asoneofthem.
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I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 5 25 31 24 15
12.b Other relatives 0 9 35 31 25
12.c Friends 2 7 38 31 22
12.d Teachers 0 5 42 24 29
12.e Famous people 4 11 31 9 45
Pupilsdon’tperceiveanystronginfluenceontheircareerchoicefromexternalpeople.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 22 64 15
7.b Radio 11 56 33
7.c Newspapers 7 67 25
7.d Magazines 7 55 38
7.e Books 24 51 22
7.f Encyclopaedias 24 56 18
7.g Educational software programmes 13 24 62
7.h DVDs 15 58 25
7.i Teachers 29 62 4
7.j Parent/guardian 42 51 4
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 5 25 67
7.l Podcasts 0 24 75
7.m Twitter 2 13 84
7.n Facebook 11 16 69
7.o Google 29 51 15
7.p YouTube 15 33 49
7.q Other 4 64 24
SocialnetworksarealmostneverusedforgettinginformationonS&T.Pupilsdon’tidentifyFacebookorTwitterwithS&Tinformation.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 15 B
17.b S&T exhibition 15 B
17.c S&T fair 4 C
17.d S&T library 21 B
17.e S&T park 2 C
17.f S&T conference 0 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 4
Very good 7
Good 56
Average 29
Poor 4
Mostpupilsconsiderthemselvesas“good”or“average”inS&T.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– 41%ofpupilsincontrolgroupconsider“thinkingitisconsideredworthwhilebyother”isareasonforchoosingaS&Tcareer(percentageinexperimentalgroupis26%)
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I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
– Pupils incontrolgroupperceivemoreconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematicsandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– PupilsincontrolgroupshowlessinterestinGeologyandChemistry.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowmoreinterestinwritingreportsandmakingpresentations.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowmoreinterestinpursuingacareeras“researcher”.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsareingeneralverysimilar,withthefollowingdifferences:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Femalepupilsshowmoreagreementwith“S&Timprovestheunderstandingofopinionsonsocietyandpoliticalissues”thanmalepupils.
– Male pupils show less agreement with “S&T improves the understanding of solvingproblemsinthedailylife”.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsseemtobemoreinfluencedbystereotypes.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinterestinenvironment,andart/culture.
– MalepupilsshowmoreinterestinS&T.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinterestinthefollowingsubjects:Biology,Geology.
– Malepupilsshowmoreinterestinthefollowingsubjects:Engineering,Electronics.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
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– Fromthe levelofagreementwiththestatements,malepupilsshowingeneralhigheraffinitytowardsacademicS&Tsubjects.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– ThelevelofinterestoffemalepupilsforS&Tactivitiesformostactivitiesislower,exceptforreportingresults,bothbywritingreportsormakingpresentations.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Female pupils are more interested in pursuing one of the following careers: doctor,researcher,artist,teacher.
– Male pupils are more interested in pursuing one of the following careers: engineer,inventor.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Male pupils perceive more influence in their career choice, specially form parents/guardiansandfamouspeople.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Malepupilsscorethemselveshigherthanfemalepupils.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
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I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,theagreementwithstereotypeshasbeenabitincreased.Itissoalsoforthecontrolgroup.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
ConnectionofS&TwithMathematicsismoreperceived.Forthecontrolgroup,perceptionoftheconnectionofS&TwithMathematicsremainthesame(butwashigherinthefirstsurvey),andtheperceptionoftheconnectionofS&Twithothersubjectshasbeenreduced.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Interest towards Biology has been increased. In the control group, interest towardsBiologyhasbeenreduced.
– InteresttowardsChemistry,MathematicsandPhysicshasbeenreduced.Inthecontrolgroup,interesttowardsthesesubjectshasremainedalmostthesame.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– There are no relevant differences in the experimental group. For the control group,considerationofS&Tactivitiesasfunisdecreased.
– InterestofS&Tsubjectsrelatedwithhealthhasbeenincreasedintheexperimental.Forthecontrolgroupitremainsthesame.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
No relevantdifferencesare found.For thecontrolgroup, ingeneral the interest forS&Tactivitieshasbeendecreased.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Interestinpursuingthefollowingcareershasbeenincreased:Lawyer,Journalist,Businessperson.Thesameevolutionisseenforthecontrolgroup.
– Interestinpursuingthefollowingcareershasbeenreduced:Inventor.Thesameevolutionisseenforthecontrolgroup.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Theperceptionoftheinfluenceofexternalpersonshasbeenreduced,exceptforteachers.Forthecontrolgroup,theperceptionoftheinfluenceofteachershasbeenreduced.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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GERMANY
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, KLASSE 8 (PUPILS 13-14 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, KLASSE 9 (PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .)
Experimental group
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 37
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 49
9.c Communicating with different people 39
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 49
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 6
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 67
9.g A career in science and/or technology 80
PupilsperceivetheinfluenceoftheS&Tacademicsubjectsontheirvocations(9.g),andshowperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tinpracticalandsocialissues(9.b,9.d,9.f)especiallyasconsumers.Onlyperceptionofusefulnessforbeingmoresensitivetowardsotherpeopleisverylow.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
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Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
18 57 18 4 0
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 24 29 39 8 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 2 6 37 39 16
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
24 39 29 8 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 0 14 29 29 29
14.h S&T help cure diseases 31 39 29 0 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 12 27 49 10 0
PupilsconsiderS&Tveryusefulforunderstandingourworld,forprovidingcomfortandforcuringdiseases.Ontheotherhand,theyareundecidedinconsideringS&Tusefulwayformakinglifeenjoyable,orformakingfriends.TheyconsiderS&Trathercomplicated.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 12 59 24 4 014.g S&T should be used properly to
avoid danger27 35 35 2 2
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
2 41 51 6 0
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
8 31 43 14 4
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
10 27 57 6 0
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 14 61 24 0 0
Manymodeanswersare“undecided”,but14.dand14.mshowapositiveperceptionaboutthebenefitsofS&Ttoenvironmentandsociety.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, % Undecided, %
Disagree, %
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 2 10 35 37 16
15.b are typically boring 8 6 27 31 29
15.c are typically men 4 27 35 20 14
15.d are typically creative 8 45 39 8 0
15.e typically work alone 0 10 59 27 4
15.f typically work in a laboratory 4 43 24 24 4
15.g are typically competitive 2 14 43 35 6
15.h are typically hard-working 8 47 29 14 0
15.i are typically geniuses 10 20 47 20 2
15.j are typically nerdy 6 8 37 31 18
15.k are typically strange 10 14 27 37 12
15.l are typically addicted to their work 10 18 39 27 4
Some“positive” stereotypes (15.d,15.h)areaccepted,but there isalso somedegreeofagreementwithstereotypesaboutgender(15.c),placeofwork(15.f),etc.
Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 45
16.b Think it is worthwhile 80
16.c Enjoyed studying it 86
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 29
16.e Can become famous 31
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 35
PupilsseemtoperceiveaS&Tcareerasveryvocational.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 67 27
Other subjects 80 20
Pupilsperceivethelinksbetweenmathematics,orothersubjects,andS&T.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 6 39 43 8
6.b Science/technology 18 47 27 6
6.c Movies 69 22 6 2
6.d Art/culture 29 47 14 8
6.e Sports 69 16 14 0
6.f Economy/business 8 24 49 16
6.g Education 12 61 20 2
6.h Medicine/health 37 45 14 4
6.i Environment 20 57 14 4
6.j Politics 6 22 53 12
6.k Famous people 49 33 8 10
“Sports”,“movies”and“famouspeople”,showamajorityofpupils“veryinterested”.Pupilsseemtobelessinterestedin“economy/business”,“politics”and“food/consumer”issues.“Science/technology”isinamediumrangeofinterest.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 29 51 14 6
8.b Geology 14 47 24 12
8.c Chemistry 18 47 18 16
8.d Electronics 29 49 16 6
8.e Engineering 27 43 24 6
8.f Mathematics 14 49 18 16
8.g Physics 12 35 27 24
8.h Product design 20 41 35 2
8.i Product manufacture 22 51 20 4
Interestforalmostalltheacademicsubjectsissimilar,exceptforPhysics,thatseemstobeabitlessinterestingforpupils.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
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Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, % Undecided, %
Disagree, %
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 12 10 24 39 12
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
8 27 39 14 12
10.c S&T activities are fun 16 51 14 12 4
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
10 27 37 20 2
10.e I like S&T 14 33 27 16 4
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
10 16 16 39 18
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
12 39 29 16 4
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
12 31 22 22 12
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 4 18 35 33 8
ThereisapositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects(they“likethem”,theyareconsidered“fun”,and“notboring”),but theydon’tconsiderS&Tsubjectsasdemost interesting tostudy.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 27 53 12 6
13.b Planning research projects 16 41 35 8
13.c Collecting information for research projects
6 47 31 12
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
16 43 39 2
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
29 45 22 2
13.f Examining results from research projects
10 39 39 12
13.g Writing research reports 8 20 24 47
13.h Working as a member of a research team
27 33 29 12
13.i Making presentations about research
22 37 27 14
Althoughpupilssaytobeinterestedindoingresearchprojects,manyoftheprocessesofsuchprojectsarelessinterestingforthem(13.b,13.c,13.f,13.g).
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 59
More S&T practical projects 39
AboutahalfofthepupilswantmoreS&TtripsorS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 12
Experiments 67
Research projects 45
Speakers 20
Trips 53
Assemblies 4
Displays 27
S&Tassembliesandcompetitionsarethelessscoredactivities.Alsospeakersarelowscored.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 41
11.b Researcher 18
11.c Engineer 39
11.d Judge 22
11.e Lawyer 31
11.f Sports person 37
11.g Artist 35
11.h Journalist 27
11.i Business person 24
11.j Teacher 22
11.k Politician 12
11.l Inventor 16
11.m Designer 55
11.n Other 63
Only“designer”seemstobemoreinterestingthanothercareers.Pupilsshowsomeinterestforcareersas“doctor”and“engineer”.Theinterestforcareersas“researcher”,“inventor”and“teacher”isquitelow.
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I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree, %
Strongly disagree, %
12.a Parents/guardians 4 16 29 33 18
12.b Other relatives 0 12 14 37 37
12.c Friends 0 8 20 37 33
12.d Teachers 2 6 14 29 49
12.e Famous people 4 10 12 31 43
Pupilsdon’tperceiveanystronginfluenceontheircareerchoicefromexternalpeople.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 20 71 6
7.b Radio 8 59 31
7.c Newspapers 27 47 22
7.d Magazines 16 55 27
7.e Books 18 65 14
7.f Encyclopaedias 24 55 18
7.g Educational software programmes 6 43 49
7.h DVDs 14 65 20
7.i Teachers 27 67 6
7.j Parent/guardian 45 53 2
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 4 37 59
7.l Podcasts 2 37 61
7.m Twitter 2 16 82
7.n Facebook 8 39 53
7.o Google 35 51 8
7.p YouTube 14 47 39
7.q Other 4 82 10
SocialnetworksarealmostneverusedforgettinginformationonS&T.Pupilsdon’tidentifyFacebookorTwitterwithS&Tinformation.“Parents”,“Teachers”and“Google”arethemostusedmethods.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 48 B
17.b S&T exhibition 47 B
17.c S&T fair 12 C
17.d S&T library 10 C
17.e S&T park 18 B
17.f S&T conference 4 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 6
Very good 20
Good 31
Average 27
Poor 8
Amajorityofpupilsconsiderthemselves“good”or“verygood”inS&T.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
ExperimentalgroupseemstohavemorepositiveperceptionsofS&T,especiallyinpracticalissues.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
PupilsintheexperimentalgroupseemtodisplayamorestereotypedperceptionofpeopleworkinginS&T
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I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
PupilsintheexperimentalgroupperceivemoreconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematicsandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowmoreinterestinpursuingcareersas“businessperson”and“inventor”.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
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Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsareingeneralverysimilar,withthefollowingdifferences:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Femalepupilsshowmoreagreementwith“S&Timprovestheunderstandingofopinionsonsocietyandpoliticalissues”thanmalepupils.
– Male pupils show more agreement with “S&T improves the understanding ofcommunicatingwithdifferentpeople”.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– FemalepupilsconsiderS&Tas“increasinglycomplicated”morethanmalepupils.
– MalepupilsconsiderS&Tas“verybeneficialtosociety”morethanfemalepupils.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
– Femalepupilsperceivemoreconnectionsinbothcases.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinterestinart/culture.
– MalepupilsshowmoreinterestinS&T.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsshowmoreinterestinalltheacademicsubjectsrelatedwithS&T.
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I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– Fromthe levelofagreementwiththestatements,malepupilsshowingeneralhigheraffinitytowardsacademicS&Tsubjects,exceptforsubjectsrelatedwithpeople’shealth.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– ThelevelofinterestoffemalepupilsforS&Tactivitiesformostactivitiesislower.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Female pupils are more interested in pursuing one of the following careers: artist,journalist,andteacher.
– Malepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingoneofthefollowingcareers:engineer,sportsperson,judge,lawyer,politician,anddesigner.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Malepupilsscorethemselvesquitehigherthanfemalepupils.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
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I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Ingeneral,perceptionaboutusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsisreduced.Itdoesn’thappenforthecontrolgroup.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantchangesaredetected.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,theagreementwithstereotypeshasnotchanged.Itissoalsoforthecontrolgroup.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
ConnectionofS&TwithMathematicsis lessperceived.Forthecontrolgroup,perceptionabouttheconnectionofS&TwithMathematicsremainsthesame.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Interest towards Electronics, Engineering, Product design and Product manufactureis reduced. In the control group, only interest towards Electronics and Engineering isreduced.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– MorepupilsconsiderS&Tsubjectsatschoolasboring,andlesspupilslikeS&T.Ontheotherhand,theyconsiderS&Tlessdifficulttounderstandthanpreviously.Theevolutionofthecontrolgroupissimilar.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Theinterestintheseactivitieshasbeenclearlyreducedintheexperimentalgroup,butnotinthecontrolgroup
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
No relevant differences are found. For the control group, the interest for S&T trips andprojectshasbeendecreased.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Interestinpursuingthefollowingcareershasbeenincreased:Businessperson.Itisnotsoforthecontrolgroup.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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GERMANY
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, KLASSE 9 (PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, KLASSE 10 (PUPILS 15-16 Y .O .)
PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .
Experimental group
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 41
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 55
9.c Communicating with different people 24
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 45
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 7
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 83
9.g A career in science and/or technology 93
Theusefulnessfordecidingaboutthevocationisperceivedbynearlyallthepupils.Pupilsperceive the usefulness of S&T in consumer issues. The influence of S&T in social andpolitical issues isalsoperceived,and, insomedegree, in thingsaffectingthemandtheirfamilyandinproblemsofdailylifeaswell.
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
41 34 10 10 3
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 10 59 17 10 3
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 0 10 17 28 41
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
34 41 17 3 3
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 3 0 28 31 38
14.h S&T help cure diseases 34 55 10 0 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 17 24 31 14 14
S&Tareperceivedasthebestwayforunderstandingtheworld.PupilsalsoperceiveS&Tasusefulforprovidingacomfortablelifestyleandforcuringdiseases.Ontheotherhand,theydon’tconsiderS&Tusefulformakingfriends.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 28 45 21 3 3
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
45 28 17 3 7
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
24 34 21 17 3
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
0 14 41 24 21
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
10 31 41 10 7
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 45 48 0 0 7
Ingeneral,pupilshaveaverypositiveviewonS&Tasusefulintheseethicalissues.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 7 10 24 45 14
15.b are typically boring 0 10 34 24 31
15.c are typically men 10 21 28 31 10
15.d are typically creative 21 38 24 10 0
15.e typically work alone 3 3 31 41 21
15.f typically work in a laboratory 7 34 28 28 3
15.g are typically competitive 3 14 34 21 28
15.h are typically hard-working 10 48 41 0 0
15.i are typically geniuses 0 38 17 28 17
15.j are typically nerdy 3 3 28 21 45
15.k are typically strange 3 21 24 31 21
15.l are typically addicted to their work 7 21 34 28 10
“Negative”stereotypesareingeneralrejected,butstill“Workinginalaboratory”,“workinghard”and“beingagenius”areacceptedtosomedegree.
Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 38
16.b Think it is worthwhile 90
16.c Enjoyed studying it 86
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 21
16.e Can become famous 24
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 52
Pupils seemtoperceiveaS&Tcareerasveryvocational,but“gettingtheopportunity totravel”isconsideredareasonforchoosingaS&Tcareerforthemajority.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 48 48
Other subjects 83 17
PerceptionofthelinkbetweenS&TandMathematicsseemslow.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 7 41 34 17
6.b Science/technology 31 38 21 10
6.c Movies 69 28 0 3
6.d Art/culture 28 55 14 3
6.e Sports 66 17 10 7
6.f Economy/business 7 31 52 10
6.g Education 7 55 31 7
6.h Medicine/health 17 52 21 7
6.i Environment 45 41 7 7
6.j Politics 17 48 24 10
6.k Famous people 17 52 17 14
“Sports” and “movies” are considered themost interesting areas; pupils showmediuminterestin“S&T”and“Environment”,ascomparedtootherareas,interesttowardsotherareasislower.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 38 45 14 3
8.b Geology 38 38 14 10
8.c Chemistry 48 34 10 7
8.d Electronics 17 38 38 7
8.e Engineering 31 31 28 10
8.f Mathematics 7 45 38 10
8.g Physics 14 34 31 21
8.h Product design 31 45 21 3
8.i Product manufacture 24 34 38 3
PupilsshowmoreinterestinChemistry.InterestinElectronics,Physics,andMathematicsislow.
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I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 0 14 21 34 31
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
17 41 21 7 10
10.c S&T activities are fun 24 45 7 21 3
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
0 31 34 31 3
10.e I like S&T 31 24 17 14 14
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
38 7 10 21 24
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
17 31 24 28 0
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
10 41 14 24 10
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 7 31 34 14 14
ThereisaverypositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects.Pupils“likethem”andconsiderthem as among themost interesting subjects to study. S&T are considered “fun”, “notboring”,andnotverydifficulttounderstand.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 41 28 24 7
13.b Planning research projects 21 28 41 10
13.c Collecting information for research projects
7 34 48 10
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
21 38 28 14
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
45 31 21 3
13.f Examining results from research projects
10 31 41 17
13.g Writing research reports 7 17 34 41
13.h Working as a member of a research team
45 24 31 0
13.i Making presentations about research
17 52 17 14
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Pupils are interested in research projects, they like most of the “creative” parts of theprocess(13.d,13.e,13.h,13.i),buttheydon’t like“planning”,collectingthe information,examiningtheresults,norwritingreports.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 66
More S&T practical projects 48
AboutahalfofthepupilswantmoreS&TtripsorS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 24
Experiments 72
Research projects 41
Speakers 24
Trips 62
Assemblies 21
Displays 66
AgainS&Tassemblies,competitionsandspeakersarethelessscoredactivities.Ingeneral,interestforalltheactivitiesisincreasedwithrespecttoyoungerpupils.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 21
11.b Researcher 38
11.c Engineer 48
11.d Judge 17
11.e Lawyer 17
11.f Sports person 38
11.g Artist 31
11.h Journalist 55
11.i Business person 45
11.j Teacher 3
11.k Politician 17
11.l Inventor 38
11.m Designer 55
11.n Other 34
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“Journalist” and “Designer” are considered the most interesting careers. The score for“Researcher” shows a medium interest, comparable to “Business person”, “Engineer”,“Inventor”,“Sportsperson”or“Artist”.“Teacher”isverylowscored.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, % Undecided, %
Disagree, % Strongly disagree, %
12.a Parents/guardians 7 17 10 48 17
12.b Other relatives 7 10 21 41 21
12.c Friends 0 14 14 41 31
12.d Teachers 0 3 14 52 28
12.e Famous people 0 3 14 38 45
Pupils don’t perceive any strong influence on their career choice from external people.Influenceofteachersisespeciallylowscored.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 28 66 7
7.b Radio 17 55 28
7.c Newspapers 31 45 21
7.d Magazines 14 62 24
7.e Books 34 38 28
7.f Encyclopaedias 31 38 31
7.g Educational software programmes 10 28 62
7.h DVDs 17 59 21
7.i Teachers 38 62 0
7.j Parent/guardian 31 66 3
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 14 24 62
7.l Podcasts 10 17 69
7.m Twitter 0 3 93
7.n Facebook 7 31 59
7.o Google 59 38 3
7.p YouTube 24 45 31
7.q Other 21 38 21
“Parents”,“Teachers”,“Television”and“Google”arethemostusedmethods.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 76 B
17.b S&T exhibition 24 B
17.c S&T fair 10 C
17.d S&T library 4 C
17.e S&T park 17 B
17.f S&T conference 3 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 10
Very good 7
Good 38
Average 31
Poor 14
Alargemajorityofpupilsconsiderthemselves“good”,“verygood”or“Excellent”inS&T.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Experimental group perceivesmore usefulness of S&T subjects in understanding of acareerinS&Tandforconsumerissues.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– ExperimentalgroupseemstohaveabitmorepositiveperceptionofS&T,bothinpracticalandethicalissues.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– PupilsinthecontrolgroupperceivepeopleworkinginS&Tas“competitive”morethanthoseintheexperimentalgroup.
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– VocationalreasonsforchoosingaS&Tcareerarelessscoredbythecontrolgroup.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
PupilsinthecontrolgroupperceiveevenlessconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematics.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Pupilsinthecontrolgrouparelessinterestedin“art/culture”,environmentalandpoliticalissues.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Pupilsinthecontrolgrouparelessinterestedinthefollowingsubjects:Biology,Geology,Chemistry,andProductdesign.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowmoreinterestinpursuingcareersas“teacher”and“doctor”.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Pupilsincontrolgroupdisplayahigherself-evaluation.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Thenumberoffilledquestionnairesissmallandnorelevantconclusionscanbeobtained.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Agreementwiththefollowingstereotypesisincreased(PeopleworkinginS&Tare…”):“typicallymen”,“typicallygeniuses”,“typicallyboring”,“typicallycompetitive”,“Typicallynerdy”,“Typicallystrange”,“typicallyaddictedtowork”.Itseemsthatnegativestereotypesaremoreaccepted.Inthecontrolgroup,stereotypesremainnearlythesame.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Intheexperimentalgroup,norelevantdifferencesarefound.Inthecontrolgroup,perceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematicsisincreased,butitwasratherlowinthefirstsurvey.Forthesecondsurvey,valuesoftheexperimentalandcontrolgroupsaresimilarforthesetwoquestions.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– InteresttowardsChemistryisreduced,whereasinteresttowardsBiologyisabitincreased.Inthecontrolgroup,Norelevantchangesaredetected.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– More pupils consider S&T subjects at school as boring, but there are no relevantdifferencesintheotherstatements.Itdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangesaredetected.Itisalsosoforthecontrolgroup.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Theinteresttowardspracticalprojectsisincreasedintheexperimentalgroup,butnotinthecontrolgroup.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Interest in pursuing the following careers has been increased: Doctor, Teacher. Theinterest in thesetwocareers isnotchanged in thecontrolgroup,but theybothweremoreinterestingforthecontrolgroupinthefirstsurvey.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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GERMANY
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, KLASSE 10 (PUPILS 15-16 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, KLASSE 11 (PUPILS 16-17 Y .O .)
Experimental group
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 46
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 42
9.c Communicating with different people 4
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 63
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 0
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 75
9.g A career in science and/or technology 83
PupilsperceivesomeusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsinsomedegreeforalltheissues,exceptforcommunicatingandbeingsensitivewithotherpeople
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
29 38 17 13 4
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 13 58 25 4 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 0 4 33 50 13
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
38 33 17 13 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 0 0 38 21 42
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14.h S&T help cure diseases 42 42 13 4 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 4 25 50 21 0
Again,pupilsdon’tseeS&Tusefulforrelationships(14.f).Ingeneral,theyperceiveS&Taspositiveinpracticalissues,buttheythinkthatS&Tareincreasinglycomplicated.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 8 67 13 4 4
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
17 58 21 4 0
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
8 29 38 13 8
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
4 33 29 25 0
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
8 25 38 25 4
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 29 63 8 0 0
Pupilsareundecidedaboutseveralstatements,buttheyperceiveS&Tasverybeneficialtosocietyandtotheenvironment.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 0 25 33 38 4
15.b are typically boring 4 8 29 33 21
15.c are typically men 4 29 38 21 8
15.d are typically creative 8 29 46 8 8
15.e typically work alone 4 21 33 33 8
15.f typically work in a laboratory 8 33 33 21 4
15.g are typically competitive 4 25 50 21 0
15.h are typically hard-working 8 33 54 4 0
15.i are typically geniuses 8 29 42 17 4
15.j are typically nerdy 21 0 46 25 4
15.k are typically strange 13 8 29 38 8
15.l are typically addicted to their work 17 21 38 17 4
Severalstereotypesarerejected,butsomeother(15.c,15.d,15.f,15.g,15.h,15.i15.l)areassumedinsomedegree.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 25
16.b Think it is worthwhile 83
16.c Enjoyed studying it 88
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 42
16.e Can become famous 29
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 13
PupilsseemtoperceiveS&Tcareersasveryvocational,buttheprestigeofthecareersinS&T(16.d)isalsoconsidered.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 79 13
Other subjects 58 38
PupilsclearlyperceivetheconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematics,andalsobetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 21 67 8 4
6.b Science/technology 25 42 21 8
6.c Movies 63 17 17 4
6.d Art/culture 33 25 38 4
6.e Sports 63 21 13 0
6.f Economy/business 4 46 46 4
6.g Education 4 63 29 0
6.h Medicine/health 29 63 8 0
6.i Environment 25 63 8 0
6.j Politics 13 63 17 0
6.k Famous people 17 29 29 17
Pupilsarequiteinterestedin“Education”,“Medicine/health”and“Environment”,andalsoin“S&T”,ascomparedtootherareas.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 58 33 0 0
8.b Geology 21 67 13 0
8.c Chemistry 25 42 33 0
8.d Electronics 17 29 25 29
8.e Engineering 17 42 17 25
8.f Mathematics 25 29 33 8
8.g Physics 17 38 25 17
8.h Product design 25 50 17 8
8.i Product manufacture 25 46 21 8
“Biology”isthemostinterestingsubjectforpupils.Theyhaveatleast“fairinterest”foralltheseS&Tsubjects.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 0 17 21 42 21
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
8 8 46 38 0
10.c S&T activities are fun 25 33 21 17 4
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
0 42 21 29 8
10.e I like S&T 21 33 21 17 4
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
13 21 21 17 29
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
17 58 17 4 4
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
17 25 8 21 29
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 4 21 42 25 8
PupilsconsiderS&Tsubjects“notboring”,and“fun”,andthey“likeS&T”insomedegree,buttheythinkthatS&Tissuesaredifficulttounderstandandarenotthemostinterestingtostudy.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 54 33 13 0
13.b Planning research projects 17 54 29 0
13.c Collecting information for research projects
13 38 42 8
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
29 25 21 25
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
42 21 21 13
13.f Examining results from research projects
13 42 29 13
13.g Writing research reports 4 25 33 33
13.h Working as a member of a research team
33 50 8 8
13.i Making presentations about research
33 38 21 8
Pupilsareinterestedindoingresearchprojects,andtheyareatleastfairlyinterestedintheS&Tactivities,exceptforwritingresearchreports.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 79
More S&T practical projects 71
AlargemajorityofpupilswantbothmoreS&TtripsandS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 13
Experiments 79
Research projects 67
Speakers 17
Trips 54
Assemblies 4
Displays 42
AgainS&Tassemblies,competitionsandspeakersarethelessscoredactivities.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 50
11.b Researcher 33
11.c Engineer 25
11.d Judge 42
11.e Lawyer 67
11.f Sports person 33
11.g Artist 33
11.h Journalist 46
11.i Business person 67
11.j Teacher 33
11.k Politician 38
11.l Inventor 21
11.m Designer 50
11.n Other 46
All thecareersare rather interestingtopupils.Theyseemtohaveamorepracticalviewof their vocations (careers as “inventor”, sportsperson”and “artist” areamong the lessinteresting).“Researcher”,engineer”and“teacher”arenotveryinterestingforthem.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 4 29 25 42 0
12.b Other relatives 4 8 21 42 25
12.c Friends 0 0 17 75 8
12.d Teachers 0 4 33 38 25
12.e Famous people 0 0 17 29 54
Pupilsperceivesomeinfluencefromparents/guardians.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 21 67 8
7.b Radio 4 38 58
7.c Newspapers 17 63 21
7.d Magazines 13 58 29
7.e Books 8 63 29
7.f Encyclopaedias 25 42 29
7.g Educational software programmes 0 25 75
7.h DVDs 0 63 38
7.i Teachers 38 63 0
7.j Parent/guardian 29 54 17
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 0 33 67
7.l Podcasts 0 8 92
7.m Twitter 0 0 100
7.n Facebook 0 21 75
7.o Google 13 71 17
7.p YouTube 4 33 58
7.q Other 8 42 38
“Teachers”arethemainwayforgettinginformationonS&T.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 74 B
17.b S&T exhibition 70 B
17.c S&T fair 4 C
17.d S&T library 4 C
17.e S&T park 9 C
17.f S&T conference 4 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 0
Very good 25
Good 38
Average 25
Poor 4
Self-evaluationispoorerthanthoseofyoungerpupils.
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COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Pupils in the experimental group perceive more usefulness of S&T subjects inunderstandingthingsthataffectthemselvesortheirfamilies.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Pupilsinthecontrolgroupconsider“earningmoney”asarelevantreasonforchoosingaS&Tcareer.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
– PupilsinthecontrolgroupperceivelessconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematics.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– Ingeneral,pupilsinthecontrolgroupshowlessaffinitytowardsS&Tsubjects.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– PupilsinthecontrolgrouparealsolessinterestedinS&Tinstrumentalactivities.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– PupilsinthecontrolgrouparelessinterestedinS&Ttrips,projectsoractivities.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Pupilsincontrolgroupdisplayalowerself-evaluation.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Thenumberoffilledquestionnairesissmallandnorelevantconclusionscanbeobtained.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Asthenumberoffilledquestionnairesinthesecondsurveyofthecontrolgroupissmall,norelevantconclusionscanbeobtainedforthecontrolgroup.
Relevantdifferencesintheexperimentalgrouparethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– Thelevelofagreementwiththestatement“S&Tpresentseriousriskstotheworld”isincreased.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
PerceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematicsisreduced.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– InteresttowardsBiologyandGeologyisreduced,whereasinteresttowardsMathematicsandPhysicsisabitincreased.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Theinterestindoingresearchprojectsisreduced,buttheinterestfortheinstrumentalactivitieskeepsthesame.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– TheinteresttowardsS&Ttripsandresearchprojectsisreduced.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Interestinpursuingthecareersasresearcher,engineerandinventorisincreased.Interestincareersasteacherisseriouslydecreased.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
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Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
5.2.2.2 Conclusions
GERMANY
PERCEPTION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Pupilsperceive the influenceof theS&Tacademic subjectson their vocations, and theyagreesayingthattheyhelpbeingmoreresponsibleconsumers.
Ingeneral,pupilshaveaverypositiveviewoftheS&T,theythinkitprovidesthebestwaystounderstandtheworldandthattheyarebeneficial forthesociety.But ifweaskabouttheir usefulness and ethical issues, especially the youngest groups don’t show a clearperception,manystatementsshow“undecided”asthemodeanswer.Thathappensinbothexperimentalandcontrolgroups,anditchangesinhigherage-groupsexceptfor15-16yearsoldpupils,whoperceivelessusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsinalltheissuesascomparedto14-15yearsoldpupils.
About the stereotypes,many statements show “undecided” as themode answer in theyoungestgroup, indicatingthatastereotypedviewofpeopleworking inS&Tisacceptedinsomedegree(“Typicallyworkalone”,“Typicallycompetitive”,“Typicallyhard-working”,“typicallygeniuses”).Inparticular,thestatement“peoplewhohaveacareerinS&Ttypicallyworkinalaboratory”showslargeagreement.SomestereotypedviewofS&Tcareersremainforalltheages.Ontheotherhand,pupilsseemtoperceiveS&Tcareerasveryvocationalinallage-groups.
PerceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&TsubjectswithMathematicsandothersubjectsisingenerallow,especiallyfortheyoungestpupils.
The level of interest towards S&T is medium (about two thirds of the pupils are “veryinterested”or“fairlyinterested”inS&Tasageneralissue)inallagegroups.Environmentalissues arequite interesting for thepupils, and they also showmedium interest towardsEducationandMedicine/Health.
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Pupils tend to increase their interest towards Biology and Product design as their ageincreases.
PupilsshowaffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(“notboring”,“fun”),buttheyarenot themost interesting. In theoldergroups, therearemorepupils that think thatS&Tissuesaredifficulttounderstand.
Ingeneral,pupilslikedoingresearchprojects,testingandworkinginteams,butnotwritingreports. S&T tripsandexperimentsareveryappreciated inall groups,andS&Tpracticalprojectsarequiteappreciatedtoo.Theinterestinsciencecompetitionsisratherlow.
VocationsinS&T
Thevocationofpupilsisvaried,thoseperceivedas“creative”aremoreinterestingfortheyoungestpupils (designer, inventor,artist…),and theoldestpupilshaveamorepracticalvocation(Lawyer,Businessperson…).“Designer”isoneofthemostinterestingcareers,and“Researcher”,“Engineer”and“Doctor”areratherinterestingtoo(betweenonethirdandonehalfareconsideringthem).Acareeras“Teacher”islessinteresting.
Pupilsdon’tperceiveanystronginfluenceontheircareerchoicefromexternalpeople,onlysomeofthemperceivesomeinfluencefromtheparents/guardians.
Instrumental issues
Asked about theuseofmedia to get information about S&T, pupils affirm that parents,teachers,Googleandtelevisionarethemostusedmethods.TheuseofYouTubeincreasesin the last age-groups,but the restof the socialnetworksarevery lowused (Facebook,Twitter…).
Alargemajorityofpupilsconsiderthemselves“Good”,“Verygood”or“Excellent”inS&T,buttheself-evaluationdecreasesinthelastage-group.
GENDER INFLUENCE
In the oldest groups, the groups that visited the Research Centre, the number of filledquestionnairesissmallandnorelevantconclusionscanbeobtainedfromtheirquestionnaires.
Intherestofthegroupstheresultsareingeneralverysimilar,buttherearesomesmalldifferences.
In general, female pupils showmore interest in environment and art/culture, andmalepupilsshowmoreinterestinS&T.Inrelationwiththis,morefemalepupilsareinterestedinacareerasartistorteacherthanmalepupils,andmoremalepupilsareinterestedinacareerasengineer.
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Malepupils havehigher affinity towardsacademic S&T subjects too, except for subjectsrelatedwithpeople’shealth. Femalepupils aremore interested inBiology andGeology,andmalepupilsaremoreinterestinEngineeringandElectronics.MalepupilsshowhigheraffinitytowardsS&Tinstructionalactivitiestoo,exceptforwritingreports.
Malepupilsscorethemselveshigherthanfemalepupilsintheself-evaluationinS&T.
Malepupilsoftheyoungestgroupsseemtobemoreinfluencedbystereotypes(“Scientistworkinlaboratories”).
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
Therehavebeenlittlechanges intheperception, interestandvocationaboutS&Tinthepupils,buttherearenotcleardifferencescomparedwiththecontrolgroups.
Thesearethemostremarkable:
Activity:Contest
– InteresttowardsBiologyhasincreasedinexperimentalgroupandreducedinthecontrolgroup.
– Interest of S&T subjects related with health has been increased in the experimentalgroup.Forthecontrolgroupithasremainedalmostthesame.
– Theperceptionoftheinfluenceofexternalpersonsinthevocationshasbeenreduced,exceptforteachers.Forthecontrolgroup,theperceptionoftheinfluenceofteachershasbeenreducedtoo.
Activity:Scienceexperiments
Ingeneral,perceptionaboutusefulnessofS&Tsubjectshasbeenreduced.Itdoesn’thappenforthecontrolgroup.
Theinteresttowardsinstrumentalactivitieshasbeenclearlyreducedintheexperimentalgroup,butnotinthecontrolgroup.
Forthecontrolgroup,theinterestforS&Ttripsandprojectshasbeendecreased.
Activity:VisittotheResearchcentre:
Agreementwith the followingstereotypeshas increased (Peopleworking inS&Tare…”):“typicallymen”, “typically geniuses”, “typicallyboring”, “typically competitive”, “Typicallynerdy”,“Typicallystrange”,“typicallyaddictedtowork”.Itseemsthatnegativestereotypesaremoreaccepted.Inthecontrolgroup,stereotypesremainnearlythesame.
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InteresttowardsChemistryisreduced,whereasinteresttowardsBiologyisabitincreased.Inthecontrolgroup,Norelevantchangesaredetected.
Theinteresttowardspracticalprojectshasincreasedintheexperimentalgroup,butnointhecontrolgroup.
SUMMARY
GermanpupilshavearatherpositiveperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T.TheyareinterestedinS&Tandthecorrespondingacademicsubjects,butingeneraltheyshowjustamediuminterest towardsadditionalS&Tschoolactivities.They feel themselvesnot influencedbyotherforchoosingtheirfuturecareers,andshowmediuminteresttowardscareersrelatedwithS&T.
Ingeneral,the“Stimula”activitiesdon’thaveaveryrelevanteffectinperceptions,interestorvocationsofthepupils.
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5 .2 .3 NORTHERN IRELAND (U .K . SYSTEM)
Code Activity Questionnaire Age Number of questionnaires
E1 ContestFirst questionnaire, experimental group
11-12 y.o. 33
C1 ContestFirst questionnaire,
control group11-12 y.o. 32
E2 ContestSecond questionnaire,
experimental group12-13 y.o. 33
C2 ContestSecond questionnaire,
control group12-13 y.o. 38
E1 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire, experimental group
12-13 y.o. 38
C1 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire,
control group12-13 y.o. 36
E2 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
experimental group13-14 38
C2 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
control group13-14 40
E1 Visit to RCFirst questionnaire, experimental group
14-15 26
C1 Visit to RCFirst questionnaire,
control group14-15 31
E2 Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
experimental group15-16 26
C2 Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
control group15-16 28
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5.2.3.1 Results of the survey
NORTHERN IRELAND (U . K . SYSTEM)
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, YEAR 8 (PUPILS 11-12 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, YEAR 9 (PUPILS 12-13 Y .O .)
Experimental group
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 55
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 42
9.c Communicating with different people 42
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 73
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 36
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 61
9.g A career in science and/or technology 97
Pupilsperceivethe influenceoftheS&Tacademicsubjectsontheirvocations,andshowperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tinpracticalissues(9.b,9.d,9.f).Ingeneral,perceptionofusefulnessoftheS&Tacademicissuesisfair.
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
30 55 12 0 3
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 15 18 36 18 12
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 0 6 27 39 21
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
33 36 21 3 3
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 0 18 42 12 27
14.h S&T help cure diseases 52 21 15 9 3
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 55 30 6 3 3
PupilsshowaquitepositiveperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tinpracticalissues.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 36 21 33 6 3
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
61 21 15 0 3
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
27 27 33 6 6
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
3 9 52 24 12
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
9 9 36 24 18
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 21 36 39 0 3
PupilsaremainlyundecidedaboutethicalissuesrelatedwithS&T,andtheythinkthatS&Taregoodonlywhentheyareproperlyused.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 3 6 21 42 27
15.b are typically boring 3 6 6 36 48
15.c are typically men 6 9 9 33 42
15.d are typically creative 39 42 9 0 6
15.e typically work alone 6 15 18 36 24
15.f typically work in a laboratory 9 27 15 39 9
15.g are typically competitive 6 15 27 24 24
15.h are typically hard-working 58 33 9 0 0
15.i are typically geniuses 12 36 42 9 0
15.j are typically nerdy 6 0 15 33 45
15.k are typically strange 6 3 15 21 55
15.l are typically addicted to their work 6 9 45 21 18
Manystereotypesarerejected,butthoserelatedwithhighcapacity(15.i)orhardworking(15.g,15.h,15.l)areacceptedinsomedegree.
Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 42
16.b Think it is worthwhile 73
16.c Enjoyed studying it 88
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 42
16.e Can become famous 27
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 55
PupilsthinkthatS&Tcareersarevocational,buttheyalsoconsiderprestigeormoneyasreasonsforpursuingthem.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 73 27
Other subjects 79 21
Pupilsperceivethelinksbetweenmathematics,orothersubjects,andS&T.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 0 64 30 3
6.b Science/technology 73 21 0 3
6.c Movies 67 27 3 0
6.d Art/culture 45 33 12 6
6.e Sports 58 21 15 6
6.f Economy/business 15 36 36 9
6.g Education 42 48 6 3
6.h Medicine/health 39 33 21 6
6.i Environment 18 55 12 12
6.j Politics 12 18 30 36
6.k Famous people 58 24 9 6
Pupils seem to be very interested by S&T (it is theirmain interest). They are also quiteinterestedineducation,butnotsomuchinenvironmentalissues.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 33 45 18 3
8.b Geology 12 61 18 9
8.c Chemistry 73 21 3 3
8.d Electronics 58 30 6 6
8.e Engineering 58 18 15 6
8.f Mathematics 27 39 18 15
8.g Physics 42 39 6 12
8.h Product design 55 30 6 9
8.i Product manufacture 48 33 6 12
Pupils are mainly interested in Chemistry, Electronics, Engineering and Product design.ExceptforGeologyandMathematics,allthesubjectsarequitehighlyscored.
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I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 3 0 6 24 67
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
42 27 21 3 6
10.c S&T activities are fun 70 21 3 0 3
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
6 15 33 33 9
10.e I like S&T 76 21 0 0 3
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
52 12 18 12 6
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
24 39 12 18 6
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
52 27 9 6 3
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 33 30 18 12 3
Pupils have a very positive view of the academic S&T subjects (they “like them”, theyareconsidered“fun”,and“notboring”),buttheyconsidertheseissuesratherdifficulttounderstand.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 27 45 18 9
13.b Planning research projects 12 52 27 9
13.c Collecting information for research projects
36 33 21 9
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
27 45 24 3
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
45 39 9 6
13.f Examining results from research projects
30 33 27 9
13.g Writing research reports 12 42 33 12
13.h Working as a member of a research team
52 30 15 3
13.i Making presentations about research
45 36 15 3
Pupils are interested in doing research projects and in the corresponding instrumentalactivities.Theyhavespecialmotivationforworkingasateamandmakingpresentations.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 97
More S&T practical projects 76
AlargemajorityofpupilsareinterestedinS&Ttripsandprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 39
Experiments 94
Research projects 52
Speakers 36
Trips 55
Assemblies 42
Displays 79
Alltheactivitiesareinterestingforpupils,especiallyexperiments.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 33
11.b Researcher 18
11.c Engineer 33
11.d Judge 15
11.e Lawyer 45
11.f Sports person 45
11.g Artist 36
11.h Journalist 30
11.i Business person 30
11.j Teacher 27
11.k Politician 9
11.l Inventor 48
11.m Designer 55
11.n Other 76
Careersas“inventor”or“designer”receivedhighscores,but“researcher”and“teacher”arelowscored.
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I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 45 33 15 6 0
12.b Other relatives 30 36 24 6 3
12.c Friends 18 30 27 21 3
12.d Teachers 21 48 18 6 6
12.e Famous people 24 15 21 21 18
Astronginfluenceofparentsandrelativesisperceived.Ingeneral,pupilsthinkthatmanyexternalinfluencesfortheircareerchoicearetakingplace.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 18 79 3
7.b Radio 6 67 27
7.c Newspapers 18 70 12
7.d Magazines 12 58 30
7.e Books 27 64 9
7.f Encyclopaedias 42 36 21
7.g Educational software programmes 42 42 15
7.h DVDs 18 64 18
7.i Teachers 76 24 0
7.j Parent/guardian 33 58 6
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 6 58 33
7.l Podcasts 6 42 45
7.m Twitter 12 12 76
7.n Facebook 12 24 64
7.o Google 42 45 12
7.p YouTube 24 52 24
7.q Other 18 61 15
PupilsobtaininformationonS&Tmainlyfromteacher.EncyclopaediasandGooglearealsoused.Parentsarenotsorelevant.Socialmediaandsocialnetworksarealmostnotused.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 6 C
17.b S&T exhibition 9 C
17.c S&T fair 3 C
17.d S&T library 6 C
17.e S&T park 3 C
17.f S&T conference 3 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 15
Very good 36
Good 36
Average 6
Poor 3
Pupils give themselves a high evaluation, amajority consider themselves “excellent” or“verygood”inS&T.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
PupilsinthecontrolgroupseemtoacceptabitmoreastereotypedimageofpeopleworkinginS&T
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I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
PupilsinthecontrolgroupshowabitloweraffinitytowardsS&Tsubjects.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowmoreinterestinpursuingacareeras“teacher”.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Ingeneral,femalepupilsperceivemoreusefulnessoftheS&Tsubjects.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– MalepupilsconsiderS&Tas“increasinglycomplicated”morethanfemalepupils.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Male pupils showmore interest in sports, but for the interest in S&T, education andenvironmenttherearenorelevantdifferences.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– MalepupilsshowmoreinterestinEngineering.
– FemalepupilsshowmoreinterestinBiology.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
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Femalepupilsseemtobelessinterestedindoingmorepracticalprojects,theyconsidertheyhaveenough.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingoneofthefollowingcareers:researcher,artist,journalist,teacher,inventoranddesigner.
– Malepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasengineerandsportsperson.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Femalepupilsscorethemselvesabithigherthanmalepupils.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,theagreementwithstereotypeshasnotchanged.Inthecontrolgroup,theagreementwithstereotypesisabitincreased.
– PupilsperceivemoreinfluenceofvocationalreasonsforchoosingaS&Tcareer,andlessinfluenceofotherreasons(prestige,fame…).Inthecontrolgroup,theperceptionsarenotchangedwithrespecttothefirstsurvey.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
IntheexperimentalgroupintereststowardsS&Tandart/cultureisdecreased.Inthecontrolgroupthesametendencycanbeobservedandadditionallythere isadecreased interesttowardseducation.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Interest towards Electronics andEngineering is reduced. In the control group interesttowardsElectronics,ProductdesignandProductmanufactureisreduced.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Ingeneral,affinitytowardsS&Tsubjectsisreduced.Itisalsosoforthecontrolgroup.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Theinterestintheseactivitiesisabitreducedbothintheexperimentalandinthecontrolgroup.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Interest for some activities (competitions, trips) is increased. For the control group, theinterestforS&Tactivitiesisnotchanged.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Therearenotrelevantchangesintheinterestofthegroupforthedifferentcareers.
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I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Ingeneral,perceptionontheexternalinfluenceincareerchoiceisreduced.Itisalsosoforthecontrolgroup.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Self-evaluation isabitdecreased. In thecontrolgroup, thedecrease inself-evaluation isevenmoreimportant.
NORTHERN IRELAND (U . K . SYSTEM)
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, YEAR 9 (PUPILS 12-13 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, YEAR 10 (PUPILS 13-14 Y .O .)
Experimental group
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 50
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 39
9.c Communicating with different people 58
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 58
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 16
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 39
9.g A career in science and/or technology 87
Pupilsperceivethe influenceoftheS&Tacademicsubjectsontheirvocations,andshowperception of the usefulness of S&T in all the issues, except for “being more sensitivetowardsotherpeople”.
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
13 50 21 13 3
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 13 29 29 26 3
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 0 11 34 32 24
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
11 53 29 3 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 8 24 29 32 5
14.h S&T help cure diseases 37 34 24 5 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 24 32 32 5 3
PupilsperceiveS&Tasquiteuseful,exceptformakingfriends(14.f),buttheyalsoperceiveS&Tasincreasinglycomplicated.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 16 37 34 8 0
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
47 32 16 5 0
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
13 39 39 8 0
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
5 18 34 29 11
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
0 32 42 24 0
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 24 47 26 0 0
Pupils aremainly undecided about ethical issues relatedwith S&T, they think that S&Tshouldbeusedproperlytoavoiddanger,buttheyconsiderS&Tasbeneficialtosociety.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 0 0 16 66 16
15.b are typically boring 0 0 11 63 24
15.c are typically men 0 29 11 45 16
15.d are typically creative 24 66 8 3 0
15.e typically work alone 3 11 29 45 11
15.f typically work in a laboratory 8 13 21 45 13
15.g are typically competitive 5 32 34 26 0
15.h are typically hard-working 29 66 5 0 0
15.i are typically geniuses 5 39 29 18 5
15.j are typically nerdy 0 13 13 42 29
15.k are typically strange 0 8 18 29 42
15.l are typically addicted to their work 3 13 21 47 16
Manystereotypesarerejected,butthoserelatedwithhighcapacity(15.i)orhardworking(15.g,15.h,15.l)areacceptedinsomedegree.
Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 55
16.b Think it is worthwhile 82
16.c Enjoyed studying it 95
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 24
16.e Can become famous 42
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 42
PupilsthinkthatS&Tcareersarevocational,buttheyalsoconsiderprestigeormoneyasreasonsforpursuingthem.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 84 13
Other subjects 82 16
Pupilsperceivethelinksbetweenmathematics,orothersubjects,andS&T.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 5 39 45 5
6.b Science/technology 42 39 13 3
6.c Movies 58 34 3 0
6.d Art/culture 21 37 29 8
6.e Sports 55 26 8 8
6.f Economy/business 5 34 55 5
6.g Education 29 53 16 3
6.h Medicine/health 18 39 32 11
6.i Environment 13 26 39 21
6.j Politics 13 11 45 32
6.k Famous people 47 34 16 3
PupilsarequiteinterestedinS&T.Interestineducation,healthorenvironmentislower.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 18 58 21 3
8.b Geology 3 34 47 16
8.c Chemistry 32 50 8 11
8.d Electronics 50 18 26 5
8.e Engineering 45 26 21 8
8.f Mathematics 29 37 29 5
8.g Physics 29 37 26 5
8.h Product design 37 42 18 3
8.i Product manufacture 39 24 29 3
PupilsaremainlyinterestedinElectronicsandEngineering.OnlyinterestinGeologyisverylow.
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I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 0 5 11 55 26
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
18 32 37 11 3
10.c S&T activities are fun 45 45 11 0 0
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
11 29 29 26 5
10.e I like S&T 47 39 13 0 0
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
21 26 24 21 5
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
8 21 39 26 3
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
24 42 13 18 0
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 11 34 29 16 8
Pupils have a very positive view of the academic S&T subjects (they “like them”, theyareconsidered“fun”,and“notboring”),buttheyconsidertheseissuesratherdifficulttounderstand,andtheyareratherundecidedaboutwhetherS&Tsubjectswillhelpthemtoobtaintheirdesiredjob.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 16 55 24 5
13.b Planning research projects 3 45 47 5
13.c Collecting information for research projects
18 39 34 8
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
26 39 24 8
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
37 42 18 3
13.f Examining results from research projects
18 39 29 13
13.g Writing research reports 5 32 45 16
13.h Working as a member of a research team
32 37 21 11
13.i Making presentations about research
34 39 24 3
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In general, pupils seem tobe just fairly interested indoing researchprojects and in thecorrespondinginstrumentalactivities.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 92
More S&T practical projects 87
AlargemajorityofpupilsareinterestedinS&Ttripsandprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 63
Experiments 87
Research projects 39
Speakers 21
Trips 84
Assemblies 34
Displays 63
Alltheactivitiesareinterestingforpupils,especiallyexperiments.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 29
11.b Researcher 8
11.c Engineer 34
11.d Judge 21
11.e Lawyer 34
11.f Sports person 55
11.g Artist 26
11.h Journalist 13
11.i Business person 37
11.j Teacher 42
11.k Politician 13
11.l Inventor 39
11.m Designer 45
11.n Other 45
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Careersas“designer”,“teacher”or“inventor”receivedhighscores,but“researcher”isverylowscored.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 34 39 11 8 5
12.b Other relatives 18 45 16 13 8
12.c Friends 3 29 34 29 3
12.d Teachers 13 55 26 3 3
12.e Famous people 5 29 21 24 21
Astronginfluenceofparents,relativesandteachersisperceived.Ingeneral,pupilsthinkthatmanyexternalinfluencesfortheircareerchoicearetakingplace.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 13 76 11
7.b Radio 0 39 61
7.c Newspapers 11 55 34
7.d Magazines 13 53 34
7.e Books 29 47 24
7.f Encyclopaedias 29 34 32
7.g Educational software programmes 42 37 16
7.h DVDs 24 66 11
7.i Teachers 79 21 0
7.j Parent/guardian 32 55 13
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 5 39 55
7.l Podcasts 5 39 55
7.m Twitter 0 13 84
7.n Facebook 18 24 58
7.o Google 37 50 11
7.p YouTube 21 53 26
7.q Other 8 58 26
PupilsobtaininformationonS&Tmainlyfromteacher.Alltheothermediaarelessused.Inthiscase,Facebookisfairlyused.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 30 B
17.b S&T exhibition 25 B
17.c S&T fair 11 C
17.d S&T library 3 C
17.e S&T park 5 C
17.f S&T conference 8 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 11
Very good 42
Good 26
Average 21
Poor 0
Pupils give themselves a high evaluation, amajority consider themselves “excellent” or“verygood”inS&T.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Control group shows more interest towards Biology, Geology, Chemistry and Productmanufacture.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
PupilsinthecontrolgroupshowahigheraffinitytowardsS&Tsubjects.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
PupilsinthecontrolgroupareabitmoreinterestedinS&Tinstrumentalactivities.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
PupilsinthecontrolgroupareabitmoreinterestedinS&Tactivities.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowmoreinterestinpursuingacareeras“Doctor”and“Businessperson”.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
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Pupils in the control group display even a higher self-evaluation than those of theexperimentalgroup.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– FemalepupilsperceivemoreusefulnessoftheS&Tsubjectsinvocationalissues(9.g).1
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Femalepupilsarelessinfluencedby“negative”stereotypes,as“peopleworkinginS&Taretypicallymen”,“…typicallynerdy”or“…typicallystrange”
– FemalepupilsthinkthatvocationalreasonsforchoosingS&Taremoreimportant,andmaterialreasons(money,fame)arelessimportant.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Malepupilsshowmoreinterestinsportsandlessinterestinpoliticsandfamouspeople,but for the interest in S&T, education, health and environment there are no relevantdifferences.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– MalepupilsshowmoreinterestinEngineering.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– MalepupilsshowabitmoreaffinitytowardsS&Tsubjects.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– Femalepupilsseemtobelessinterestedindoingmorepracticalprojects.
– FemalepupilsaremoreinterestedinS&Tcompetitions.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasdoctor,judgeorlawyer.Ithastobepointedoutthatnooneisinterestedinacareerasresearcher.
– Malepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasengineerorsportsperson.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsperceivemoreexternalinfluenceintheircareerchoice.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
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Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
PupilsaftertheactivitiesperceiveS&Tasabitless“dangerous”.Thisdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup,thatperceivesS&Tasmorecomplicated.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,pupilsshowmoreagreementwithstereotypesaftertheactivities.Ithappensalsoforthecontrolgroup.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Ingeneral,interesttowardsgeneralissuesisreduced,bothintheexperimentalandinthecontrolgroups.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Interest towards Electronic, Engineering, Product manufacture and Product design isreduced.Thisisalsosoforthecontrolgroup.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Ingeneral,affinitytowardsS&Tsubjectsisreduced.Itisalsosoforthecontrolgroup.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Interestforcompetitionsisreduced.Thisdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Interesttowardscareersas“inventor”and“designer”isreduced.Inthecontrolgroup,interesttowardsacareerasdesignerisreduced.
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I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Ingeneral,perceptionontheexternalinfluenceincareerchoiceisreduced.Itisalsosoforthecontrolgroup.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
NORTHERN IRELAND (U . K . SYSTEM)
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, YEAR 11 (PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, YEAR 10 (PUPILS 15-16 Y .O .)
Experimental group
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
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I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their
understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 77
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 35
9.c Communicating with different people 46
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 77
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 15
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 58
9.g A career in science and/or technology 100
Pupilsperceivethe influenceoftheS&Tacademicsubjectsontheirvocations,andshowperception of the usefulness of S&T in all the issues, except for “being more sensitivetowardsotherpeople”.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
12 65 23 0 0
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 4 38 35 23 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 4 4 23 50 15
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
35 50 12 0 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 12 35 8 42 4
14.h S&T help cure diseases 50 42 8 0 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 27 46 23 0 0
PupilsperceiveS&Tasquiteuseful,buttheyalsoperceiveS&Tasincreasinglycomplicated.
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iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 27 35 35 0 4
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
50 38 12 0 0
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
12 42 38 8 0
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
8 23 42 19 8
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
4 19 54 23 0
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 27 46 23 4 0
PupilsshowapositiveviewofS&T,theythinkthatS&Tshouldbeusedproperlytoavoiddanger,buttheyconsiderthatS&Timproveenvironmentandareconcernedwithpeople’sneeds.TheyalsoagreethatS&Tarebeneficialtosociety.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 0 4 12 69 15
15.b are typically boring 0 15 12 58 15
15.c are typically men 15 23 8 31 23
15.d are typically creative 15 46 27 12 0
15.e typically work alone 4 19 12 58 8
15.f typically work in a laboratory 0 23 27 35 15
15.g are typically competitive 0 31 50 19 0
15.h are typically hard-working 12 73 12 4 0
15.i are typically geniuses 4 19 35 35 8
15.j are typically nerdy 0 12 27 38 23
15.k are typically strange 0 0 8 65 27
15.l are typically addicted to their work 0 12 50 31 8
Ingeneral,negativestereotypesarerejected,but“peopleworkinginS&Taretypicallymen”is acceptedbymanypupils. Stereotypes relatedwithhardworking (15.g, 15.h, 15.l) areacceptedtosomedegree.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 77
16.b Think it is worthwhile 96
16.c Enjoyed studying it 92
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 19
16.e Can become famous 8
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 50
PupilsthinkthatS&Tcareersarevocational,buttheyalsoconsiderthatS&Tcareersallowearningalotofmoney.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 92 8
Other subjects 81 19
Pupilsclearlyperceivethelinksbetweenmathematics,orothersubjects,andS&T.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 4 35 50 8
6.b Science/technology 54 42 4 0
6.c Movies 58 35 8 0
6.d Art/culture 19 38 27 15
6.e Sports 54 19 8 19
6.f Economy/business 15 50 31 4
6.g Education 4 46 42 4
6.h Medicine/health 12 31 42 12
6.i Environment 8 35 50 8
6.j Politics 0 27 46 27
6.k Famous people 15 42 35 8
PupilsareveryinterestedbyS&T(itisthehighestscoredarea).Interestineducation,healthorenvironmentislower.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 27 50 23 0
8.b Geology 12 23 62 4
8.c Chemistry 12 38 31 19
8.d Electronics 50 42 4 4
8.e Engineering 58 38 4 0
8.f Mathematics 42 35 23 0
8.g Physics 38 46 15 0
8.h Product design 58 27 15 0
8.i Product manufacture 46 38 15 0
PupilsaremainlyinterestedinElectronics,EngineeringandProductdesign.OnlyinterestinGeologyandChemistryislow.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 4 12 8 42 35
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
38 42 19 0 0
10.c S&T activities are fun 35 58 8 0 0
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
4 12 38 38 4
10.e I like S&T 54 35 8 4 0
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
23 35 27 15 0
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
0 27 38 31 4
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
19 23 23 27 8
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 19 23 35 19 4
Ingeneral,pupilshaveapositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 23 46 31 0
13.b Planning research projects 8 35 50 8
13.c Collecting information for research projects
12 38 38 12
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
42 46 12 0
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
46 38 8 8
13.f Examining results from research projects
4 35 58 4
13.g Writing research reports 4 8 58 31
13.h Working as a member of a research team
23 50 19 8
13.i Making presentations about research
35 27 27 12
Interestfordoingresearchprojectsisjustfair.Someinstrumentalactivitiesassolvingandtestingsolutions,andmakingpresentations,arequiteinterestingforpupils.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 100
More S&T practical projects 96
AllthepupilsareinterestedinS&Ttripsandprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 63
Experiments 87
Research projects 39
Speakers 21
Trips 84
Assemblies 34
Displays 63
All the activities are interesting for pupils. The lowest scored activities are “speakers”,“assemblies”and“researchprojects”.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 35
11.b Researcher 27
11.c Engineer 77
11.d Judge 8
11.e Lawyer 8
11.f Sports person 54
11.g Artist 31
11.h Journalist 15
11.i Business person 46
11.j Teacher 35
11.k Politician 0
11.l Inventor 62
11.m Designer 62
11.n Other 62
Careersas“engineer”,“designer”,or“inventor”receivehighscores.“Researcher”,“teacher”and“doctor”aremediumscored.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 31 38 4 27 0
12.b Other relatives 15 27 23 35 0
12.c Friends 4 15 27 54 0
12.d Teachers 12 50 19 19 0
12.e Famous people 0 8 27 50 15
Astronginfluenceofparents,relativesandteachersisperceived.Ingeneral,pupilsthinkthatmanyexternalinfluencesfortheircareerchoicearetakingplace.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 38 62 0
7.b Radio 0 69 31
7.c Newspapers 23 62 15
7.d Magazines 15 42 42
7.e Books 0 77 23
7.f Encyclopaedias 31 38 31
7.g Educational software programmes 38 50 12
7.h DVDs 19 73 8
7.i Teachers 65 35 0
7.j Parent/guardian 42 50 8
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 12 42 46
7.l Podcasts 4 31 65
7.m Twitter 8 23 69
7.n Facebook 19 31 50
7.o Google 38 54 8
7.p YouTube 19 58 23
7.q Other 4 69 27
PupilsobtaininformationonS&Tmainlyfromteachers.Google,parentsandtelevisionarealsoquiteused.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 15 B
17.b S&T exhibition 8 C
17.c S&T fair 0 C
17.d S&T library 0 C
17.e S&T park 0 C
17.f S&T conference 12 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 4
Very good 42
Good 46
Average 8
Poor 0
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Pupilsgivethemselvesaratherhighevaluation.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
ControlgroupshowslessinteresttowardsMathematicsandPhysics.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
PupilsinthecontrolgroupareabitmoreinterestedinS&Tinstrumentalactivities.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Pupilsinthecontrolgroupshowlessinterestincompetitionsandmoreinterestinspeakers.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Pupilsinthecontrolgrouparealmostnotinterestedatallinacareerasresearcher.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Ingeneral,pupilsinthecontrolgroupperceivelessexternalinfluenceintheircareerchoice.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Thenumberoffilledquestionnairesissmallandnorelevantconclusionscanbeobtained.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Perceptionofusefulnessinsomeissues(9.c,9.d,9.f)isincreased.Itdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup.
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
PupilsaftertheactivitieshaveabetterperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T.Inthecontrolgroup,theperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tisnotimproved.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– No relevant changes are found. In the control group, interest towards Electronics,Engineering,ProductdesignandProductmanufactureisabitreduced.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangesarefound.Inthecontrolgroupinteresttowardsinstrumentalactivitiesisabitreduced.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Norelevantchangesarefound.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
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Ingeneral,perceptionontheexternalinfluenceincareerchoiceisreduced.Itisalsosoforthecontrolgroup.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
5.2.3.2 CONCLUSIONS
NORTHERN IRELAND (U . K . SYSTEM)
PerceptionofS&T
TheperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tisquitepositiveinallthegroups.Thepupilslinkittoawayofunderstandingtheworldandbenefitforsociety(“providecomfortablelifestyle”,“curediseases”…).Theysay thatS&Tshouldbeusedproperly toavoiddanger; this ideadecreasedintheexperimentalgroupthatparticipatedinthecontest.
ManystereotypesaboutS&Tandscientistsare rejected.Olderpupils showaneven lessstereotypedviewofpeopleworkinginS&T.However,stereotypesrelatedwithhardworkingandhighcapacityareacceptedinallagestages.
Inconnectionwiththis,allthepupilsthinkthatS&Tcareersarevocational.Somepracticalreasons(money,opportunitytotravel)arealsoconsideredforchoosingaS&Tcareer.
InteresttowardsS&TandEducationissuesisveryhigh, interesttowardsmedicine/healthissuesandenvironmentisjustmedium.
PupilshaveaverypositiveviewoftheacademicS&Tsubjects,andtheyareinterestedorveryinterestedinthem.TheyaremainlyinterestedinChemistry,Electronics,EngineeringandProductdesign.Theinterestofthepupilsforresearchprojectsisjustfair,althoughtheyareveryinterestedinallkindofS&Tschoolactivities,includingpracticalprojects.Thiscanbeexplainedbytheirinteresttowardssomeoftheinstrumentalactivitiesassolvingproblemsandtestingsolutions.Ontheotherhand,mostofthemarenotinterestedinwritingreports.
MostofthepupilsperceivethelinksbetweenMathematics,orothersubjects,andS&T.
PupilsofallagesperceivetheinfluenceoftheS&Tacademicsubjectsontheirvocations.Careersas“Inventor”or“Designer”arehighlyscored,“Teacher”receivesmediuminterest,
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and“Engineer”isalsointerestingfortheolderpupils.Ontheotherhand,“Researcher”isverylowscored.
Astronginfluenceofparents,relativesandteachersisperceivedinallagegroups.
Teachers are the most important information resource about S&T. Other resources areusedbutinminorscale:EncyclopaediasandEducationalsoftwareareusedbytheyoungestpupils,YouTubeandtelevisionbythemidagegroups,andGoogle,parentsandTelevisionbytheoldestones.
Pupilsgivethemselvesahighself-evaluationinS&T.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Therearenoimportantdifferencesbetweenexperimentalandcontrolgroups.
Theself-evaluationisabithigherinthecontestparticipantsthanthecontrolgroup,andabitlowerintheexperimentparticipantscomparedwithitscontrolgroup.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
Thenumberoffilledquestionnairesissmallinthegroupthatvisitedtheresearchcentre,andnorelevantconclusionscanbeobtained.
Inthefirsttwoage-stagestherearesomelittledifferencesbetweenmaleandfemalepupilsthatappearinbothage-stages.Therearegenderdifferencesintheinterestareas,butforS&T,educationandenvironmenttherearenorelevantdifferences.Ontheotherhand,therearegenderdifferencesinsciencevocations:malepupilsshowmoreinterestinEngineeringandfemalepupilsaremoreinterestedinBiology.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
Therearenotverysignificantchangesrelatedwiththeactivities.Somechangeshavebeendetected,buttheyarelinkedwithbothexperimentalandcontrolgroups.
The changes that occur in all the groups are varied, for example the perception on theexternalinfluenceincareerchoiceisreducedinallgroups.
ThegeneralinteresttowardsS&Tisdecreasedinallthegroupstoo,andintheoldestonetheyconsiderS&Tsubjectsabitmoredifficulttounderstand.
SUMMARY
PupilsinNorthernIrelandshowaverypositiveperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T.TheyareveryinterestedinS&Tasgeneralissues,inS&Tacademicsubjects,inadditionalS&Tschoolactivities and in the instrumentalwork relatedwith these activities.However, vocations
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incareersrelatedwithS&Taresimilartotheothersgroups,andinthecaseofacareeras“Researcher”allthegroupsshowaratherlowinterest.
Ingeneral,the“Stimula”activitiesdon’thavearelevanteffectinperceptions, interestorvocationsofthepupils.
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5 .2 .4 Romania
Code Activity Questionnaire Age Number of questionnaires
E1 ContestFirst questionnaire, experimental group
13-14 y.o. 53
E2 ContestSecond questionnaire,
experimental group14-15 y.o. 50
E1 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire, experimental group
15-16 y.o. 54
E2 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
experimental group16-17 y.o. 51
E1 Visit to RCFirst questionnaire, experimental group
16-17 y.o. 48
E2 Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
experimental group17-18 y.o. 48
Becauseofsomeproblemswhendevelopingthesurvey,thefollowingincidencesoccurfortheRomaniangroups:
– Inalltheagegroups,onlytheexperimentalgroupwasavailable.
5.2.4.1 Results of the survey
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, LEVEL VII (PUPILS 13-14 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, LEVEL VIII (PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .)
Onlyone(experimental)groupwasavailable.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
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Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their
understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 51
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 42
9.c Communicating with different people 70
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 47
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 47
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 51
9.g A career in science and/or technology 81
Mostoftheissuesarescoredthesame,exceptforcommunicatingwithdifferentpeople,andforvocations,forwhichpupilsconsiderS&Tmoreuseful.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
32 30 23 8 8
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 26 42 15 11 6
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 4 8 25 32 32
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
43 28 17 4 8
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 9 26 19 21 23
14.h S&T help cure diseases 40 23 25 6 8
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 21 32 32 8 6
PupilshaveaverypositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&Tforresolvingpracticalproblems.
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iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 23 28 30 9 9
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
23 36 30 8 4
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
23 28 34 6 8
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
11 13 23 28 23
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
9 15 45 17 13
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 34 34 21 8 4
PupilshavealsoapositiveviewontheusefulnessofS&Tinethicalissues.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 2 30 28 26 13
15.b are typically boring 4 6 30 34 25
15.c are typically men 2 15 21 38 25
15.d are typically creative 47 32 9 8 2
15.e typically work alone 8 15 36 32 8
15.f typically work in a laboratory 23 47 28 2 0
15.g are typically competitive 23 21 42 8 8
15.h are typically hard-working 43 43 11 0 0
15.i are typically geniuses 23 34 30 8 4
15.j are typically nerdy 6 8 25 30 30
15.k are typically strange 6 4 15 34 40
15.l are typically addicted to their work 8 15 57 9 11
Pupils arequite influencedby stereotypes about peopleworking in S&T. “Typically old”,“creative”, “working in a laboratory”, “competitive”, “hard-working” and “geniuses” areratheraccepted.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 45
16.b Think it is worthwhile 74
16.c Enjoyed studying it 85
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 49
16.e Can become famous 55
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 55
AlthoughvocationisconsideredasthemostimportantreasonforchoosingacareerinS&T,allthepracticalandprestigereasonsarevalued.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 81 19
Other subjects 87 13
PupilsclearlyperceivetheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 15 43 34 4
6.b Science/technology 40 26 26 4
6.c Movies 51 40 8 0
6.d Art/culture 30 53 15 0
6.e Sports 66 21 11 2
6.f Economy/business 19 30 32 19
6.g Education 51 40 4 2
6.h Medicine/health 32 36 28 4
6.i Environment 30 49 17 2
6.j Politics 2 13 38 45
6.k Famous people 49 34 15 2
Pupilsareveryinterestedin“Education”,andalsoquiteinterestedinS&T,“Medicineandhealth”and“Environment”.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 32 60 6 2
8.b Geology 21 34 32 11
8.c Chemistry 26 38 30 6
8.d Electronics 21 28 36 13
8.e Engineering 11 25 40 25
8.f Mathematics 23 42 21 15
8.g Physics 19 30 36 9
8.h Product design 45 25 21 8
8.i Product manufacture 23 23 32 21
PupilsshowlargeinterestinmanyS&Tsubjects,especiallyinBiology,buttheyseemtobelessinterestedinElectronics,Engineering,PhysicsandProductmanufacture.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 8 11 28 28 25
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
28 34 23 15 0
10.c S&T activities are fun 19 34 32 8 8
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
2 26 47 25 0
10.e I like S&T 25 40 21 8 8
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
19 21 32 21 6
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
25 40 23 11 2
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
43 28 23 2 4
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 26 23 26 17 6
Pupils show affinity towards academic S&T subjects they like them and they are veryinterestedinhealthandspacetravel/universeitems.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 25 47 21 8
13.b Planning research projects 15 42 34 9
13.c Collecting information for research projects
23 42 30 6
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
43 38 11 8
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
21 42 25 13
13.f Examining results from research projects
23 38 19 21
13.g Writing research reports 9 36 36 19
13.h Working as a member of a research team
49 32 8 9
13.i Making presentations about research
32 38 17 13
Ingeneral,pupilsareveryinterestedinS&Tactivities,exceptinwritingresearchreports.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 77
More S&T practical projects 53
Theinterestinpracticalprojectsislimited.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 40
Experiments 57
Research projects 51
Speakers 53
Trips 62
Assemblies 34
Displays 60
Almostalltheactivitiesareinterestingforaboutahalfofthegroup.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 30
11.b Researcher 23
11.c Engineer 15
11.d Judge 34
11.e Lawyer 40
11.f Sports person 57
11.g Artist 38
11.h Journalist 34
11.i Business person 55
11.j Teacher 11
11.k Politician 4
11.l Inventor 26
11.m Designer 49
11.n Other 45
“Designer”,“Sportsperson”and“Businessperson”arehighlyscoredasfuturecareersforthe pupils. “Researcher”, “Teacher” and other careers related to S&T are medium/lowscored.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 8 26 26 30 9
12.b Other relatives 0 8 19 47 26
12.c Friends 4 13 17 34 32
12.d Teachers 2 13 26 21 38
12.e Famous people 6 6 15 28 45
Pupils perceive some degree of influence on their career choice from external people,especiallyfromparents/guardians.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 57 43 0
7.b Radio 4 70 25
7.c Newspapers 13 62 23
7.d Magazines 32 47 21
7.e Books 47 43 8
7.f Encyclopaedias 38 36 25
7.g Educational software programmes 42 49 9
7.h DVDs 26 62 11
7.i Teachers 58 38 2
7.j Parent/guardian 58 36 4
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 40 43 17
7.l Podcasts 6 60 30
7.m Twitter 17 19 64
7.n Facebook 49 17 32
7.o Google 70 26 4
7.p YouTube 40 34 23
7.q Other 21 62 13
“Google” is themostusedmethod,“Parents”,“Teachers”and“Television”arealsoquiteused,butactuallymanymediaareconsideredasuseful.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 60 B
17.b S&T exhibition 55 B
17.c S&T fair 26 B
17.d S&T library 38 B
17.e S&T park 23 B
17.f S&T conference 9 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 8
Very good 21
Good 49
Average 15
Poor 8
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Almostahalfofthepupilsconsiderthemselves“good”inS&T.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Female pupils show more agreement with “S&T improve the understanding ofcommunicatingwithdifferentpeople”.
– Malepupilsshowmoreagreementwith“S&Timprovetheunderstandingofbeingmoresensitivetowardsotherpeople”.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– Ingeneral,malepupilshaveamorepositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&Tthanfemalepupils.Malepupilsseemtobealsomoreconcernedaboutethicalissues.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– MalepupilsaremoreinfluencebythestereotypeconsideringpeopleworkinginS&Tas“typicallymen”.
– FemalepupilsconsiderprestigeasamoreimportantreasonforchoosingaS&Tcareer.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsmedicine/health.
– MalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsS&T.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– FemalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsProductdesignandProductmanufacture.
– Male pupils show more interest towards Chemistry, Electronics, Engineering andMathematics.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– MalepupilsseemtobeabitmoreinterestedinS&Tsubjects,althoughtheyconsiderS&Tas“difficulttounderstand”.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinexperimentsandspeakers.
– Malepupilsaremoreinterestedincompetitions.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingacareerasdesigner.
– Malepupilsareabitmoreinterestedinpursuingacareerasengineer.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Malepupilsperceivemoreexternalinfluence.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Femalepupilsscorethemselvesbitlowerthanmalepupils.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISONOFRESULTSFROMTHEFIRSTSURVEYANDTHESECONDONE
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Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,thegroupdisplaysamorestereotypedviewofpeopleworkinginS&Taftertheactivities.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
– TheperceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematics,andothersubjects,isreduced.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– InteresttowardsS&T,EducationandEnvironmentisreduced.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– InteresttowardsPhysicsisreduced.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– Ingeneral,affinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjectsisreduced.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangesaredetected.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantchangesaredetected.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
ROMANIA
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, LEVEL IX (PUPILS 15-16 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, LEVEL X (PUPILS 16-17 Y .O .)
Onlyone(experimental)groupwasavailable.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
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Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 46
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 24
9.c Communicating with different people 63
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 35
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 30
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 56
9.g A career in science and/or technology 93
Usefulnessforvocationisclearlyidentified.Fortherest,onlyusefulnessforcommunicatingwithdifferentpeopleandforconsumerissuesareperceivedbyamajorityofthepupils.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
28 48 19 6 0
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 24 37 24 11 2
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 0 4 26 17 54
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
50 26 19 6 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 6 20 37 9 26
14.h S&T help cure diseases 54 30 7 4 6
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 19 54 24 4 0
PupilshaveaverypositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&Tforresolvingpracticalproblems.
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iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 24 28 24 15 6
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
26 33 28 11 2
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
24 33 26 15 0
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
0 20 24 31 24
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
7 9 37 30 17
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 44 26 24 2 0
PupilshavesomeconcernsontheusefulnessofS&Tinethicalissues,althoughtheyconsiderS&Tasbeneficialtosociety.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 0 31 26 30 13
15.b are typically boring 4 0 17 50 30
15.c are typically men 4 4 26 44 22
15.d are typically creative 24 54 20 0 0
15.e typically work alone 4 17 39 35 6
15.f typically work in a laboratory 20 43 31 4 2
15.g are typically competitive 15 31 44 7 2
15.h are typically hard-working 31 56 13 0 0
15.i are typically geniuses 7 28 43 17 4
15.j are typically nerdy 7 2 13 41 37
15.k are typically strange 2 6 13 33 46
15.l are typically addicted to their work 6 13 41 33 7
PupilsareinfluencedinsomedegreebystereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T.“Typicallyold”,“creative”,“workinginalaboratory”and“hard-working”areratheraccepted.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 63
16.b Think it is worthwhile 76
16.c Enjoyed studying it 96
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 35
16.e Can become famous 52
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 63
AlthoughvocationisconsideredanimportantreasonforchoosingacareerinS&Tpracticalreasonsarealsoconsidered.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 57 41
Other subjects 83 13
Pupilsdon’tperceiveaclearconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematics.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 22 50 24 4
6.b Science/technology 13 61 24 2
6.c Movies 35 37 26 0
6.d Art/culture 15 43 33 7
6.e Sports 43 35 17 4
6.f Economy/business 22 28 39 7
6.g Education 41 52 6 0
6.h Medicine/health 46 46 4 0
6.i Environment 22 46 19 7
6.j Politics 0 7 30 61
6.k Famous people 28 37 31 4
PupilsareveryinterestedinS&T,Education”,“Medicineandhealth”,and“Environment”.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 63 30 7 0
8.b Geology 15 30 44 9
8.c Chemistry 30 52 13 6
8.d Electronics 11 26 28 35
8.e Engineering 2 22 39 35
8.f Mathematics 13 39 26 22
8.g Physics 7 35 46 11
8.h Product design 41 31 20 7
8.i Product manufacture 28 26 28 17
Pupils are very interested in Biology, Chemistry and Product design; interest towardsMathematicsisfair.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 4 11 17 37 31
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
39 41 13 4 4
10.c S&T activities are fun 13 28 43 13 4
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
2 41 26 26 6
10.e I like S&T 26 44 22 7 0
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
15 33 26 20 4
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
44 37 6 11 2
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
15 44 22 15 4
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 9 30 35 22 4
Pupils show affinity towards academic S&T subjects they like them and they are veryinterested inhealthand space travel/universe items.However, theyconsiderS&T ratherdifficulttounderstand.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 15 56 26 4
13.b Planning research projects 6 48 41 6
13.c Collecting information for research projects
11 37 43 9
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
30 43 24 4
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
24 43 22 9
13.f Examining results from research projects
17 37 35 9
13.g Writing research reports 7 37 43 11
13.h Working as a member of a research team
43 48 9 0
13.i Making presentations about research
28 44 19 9
Ingeneral,pupilsarequiteinterestedinS&Tactivities,exceptincollectinginformationforresearchprojectsandwritingresearchreports.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 89
More S&T practical projects 54
Theinterestinpracticalprojectsislimited.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 50
Experiments 72
Research projects 59
Speakers 59
Trips 76
Assemblies 43
Displays 63
Experimentsandtripsarethemostinterestingactivities,butallofthemarehighlyscored.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 80
11.b Researcher 17
11.c Engineer 17
11.d Judge 33
11.e Lawyer 43
11.f Sports person 30
11.g Artist 41
11.h Journalist 28
11.i Business person 59
11.j Teacher 13
11.k Politician 7
11.l Inventor 19
11.m Designer 50
11.n Other 61
“Doctor” isan interestingcareerformostofthepupils.“Designer” isalsoconsideredbyamajorityofthem,but“Researcher”,“Engineer”,“Teacher”and“Inventor”areverylowscored.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 13 39 15 28 6
12.b Other relatives 0 6 17 43 35
12.c Friends 0 15 19 41 22
12.d Teachers 0 13 33 35 15
12.e Famous people 2 13 19 35 31
Ingeneral,pupilsperceivesmallinfluenceontheircareerchoicefromexternalpeople.Theyperceiveanimportantinfluencefromparents/guardians.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 52 48 0
7.b Radio 7 65 28
7.c Newspapers 11 70 19
7.d Magazines 19 59 22
7.e Books 28 57 15
7.f Encyclopaedias 22 37 39
7.g Educational software programmes 19 54 28
7.h DVDs 19 57 24
7.i Teachers 59 39 0
7.j Parent/guardian 46 50 4
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 35 48 15
7.l Podcasts 7 61 31
7.m Twitter 11 28 56
7.n Facebook 37 43 19
7.o Google 80 20 0
7.p YouTube 44 43 13
7.q Other 9 74 11
“Google” is the most used method, “Parents”, “Teachers”, “Television”, “YouTube” and“Facebook”arealsoquiteused.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 69 B
17.b S&T exhibition 39 B
17.c S&T fair 15 C
17.d S&T library 43 B
17.e S&T park 26 B
17.f S&T conference 2 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 0
Very good 11
Good 52
Average 35
Poor 0
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Themajorityofthepupilsconsiderthemselves“good”inS&T.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Female pupils show more agreement with “S&T improve the understanding ofcommunicatingwith different people” and “S&T improve the understanding of beingmoreresponsibleconsumer”
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Malepupilsareabitmoreinfluencedbystereotypes.
– Malepupilsconsiderpracticalreasons,likemoneyorfame,asmoreimportantreasonsforchoosingaS&Tcareer.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
– MalepupilsperceivelessconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematics.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– FemalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsMathematicsandProductdesign.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– MalepupilsseemtobeabitlessinterestedinS&Tsubjects.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– MalepupilsareingenerallessinterestedinS&Tactivities.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– FemalepupilsaremoreinterestedinalltheschoolactivitiesactivitiesrelatedwithS&T.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsarelessinterestedinpursuingacareersrelatedwithS&T,exceptforacareerasengineer.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISONOFRESULTSFROMTHEFIRSTSURVEYANDTHESECONDONE
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
PerceptionofusefulnessofS&Tin“thingsaffectingyouandyourfamily”,socialandpoliticalissues”and“communicatingwithdifferentpeople”isreduced.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– InteresttowardsMathematicsisabitincreased.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Interesttowardspracticalprojectisincreased.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
ROMANIA
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, LEVEL X (PUPILS 16-17 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, LEVEL XI (PUPILS 17-18 Y .O .)
PUPILS 16-17 Y .O .
Onlyone(experimental)groupwasavailable.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 31
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 8
9.c Communicating with different people 60
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 75
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 19
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 67
9.g A career in science and/or technology 98
Usefulnessforvocationisclearlyidentified.Fortherest,usefulnessforcommunicatingwithdifferentpeople,solvingproblems indaily lifeand forconsumer issues isperceivedbyamajorityofthepupils.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
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Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
52 33 15 0 0
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 6 29 33 29 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 2 8 8 50 31
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
69 23 8 0 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 13 27 38 13 10
14.h S&T help cure diseases 63 27 4 4 2
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 19 52 19 4 6
PupilshaveaverypositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&Tforresolvingpracticalproblems.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 48 29 19 0 2
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
35 46 19 0 0
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
35 33 23 6 2
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
4 4 10 38 42
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
4 10 48 31 6
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 50 38 13 0 0
PupilshavealsoapositiveviewofS&Tinethicalissues.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 2 15 19 65 0
15.b are typically boring 0 2 8 71 19
15.c are typically men 0 4 23 50 23
15.d are typically creative 38 48 13 2 0
15.e typically work alone 0 40 44 17 0
15.f typically work in a laboratory 13 52 27 6 0
15.g are typically competitive 15 54 19 8 2
15.h are typically hard-working 42 52 4 2 0
15.i are typically geniuses 27 31 29 8 4
15.j are typically nerdy 2 4 21 48 25
15.k are typically strange 4 0 15 60 21
15.l are typically addicted to their work 21 27 38 10 2
Pupils are influenced by several stereotypes about people working in S&T, as “typicallycompetitive”,“creative”,“workinginalaboratory”,“geniuses”,“hard-working”and“addictedtotheirwork”areratheraccepted.
Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 65
16.b Think it is worthwhile 96
16.c Enjoyed studying it 92
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 69
16.e Can become famous 52
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 69
AlthoughvocationisconsideredanimportantreasonforchoosingacareerinS&T,prestigeandpracticalreasonsarealsoconsidered.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 90 10
Other subjects 90 10
PupilsclearlyperceiveconnectionbetweenS&T,andMathematicsandothersubjects.
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 8 19 48 19
6.b Science/technology 52 40 8 0
6.c Movies 10 42 33 6
6.d Art/culture 6 63 17 8
6.e Sports 23 27 33 10
6.f Economy/business 10 46 29 8
6.g Education 65 21 8 2
6.h Medicine/health 71 21 6 0
6.i Environment 44 38 10 4
6.j Politics 4 2 44 50
6.k Famous people 8 23 46 19
PupilsareveryinterestedinS&T,“Education”,“Medicineandhealth”,and“Environment”.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 83 13 4 0
8.b Geology 6 50 29 13
8.c Chemistry 44 42 6 4
8.d Electronics 6 27 42 23
8.e Engineering 6 21 50 21
8.f Mathematics 58 21 17 2
8.g Physics 65 21 10 0
8.h Product design 15 44 23 17
8.i Product manufacture 2 15 46 33
Pupils are very interested in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, and quiteinterestedinGeologyandProductdesign.
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I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 0 2 15 40 42
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
67 19 6 2 6
10.c S&T activities are fun 4 35 46 13 2
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
2 13 60 25 0
10.e I like S&T 33 52 15 0 0
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
23 69 6 2 0
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
44 40 15 2 0
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
33 38 21 8 0
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 23 60 15 0 2
PupilsshowahighaffinitytowardsacademicS&Tsubjects.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 21 56 15 8
13.b Planning research projects 8 56 29 4
13.c Collecting information for research projects
23 46 23 6
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
44 42 8 4
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
15 48 31 4
13.f Examining results from research projects
6 60 29 4
13.g Writing research reports 0 27 65 8
13.h Working as a member of a research team
19 65 15 2
13.i Making presentations about research
23 33 35 8
Ingeneral,pupilsareveryinterestedinS&Tactivities,exceptinwritingresearchreports.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 96
More S&T practical projects 94
Thereisalargeinterestinbothtripsandpracticalprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 75
Experiments 92
Research projects 73
Speakers 71
Trips 88
Assemblies 50
Displays 75
Experimentsandtripsarethemostinterestingactivities,butallofthemarehighlyscored.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 69
11.b Researcher 31
11.c Engineer 17
11.d Judge 27
11.e Lawyer 27
11.f Sports person 15
11.g Artist 19
11.h Journalist 15
11.i Business person 54
11.j Teacher 8
11.k Politician 10
11.l Inventor 23
11.m Designer 27
11.n Other 38
“Doctor”isaninterestingcareerformostofthepupils.“Designer”isalsoconsideredbyamajorityofthem,“Researcher”,“Inventor”and“Designer”isfairlyscored,and“Engineer”and“Teacher”arelowscored.
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I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 8 40 29 17 6
12.b Other relatives 0 31 13 42 15
12.c Friends 0 17 25 42 15
12.d Teachers 4 48 27 15 6
12.e Famous people 8 27 15 31 19
Ingeneral,pupilsperceivesomeinfluenceontheircareerchoicefromparents/guardiansandteachers.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 21 71 4
7.b Radio 0 48 48
7.c Newspapers 4 65 25
7.d Magazines 27 46 23
7.e Books 73 25 0
7.f Encyclopaedias 71 19 6
7.g Educational software programmes 44 44 8
7.h DVDs 6 65 25
7.i Teachers 88 6 6
7.j Parent/guardian 48 46 2
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 19 63 19
7.l Podcasts 2 54 38
7.m Twitter 2 19 75
7.n Facebook 23 33 40
7.o Google 75 17 4
7.p YouTube 27 52 17
7.q Other 6 67 10
“TehachersarethepreferredreferenceforgettinginformationonS&T.
“Parents”,“books”and“Google”arealsoquiteused.“Television”islowscored.
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I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 73 B
17.b S&T exhibition 35 B
17.c S&T fair 10 C
17.d S&T library 27 B
17.e S&T park 25 B
17.f S&T conference 21 B
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 6
Very good 29
Good 46
Average 17
Poor 0
Almostahalfofthepupilsconsiderthemselves“good”inS&T.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Ingeneral,femalepupilsperceivemoreusefulnessinalltheissues.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– MalepupilsconsiderS&Tmoreusefulforunderstandingourworldandcuringdiseases,butalsomorecomplicated.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– FemalepupilsconsiderpeopleworkinginS&Tmoregeniusandmorecompetitive.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
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Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Femalepupilsareingeneralmoreinterestedingeneralissues.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Female pupils show more interest towards Product design, male pupils show moreinteresttowardsElectronicsandPhysics.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– MalepupilsconsiderS&Tsubjectsmorecomplicated.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsarelessinterestedinpursuingacareerrelatedwithS&T,exceptforcareersasengineerandinventor.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Malepupilsevaluatethemselveshigher.
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THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISONOFRESULTSFROMTHEFIRSTSURVEYANDTHESECONDONE
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
PerceptionofusefulnessofS&Tinsocialandpoliticalissuesisincreased.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– Ingeneral,perceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tisabitreduced.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– InteresttowardsMathematicsandPhysicsisreduced.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangeswerefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
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– Ingeneral,interesttowardsactivitiesisabitreduced.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Ingeneral,perceptionofexternalinfluencesisreduced.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Self-evaluationisabitreduced.
5.2.4.2 Conclusions
ROMANIA
UsefulnessoflearningS&Tisclearlyidentified,andthescoresofsuchstatementsincreaseforolderpupils.UsefulnessoflearningS&Tforvocationsismostscoredinallgroups,andforcommunicatingwithdifferentpeopleandforconsumerissuesisperceivedbyamajorityofthepupilstoo.
PupilshaveaverypositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&Tforresolvingpracticalproblems(“Provideacomfortablelifestyle”,“Helpcurediseases”).PupilshavealsoapositiveviewontheusefulnessofS&Tinethicalissues.
AmajorityoftheyoungestgroupconsidersS&Tincreasinglycomplicated.
Pupils arequite influencedby stereotypes about peopleworking in S&T. “Typically old”,“creative”,“workinginalaboratory”,“hard-working”and“geniuses”areratheraccepted.
AlthoughvocationisconsideredasthemostimportantreasonforchoosingacareerinS&T,all thepracticalandprestigereasonsarevalued (“Earna lotofmoney”,“Opportunity totravel”).
PupilsclearlyperceivetheconnectionbetweenS&TandMathematicsintheyoungestandtheoldestgroups,andnotveryclearlyinthesecondgroup.
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Pupilsareveryinterestedin“Medicineandhealth”,“Education”,S&Tand“Environment”.
Pupils show large interest inmany S&T subjects. The youngest group ismost interestedinBiology; the intermediategroup ishighly interested inBiology,ChemistryandProductdesign,whereastheoldestgroupismoreinterestedinBiology,Chemistry,MathematicsandPhysics.
PupilsshowlargeaffinitytowardsacademicS&Ttopics,especiallyS&Trelatedtospacetravel&theuniverseintheyoungestgroup,andsubjectsthatwillhelptoobtaintheirdesiredjobinthesecondandthirdgroup.
Ingeneral,pupilsareveryinterestedinS&Tactivities(“Comingupwithsolutionstoproblem-solving”,“Workingasamemberofaresearchteam”),exceptinwritingresearchreports.
AllthegroupsareinterestedinS&Ttrips.Theinterestinpracticalprojectsislimitedinthefirsttwogroupsanditishighintheoldestgroup.
Experiments and trips are themost interesting activities for about half of the youngestgroupandallthesecondandthirdgroup.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
“Designer” ishighlyscoredasfuturecareerforthepupils, inallgroups,especially intheyoungestone,and“Doctor”isveryinterestinginthesecondandthethirdtoo.“Researcher”,“Teacher”and“Engineer”aremedium/lowscored.
Pupils perceive some degree of influence on their career choice from external people,especiallyfromparents/guardians,andteacherstoointheoldestgroup.
“Google” is the most used method for getting information about S&T, and “Parents”,“Teachers”and“Television”arealsoquiteused.
Self-evaluationinS&Tisgood,amajorityconsiderthemselvesbetterthanaverage.
GENDER INFLUENCE
Ingeneral,intheyoungestgroupmalepupilshaveamorepositiveviewoftheusefulnessof S&T than femalepupils and seemtobealsomoreconcernedaboutethical issues. Inthesecondage-groupthosedifferencesdonotexistandinthethirdgroupfemalepupilsperceivemoreusefulnessinalltheissues.
MalepupilsoftheyoungestgrouparemoreinfluencedbythestereotypeconsideringpeopleworkinginS&Tas“typicallymen”,andtheyareabitmoreinfluencedinotherstereotypesinthesecondgrouptoo.Itchangesintheoldestgroup,wherefemalepupilsconsiderpeopleworkinginS&Tmoregeniusandmorecompetitive.
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TherearesomedifferencesabouttheinterestinS&Tintheyoungestgroup.Forexample,male pupils show more interest towards S&T but female pupils show more interesttowardsmedicine/health.MalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsChemistry,Electronics,EngineeringandMathematics,althoughtheyconsiderS&Tmore“difficulttounderstand”.
Male pupils aremore interested in competitions and female pupils showmore interesttowardsexperimentsandspeakers.
ThisinteresttowardsS&Tchangesintheoldergroups.Thisway,malepupilsseemtobeabitlessinterestedinS&TsubjectsandactivitiesinthesecondgroupandmalepupilsconsiderS&Tsubjectsmorecomplicatedintheoldestgroup.Despitethat,malepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsElectronicsandPhysicsthanfemalepupils.
Concerningvocations, ingeneralmalepupilsare less interestedpursuingcareers relatedwithS&T,exceptforacareerasengineer.
Malepupilsevaluatethemselveshigherintheyoungestandoldestgroups.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
Therearenocleareffectsoftheactivities.
In theyoungestgroup, ingeneral thegroupdisplaysamorestereotypedviewofpeopleworkinginS&T,andinteresttowardsS&TandS&Tsubjectshasreducedaftertheactivities.
InthesecondgroupinteresttowardsMathematicsandpracticalprojectshasincreasedabit.
IntheoldestgroupperceptionofusefulnessofS&TinsocialandpoliticalissueshasincreasedbutingeneralperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&Tisabitreduced,andingeneralinteresttowardsactivitiesisabitreducedtoo.Inthisgrouptheperceptionofexternalinfluencesforvocationsandself-evaluationhasreducedabittoo.
SUMMARY
RomanianpupilsareamongtheoneshavingamorepositiveviewofS&T.TheyconsiderS&Tveryuseful,theyareinterestedinS&Trelatedissues,astheylikestudyingthecorrespondingacademic subjects. Interestingly, all this interest and affinity doesn’t imply higher scoreswhen asking about considering careers in S&T. Careers as researcher and teacher areparticularlylessconsidered.
Ingeneral,the“Stimula”activitiesdon’thaveaveryrelevanteffectinperceptions,interestorvocationsofthepupils.
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5 .2 .4 Spain
Code Activity Questionnaire Age Number of questionnaires
E1 ContestFirst questionnaire, experimental group
13-14 y.o. 28
C1 ContestFirst questionnaire,
control group13-14 y.o. 19
E2 ContestSecond questionnaire,
experimental group14-15 y.o. 29
C2 ContestSecond questionnaire,
control group14-15 y.o. 17
E1 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire, experimental group
14-15 y.o. 9
C1 ExperimentsFirst questionnaire,
control group14-15 y.o. 21
E2 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
experimental group15-16 y.o. 15
C2 ExperimentsSecond questionnaire,
control group15-16 y.o. 23
E1 Visit to RCFirst questionnaire, experimental group
16-17 y.o. 30
C1 Visit to RCFirst questionnaire,
control group16-17 y.o. 29
E2 Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
experimental group17-18 y.o. 27
C2 Visit to RCSecond questionnaire,
control group17-18 y.o. 27
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5.2.4.3 Results of the survey
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, ESO 2 (PUPILS 13-14 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, ESO 3 (PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .)
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 46
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 29
9.c Communicating with different people 46
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 50
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 21
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 71
9.g A career in science and/or technology 75
AlargegroupofpupilsperceivestheusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsforpracticalissues,exceptforopinionsonsocialandpoliticalitems,andforsensitivitytowardsotherpeople.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
4 50 39 4 4
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 25 46 25 4 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 4 7 46 18 25
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
14 36 39 11 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 7 18 36 25 14
14.h S&T help cure diseases 21 29 43 4 4
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 14 29 36 18 4
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PupilsareratherundecidedaboutusefulnessofS&T:theyperceiveS&Tasthebestwaytounderstandourworld,buttheyalsoconsiderS&Tasincreasinglycomplicated.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 7 39 43 7 4
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
29 46 21 0 4
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
7 29 57 4 4
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
18 14 46 14 7
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
7 7 68 11 7
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 11 32 46 7 4
PupilsarealsoundecidedaboutethicalissuesconcerningS&T,andtheyconsiderthatS&Timplyapotentialrisk,asitcanbeinferredfromtheanswerstoquestion14.g.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 4 4 50 32 11
15.b are typically boring 0 14 39 39 7
15.c are typically men 4 11 32 29 25
15.d are typically creative 7 50 39 4 0
15.e typically work alone 4 7 54 29 7
15.f typically work in a laboratory 7 25 43 21 4
15.g are typically competitive 7 14 71 7 0
15.h are typically hard-working 4 61 32 4 0
15.i are typically geniuses 0 29 39 29 4
15.j are typically nerdy 7 32 39 11 11
15.k are typically strange 7 11 21 39 21
15.l are typically addicted to their work 7 29 32 25 7
Pupilsareratherundecidedabout“negative”stereotypes.TheyconsiderpeoplehavingacareerinS&T“creative”and“hard-working”.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 54
16.b Think it is worthwhile 50
16.c Enjoyed studying it 36
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 36
16.e Can become famous 39
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 54
VocationisconsideredasimportantasotherpracticalreasonsforchoosingacareerinS&T.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 71 29
Other subjects 75 25
PupilsperceivetheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 7 43 36 14
6.b Science/technology 18 43 32 7
6.c Movies 32 32 32 4
6.d Art/culture 7 32 43 18
6.e Sports 57 36 7 0
6.f Economy/business 18 25 25 29
6.g Education 7 61 21 11
6.h Medicine/health 18 39 29 14
6.i Environment 14 43 32 11
6.j Politics 14 18 29 36
6.k Famous people 32 18 46 0
Pupils seem to be quite interested in “S&T”, “Education”, “Medicine and Health” and“Environment”,ascomparedtootherareas.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 14 18 50 18
8.b Geology 14 21 43 21
8.c Chemistry 18 21 46 14
8.d Electronics 29 32 25 14
8.e Engineering 32 18 25 25
8.f Mathematics 32 21 29 18
8.g Physics 11 29 46 14
8.h Product design 14 43 29 11
8.i Product manufacture 4 43 29 18
Pupils showmore interest in Engineering, Electronics,Mathematics, Product design andProductmanufacture.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 14 14 36 32 0
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
4 39 54 4 0
10.c S&T activities are fun 0 46 32 11 11
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
11 29 43 14 0
10.e I like S&T 7 43 21 18 7
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
7 4 39 39 11
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
11 21 39 14 14
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
18 39 18 14 11
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 0 21 29 36 14
Affinity towardsacademicS&Tsubjects is fair,manyquestions show“undecided”as themodeanswer.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 11 32 43 14
13.b Planning research projects 11 21 57 11
13.c Collecting information for research projects
11 11 54 25
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
18 29 39 14
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
7 43 29 21
13.f Examining results from research projects
14 21 46 18
13.g Writing research reports 7 7 54 32
13.h Working as a member of a research team
14 25 46 14
13.i Making presentations about research
4 25 39 32
Ingeneral,pupilsshowlittleinteresttowardsS&Tactivities.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 86
More S&T practical projects 71
AmajorityofthepupilswantsmoreS&TtripsorS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 11
Experiments 68
Research projects 32
Speakers 4
Trips 54
Assemblies 14
Displays 36
Only“experiments”and“trips”areinterestingS&Tactivitiesforamajorityofthepupils.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 43
11.b Researcher 14
11.c Engineer 39
11.d Judge 7
11.e Lawyer 36
11.f Sports person 57
11.g Artist 36
11.h Journalist 46
11.i Business person 25
11.j Teacher 50
11.k Politician 11
11.l Inventor 18
11.m Designer 57
11.n Other 57
“Designer”,“Teacher”,“Doctor”and“Engineer”arehighlyscoredasfuturecareersforthepupils.“Researcher”and“Inventor”scorelow.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 11 29 32 21 7
12.b Other relatives 7 14 39 32 7
12.c Friends 4 14 18 50 14
12.d Teachers 0 11 21 39 29
12.e Famous people 4 7 7 43 39
Pupils perceive some degree of influence on their career choice from external people,especiallyfromparents/guardians
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
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Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 64 32 4
7.b Radio 11 71 18
7.c Newspapers 7 57 36
7.d Magazines 18 57 21
7.e Books 11 68 18
7.f Encyclopaedias 7 64 29
7.g Educational software programmes 11 39 50
7.h DVDs 18 43 39
7.i Teachers 50 46 4
7.j Parent/guardian 43 43 11
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 7 36 57
7.l Podcasts 4 14 82
7.m Twitter 7 14 79
7.n Facebook 14 21 57
7.o Google 61 25 14
7.p YouTube 54 32 14
7.q Other 29 54 18
“Television”,“Google”,and“YouTube”arethemostusedmethods,evenmorethan“Parents”and“Teachers”.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 50 B
17.b S&T exhibition 19 B
17.c S&T fair 11 C
17.d S&T library 7 C
17.e S&T park 25 B
17.f S&T conference 4 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 11
Very good 21
Good 54
Average 14
Poor 0
Amajorityofthepupilsconsiderthemselves“good”inS&T.
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COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Ingeneral,pupilsincontrolgroupseemtoperceivemoreusefulnessoftheS&Tacademicissues.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– VocationalreasonsforchoosingaS&Tcareerarehigherscoredbythecontrolgroup.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Pupilsinthecontrolgrouparemoreinterestedin“Foodandconsumerissues”,“Movies”and“Famouspeople”,andlessinterestedin“Politicalissues”.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowlessinterestinpursuingcareersas“Doctor”,“Researcher”,“Engineer”and“Designer”.Only“Teacher”isalsoconsideredinterestingforthisgroup.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Female pupils show more agreement with “S&T improve the understanding ofcommunicatingwithotherpeople”and“S&TimprovetheunderstandingofacareerinS&T”thanmalepupils.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– Male pupils seems to be more concerned about ethical questions related with S&T(higheragreementwithstatements14.g,14.jand14.l)thanfemalepupils.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsarequitemoreinfluencedbystereotypes.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Female pupils show more interest towards art/culture, medicine/health and famouspeople.
– Male pupils show more interest towards food/consumer issues, sports, economy/business,environmentandpoliticalissues.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingacareerasdesigner.
– Malepupilsareabitmoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasresearcherandinventor.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
– Femalepupilsscorethemselvesabithigherthanmalepupils.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Perception of agreement with usefulness of S&T in more “social” issues is increased(statements 9.b, 9.c, 9.e). For the control group, agreement with those statements isreduced.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,stereotypesarelessacceptedbypupilsintheexperimentalgroup.Itdoesn’thappenforthecontrolgroup.
– PupilsconsidervocationalreasonsmoreimportantthanpracticalreasonsforchoosingaS&Tcareer.Inthecontrolgroup,vocationalreasonsarehighscored,butpracticalreasonsarealsoincreased.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
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I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Interest towards Engineering andMathematics is reduced, whereas interest towardsBiologyisabitincreased.Inthecontrolgroup,interesttowardsMathematicsandPhysicsisreduced.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Norelevantchangesaredetected
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantchangesaredetected.Interestininstrumentalactivitiesisevenreducedinthecontrolgroup.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
TheinteresttowardsS&Tcompetitions,speakers,tripsandassembliesisincreasedintheexperimentalgroup,butnotinthecontrolgroup.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Pupilsperceivelessexternalinfluencesintheircareerchoice,bothintheexperimentalandinthecontrolgroup.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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SPAIN
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, ESO 3 (PUPILS 14-15 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, ESO 4 (PUPILS 15-16 Y .O .)
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 44
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 33
9.c Communicating with different people 22
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 78
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 11
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 56
9.g A career in science and/or technology 89
MostpupilsperceiveusefulnessofS&Tforchoosingacareerinthefuture,andforsolvingproblemsindailylife.Fortherest,pupilsjustperceiveafairusefulness.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
0 78 11 11 0
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 11 44 33 11 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 0 0 0 67 33
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
0 33 67 0 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 0 22 22 33 22
14.h S&T help cure diseases 33 56 11 0 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 0 0 67 22 0
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PupilsconsiderS&Tusefulforunderstandingourworldandcuringdiseases,buttheyalsothinkthatS&Tareincreasinglycomplicated.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 0 56 33 0 11
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
44 44 11 0 0
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
0 33 67 0 0
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
22 11 33 33 0
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
11 11 56 22 0
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 11 33 44 0 0
SomeconcernsaboutdangerofS&Taredisplayed,althoughS&Tareconsideredbeneficialtosociety.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 0 0 11 56 22
15.b are typically boring 0 0 22 44 33
15.c are typically men 0 0 22 44 33
15.d are typically creative 22 11 56 11 0
15.e typically work alone 0 11 22 44 22
15.f typically work in a laboratory 0 22 33 22 11
15.g are typically competitive 0 22 44 22 11
15.h are typically hard-working 33 33 33 0 0
15.i are typically geniuses 0 11 56 11 11
15.j are typically nerdy 11 0 22 56 11
15.k are typically strange 0 0 22 33 44
15.l are typically addicted to their work 0 11 44 11 33
Negative stereotypes are mostly rejected. People working in S&T are considered hard-working.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 33
16.b Think it is worthwhile 89
16.c Enjoyed studying it 78
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 67
16.e Can become famous 0
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 11
VocationandprestigeareconsideredthemainreasonsforchoosingacareerinS&T.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 78 11
Other subjects 78 22
PupilsperceivetheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 11 56 22 11
6.b Science/technology 22 44 33 0
6.c Movies 67 22 11 0
6.d Art/culture 0 56 44 0
6.e Sports 44 33 11 11
6.f Economy/business 33 22 44 0
6.g Education 22 67 0 11
6.h Medicine/health 33 44 11 11
6.i Environment 22 44 11 22
6.j Politics 11 0 56 33
6.k Famous people 33 33 22 11
Pupils seem to be quite interested in “S&T”, “Education”, “Medicine and Health” and“Environment”,ascomparedtootherareas.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 11 56 11 11
8.b Geology 11 56 11 22
8.c Chemistry 33 44 11 0
8.d Electronics 22 33 22 22
8.e Engineering 33 33 22 11
8.f Mathematics 22 33 33 11
8.g Physics 22 44 33 0
8.h Product design 22 22 33 22
8.i Product manufacture 0 22 33 44
PupilsshowmoreinterestinEngineeringandChemistry.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 0 11 22 56 11
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
44 33 11 0 11
10.c S&T activities are fun 0 56 33 11 0
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
11 11 56 22 0
10.e I like S&T 44 22 11 11 0
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
11 33 44 0 11
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
33 11 33 11 11
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
11 22 44 11 11
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 11 22 44 22 0
PupilslikeS&Tandconsidersuchsubjectsratherfun,andnotverydifficult.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 44 22 33 0
13.b Planning research projects 22 33 33 11
13.c Collecting information for research projects
0 22 33 44
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
0 44 33 22
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
11 56 11 22
13.f Examining results from research projects
11 56 22 11
13.g Writing research reports 11 22 44 22
13.h Working as a member of a research team
67 11 22 0
13.i Making presentations about research
11 33 33 22
Pupilsareveryinterestedinresearchprojectsandteamwork.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 100
More S&T practical projects 89
MostpupilswantmoreS&TtripsandS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 11
Experiments 89
Research projects 89
Speakers 56
Trips 67
Assemblies 33
Displays 33
“Experiments”,“Researchprojects”,“Trips”and“Speakers”areinterestingS&Tactivitiesforamajorityofthepupils.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 44
11.b Researcher 33
11.c Engineer 33
11.d Judge 0
11.e Lawyer 33
11.f Sports person 33
11.g Artist 56
11.h Journalist 11
11.i Business person 11
11.j Teacher 33
11.k Politician 0
11.l Inventor 22
11.m Designer 33
11.n Other 67
“Doctor”,“Researcher”,“Engineer”,“Teacher”and“Designer”arefairlyinterestingasfuturecareersforthepupils.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 11 0 44 11 33
12.b Other relatives 0 11 44 11 33
12.c Friends 11 11 11 33 33
12.d Teachers 22 11 11 22 33
12.e Famous people 0 0 11 11 78
Pupils perceive some degree of influence on their career choice from external people,especiallyfromparents/guardiansandteachers.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 33 33 33
7.b Radio 0 67 33
7.c Newspapers 22 56 22
7.d Magazines 22 78 07.e Books 22 67 11
7.f Encyclopaedias 22 33 44
7.g Educational software programmes 44 11 44
7.h DVDs 22 56 22
7.i Teachers 78 22 07.j Parent/guardian 22 67 11
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 11 22 67
7.l Podcasts 0 33 67
7.m Twitter 22 0 78
7.n Facebook 11 11 78
7.o Google 22 67 11
7.p YouTube 22 56 22
7.q Other 11 56 22
“Teachers”arebyfarthemostusedmethodforgettinginformationonS&T.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 56 B
17.b S&T exhibition 44 B
17.c S&T fair 11 C
17.d S&T library 0 C
17.e S&T park 33 B
17.f S&T conference 33 B
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 0
Very good 22
Good 44
Average 22
Poor 11
Theself-evaluationofthegroupisratherlow.
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COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– PupilsincontrolgroupperceivemoreusefulnessoftheS&Tacademicissuesforbeingamoreresponsibleconsumerandforcommunicatingwithdifferentpeople.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– Pupils in control groupconsider S&Tmoreuseful forprovidinguswitha comfortablelifestyleandformakingfriends.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,pupilsincontrolgrouparemoreinfluencedbythestereotypes.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Pupils in control group are less interested in “Chemistry” and “Physics”, and moreinterestedin“Productdesign”and“Productmanufacture”
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– PupilsincontrolgroupconsiderS&Tsubjectsmoreboringandlessinterestingthanpupilsintheexperimentalgroup.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Pupilsincontrolgrouparelessinterestedindoingresearchprojectsandinteamwork,butmoreinterestedincomingupwithsolutionstoproblemproblem-solving.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– PupilsincontrolgrouparelessinterestedinresearchprojectsandinS&Tspeakers.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Pupilsofcontrolgroupshowlessinterestinpursuingcareersas“Doctor”,“Researcher”and“Designer”.“Engineer”and“Teacher”keepasfairlyinterestingforthisgroup.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Pupilsincontrolgroupperceivemoreexternalinfluenceintheircareerchoice.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
– PupilsincontrolgroupobtainlesS&Tinformationfromteachers,andmorefromGoogle.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Thenumberoffilledquestionnairesissmallandnorelevantconclusionscanbeobtained.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
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I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Norelevantchangesaredetected for theexperimentalgroup.For thecontrolone, ingeneralperceptionoftheusefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjectsisreduced.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– Thelevelofagreementwiththestatement“S&Tareharmfultoourhealth”isincreased.Itissoalsoforthecontrolgroup.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Although stereotypesstereotypeare still rejectedbymanypupils, theyareabitmoreacceptedbytheexperimentalgroup.Itdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
– PerceptionoftheconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjectsisreduced.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Interesttowardsgeneralissues,includingthoserelatedwithS&T,isreduced,bothintheexperimentalgroupandinthecontrolone.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Interest towards Chemistry, Engineering and Physics is reduced in the experimentalgroup.Inthecontrolgroup,interesttowardsalltheS&Tsubjectsisreduced,exceptforEngineeringandProductdesign.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– Fortheexperimentalgroup,norelevantchangesarefound.AffinitytowardsS&Tsubjectsisabitreducedinthecontrolgroup.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Interest inall the instrumentalactivities is reduced intheexperimentalgroup. Itdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup.
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I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– Ingeneral,theinteresttowardsS&Tactivitiesisreducedintheexperimentalgroup.Inthecontrolgroup,onlytheinteresttowardsS&Texperimentsisclearlyreduced.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
ForcareersrelatedwithS&T,norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
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SPAIN
FIRST SURVEY: FEBRUARY 2012, BAC 1 (PUPILS 16-17 Y .O .)
SECOND SURVEY: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013, BAC 1 (PUPILS 17-18 Y .O .)
RESULTS OF THE FIRST SURVEY
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Table 1: Percentage of pupils who think that learning about S&T improves their understanding of certain issues
% “Yes”
9.a Things that affect you and your family 50
9.b Opinions on society and political issues 27
9.c Communicating with different people 33
9.d Solving problems in your daily life 70
9.e Being more sensitive towards other people 7
9.f Being a more responsible consumer 53
9.g A career in science and/or technology 77
AmajorityofpupilsconsiderS&Tsubjectsuseful,exceptfor“social”issues(9.e,9.band9.c)
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
i)Practical issues(“S&Tareusefulforsolvingproblems”,questions14.a,14.b,14.c,14.e,14.f,14.h,14.k)
Table 2: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.a S&T provide the best ways to understand our world
17 33 50 0 0
14.b S&T are increasingly complicated 40 47 13 0 0
14.c S&T are harmful to our health 3 10 23 43 20
14.e S&T provide us with a comfortable lifestyle
20 60 17 3 0
14.f S&T enable me to make friends 3 10 47 27 13
14.h S&T help cure diseases 30 57 10 0 0
14.k S&T make life enjoyable 13 33 30 17 3
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Pupilshave, ingeneral,aquitepositiveviewof theusefulnessofS&T,but theyconsiderthemincreasinglycomplicated.
iiandiii)Ethicalissues(questions14.d,14.g,14.i,14.j,14.l,14.m)
Table 3: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
14.d S&T help improve environment 17 40 33 10 0
14.g S&T should be used properly to avoid danger
37 40 13 0 7
14.i S&T are concerned with people’s needs
7 47 37 7 0
14.j S&T cause a division between rich and poor people
17 20 47 7 7
14.l S&T present serious risks to the world
17 13 47 17 7
14.m S&T are very beneficial to society 13 60 23 3 0
PupilsconsiderS&Tasbeneficial,buttheyareconcernedabouttheirrisks.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Table 4: Level of agreement of pupils with the following statements: “People who have a career in S&T…”
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
15.a are typically old 3 13 17 43 23
15.b are typically boring 7 3 10 60 20
15.c are typically men 0 7 23 47 23
15.d are typically creative 10 47 33 7 3
15.e typically work alone 0 3 23 57 13
15.f typically work in a laboratory 0 3 23 50 23
15.g are typically competitive 7 20 47 17 10
15.h are typically hard-working 10 47 40 3 0
15.i are typically geniuses 0 7 50 43 0
15.j are typically nerdy 3 7 23 53 10
15.k are typically strange 0 0 13 67 20
15.l are typically addicted to their work 3 13 30 37 13
Stereotypesarenotcompletelyrejected.PupilsconsiderpeopleworkinginS&Tascreativeandhard-working.
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Table 5: Percentage of pupils who believe that people choose S&T as a career for the following reasons
% “True”
16.a Earn a lot of money 40
16.b Think it is worthwhile 83
16.c Enjoyed studying it 73
16.d Believe others think it is worthwhile 63
16.e Can become famous 10
16.f Get the opportunity to travel 40
VocationandprestigeareconsideredthemainreasonsforchoosingacareerinS&T.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Table 6: Connection between S&T and other subjects
% “Yes” % “No”
Mathematics 77 20
Other subjects 53 43
PupilsperceivejustafairconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
Table 7: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following areas of life
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, % (no.)
6.a Food/consumer issues 23 37 27 13
6.b Science/technology 57 33 10 0
6.c Movies 17 40 23 20
6.d Art/culture 17 20 40 23
6.e Sports 47 17 23 13
6.f Economy/business 13 20 53 13
6.g Education 17 37 33 10
6.h Medicine/health 33 23 30 13
6.i Environment 10 53 20 13
6.j Politics 7 27 40 27
6.k Famous people 7 23 37 33
PupilsshowlargeinterestinS&TandMedicine/health,andtheyarealsoquiteinterestedinEducationandEnvironment.
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I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
Table 8: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following academic subjects
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
8.a Biology 23 37 17 23
8.b Geology 7 23 33 37
8.c Chemistry 50 33 10 7
8.d Electronics 30 20 20 30
8.e Engineering 37 17 17 27
8.f Mathematics 37 37 20 7
8.g Physics 47 33 17 3
8.h Product design 30 27 10 30
8.i Product manufacture 13 13 37 33
Pupils show large interest in Chemistry and Physics; they are also quite interested inEngineering,Mathematics,Productdesign,BiologyandElectronics.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
Table 9: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the following statements on S&T subjects
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
10.a S&T subjects at school are boring 0 17 10 47 27
10.b Studying S&T subjects will help obtain my desired job
53 33 13 0 0
10.c S&T activities are fun 10 43 30 13 3
10.d S&T issues are difficult to understand
3 23 30 30 13
10.e I like S&T 43 53 3 0 0
10.f S&T subjects are the most interesting to study
27 40 27 3 0
10.g I am interested in S&T subjects related to people’s health
33 17 20 17 10
10.h I like learning about S&T related to space travel & the universe
23 20 23 27 7
10.i I like learning about laws of S&T 13 17 33 30 3
PupilslikeS&Tandconsidersuchsubjectsfun,interesting,andnotverydifficult.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Table 10: Level of interest (percentage) of pupils in the following S&T activities
Very interested, %
Fairly interested, %
Not very interested, %
Disinterested, %
13.a Doing research projects 30 53 7 7
13.b Planning research projects 13 37 33 17
13.c Collecting information for research projects
17 20 47 13
13.d Coming up with solutions to problem-solving
23 53 23 0
13.e Testing solutions to problem-solving
20 53 13 7
13.f Examining results from research projects
23 37 23 13
13.g Writing research reports 3 10 47 40
13.h Working as a member of a research team
47 20 23 10
13.i Making presentations about research
10 30 37 20
Doing research projects, team working, and some of their instrumental activities areconsideredinteresting,butpupilsdon’tlikecollectingdataandpresenting.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Table 11: Agreement of pupils with the following statements: “Your school should provide…”
% “Yes”
More S&T trips 97
More S&T practical projects 93
MostpupilswantmoreS&TtripsandS&Tprojects.
Table 12: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following S&T activities at school
Yes, %
Competitions 23
Experiments 70
Research projects 53
Speakers 20
Trips 57
Assemblies 13
Displays 23
“Experiments”,“Researchprojects”and“Trips”areinterestingS&Tactivitiesforamajorityofthepupils.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Table 13: Percentage of pupils who are interested in the following future careers
Yes, %
11.a Doctor 37
11.b Researcher 37
11.c Engineer 57
11.d Judge 0
11.e Lawyer 13
11.f Sports person 47
11.g Artist 23
11.h Journalist 13
11.i Business person 23
11.j Teacher 47
11.k Politician 3
11.l Inventor 37
11.m Designer 37
11.n Other 53
Pupils are very interested in a career as “Engineer”. “Teacher, “Doctor”, “Researcher”,“inventor”and“Designer”arealsoconsideredinterestingasfuturecareersforthepupils.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Table 14: Level of agreement (percentage) of pupils with the idea that the following people will be a strong influence on their career choice
Strongly agree, %
Agree, %Undecided,
%Disagree,
%
Strongly disagree,
%
12.a Parents/guardians 10 23 17 33 17
12.b Other relatives 7 10 20 33 30
12.c Friends 0 0 20 43 37
12.d Teachers 10 10 37 23 20
12.e Famous people 0 0 0 17 83
Pupils perceive relevant influence on their career choice from parents/guardians andteachers.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Table 15: Use (percentage of all pupils) of the following methods for getting information on S&T
Always, % Sometimes, % Never, %
7.a Television 20 73 7
7.b Radio 7 37 57
7.c Newspapers 10 63 27
7.d Magazines 10 57 33
7.e Books 10 67 23
7.f Encyclopaedias 23 47 30
7.g Educational software programmes 10 27 60
7.h DVDs 10 43 47
7.i Teachers 33 60 3
7.j Parent/guardian 30 50 17
7.k Blogs/on-line discussion forums 7 20 70
7.l Podcasts 3 17 80
7.m Twitter 7 17 77
7.n Facebook 7 17 77
7.o Google 43 53 3
7.p YouTube 30 40 30
7.q Other 10 70 17
“Google”isthemostusedmethodforgettinginformationonS&T,“Teachers”,“Parents”and“YouTube”arealsoquiteused.
I.4.2)S&Ttripsintheschool(question17)
% “Yes” Offer consideration
17.a S&T museum 20 B
17.b S&T exhibition 10 C
17.c S&T fair 3 C
17.d S&T library 3 C
17.e S&T park 17 B
17.f S&T conference 13 C
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
%
Excellent 10
Very good 37
Good 43
Average 10
Poor 0
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The self-evaluationof thegroup is ratherhigh, amajorityofpupils consider themselves“Excellent”of“Verygood”inS&T.
COMPARISON WITH “CONTROL” GROUP
Deviations between both groups are considered in order to analyze the effect of theactivities.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Pupilsincontrolgrouparelessinterestedinfood/consumerissues,economyandpolitics,buttherearenodifferencesinS&Trelevantissues.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Pupilsincontrolgrouparelessinterestedin“Chemistry”and“Physics”.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– PupilsincontrolgroupconsiderS&Tsubjectsmoreboring,moredifficultandlesslikeable.
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I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Ingeneral,pupilsincontrolgrouparelessinterestedinthiskindofactivities.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Pupilsincontrolgroupperceivemoreexternalinfluenceintheircareerchoice.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
CROSS ANALYSIS WITHIN THE SURVEY
GENDERINFLUENCE
Resultsshowthefollowingdifferencesformaleandfemalepupils:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
– Femalepupils perceivemoreusefulnessof S&T subjects in issues relatedwith family,problemsofthedailylife,andconsumers.MalepupilsperceivemoreusefulnessofS&Tsubjectsinsocialandpoliticalissues,andincommunicatingwithotherpeople.
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I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
– Malepupilsshowamorepositiveview,astheyconsiderS&Tasthebestwaytounderstandtheworldandtomakelifeenjoyable,andtheyarelessconcernedaboutrisksofS&T.
I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsarequitemoreinfluencedbystereotypes.
– FemalepupilsconsiderthatreasonsotherthanvocationarenotrelevantforchoosingaS&Tcareer.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
– FemalepupilsperceiveevenlowerconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– Female pupils show more interest towards movies, education, medicine/health andfamouspeople.
– Malepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardssports,economy/businessandpoliticalissues.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– Femalepupilsshowmoreinterestin“Biology”and“Chemistry”.
– Malepupilsshowmoreinteresttowards“Geology”,“Electronics”,Engineering”,“Physics”,“Productdesign”and“Productmanufacture”.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinsubjectsrelatedtohealth.
– MalepupilsaremoreinterestedinsubjectsrelatedtospacetravelandlawsofS&T.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
– Ingeneral,malepupilsaremoreinterestedininstrumentalactivities.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
– Femalepupilsarenotinterestedatallincompetitions,speakers,assembliesanddisplays,butaremoreinterestedthanmalepupilsinexperiments,researchprojectsandtrips.
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I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
– Femalepupilsaremoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasdoctorandjournalist.
– Malepupilsareabitmoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasresearcher,engineer,sportsperson,artist,businessperson,inventoranddesigner.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
– Femalepupilsperceivelessexternalinfluenceintheircareerchoice.
I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SURVEY AND THE SECOND ONE, FOR THE“EXPERIMENTALGROUP”
Differencesbetweenfirstandsecondsurveyforthecontrolgroupwillalsobecommented.
Relevantdifferencesarethefollowing:
I.1)PerceptionofS&T
I.1.1)PerceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T
I.1.1.a)UsefulnessoftheS&Tacademicsubjects
Norelevantchangesaredetected.
I.1.1.b)UsefulnessofS&T(question14)
Norelevantchangesaredetected.
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I.1.2)StereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(questions15and16)
– Although stereotypesstereotypeare still rejectedbymanypupils, theyareabitmoreacceptedbytheexperimentalgroup.Itdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup.
I.1.3) Perception of the connection between S&T and other subjects (“Mathematics”,question20,and“Othersubjects”,question21)
Norelevantchangesaredetected.
I.2)InteresttowardsS&T
I.2.1)Interesttowardsgeneralissues(question6)
– InteresttowardsS&Tisabitreduced.Itdoesn’thappeninthecontrolgroup.
I.2.2.a)InteresttowardsacademicS&Tsubjects(question8)
– InteresttowardsChemistryandPhysics isreduced,both,both intheexperimentalandthecontrolgroups.
I.2.2.b)AffinitytowardstheacademicS&Tsubjects(question10)
– MorepupilsconsiderS&Tas“boring”,bothintheexperimentalandinthecontrolgroup.
I.2.3)InterestininstrumentalactivitiesofS&T(question13)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.2.4)InterestinschoolactivitiesrelatedwithS&T(questions18,19and23)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.3)VocationsinS&T
I.3.1)Vocationsorientedtosomecareers(question11)
Norelevantchangesinvocationsaredetected.
I.3.2)Influenceincareerchoice(question12)
Perception of external influence is a bit increased in the experimental group, and a bitreducedinthecontrolgroup.
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I .4) Instrumental issues
I.4.1)UseofmediatogetinformationonS&T(question7)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
I.4.3)Self-evaluationinS&T(question22)
Norelevantdifferencesarefound.
5.2.5.2 Conclusions
SPAIN
PERCEPTION OF S&T
Amajority of pupils perceive usefulness of learning about S&T for choosing a career inScienceorTechnologyinthefuture.Theyconsiderthemusefulforsolvingproblemsindailylifeandtobeamoreresponsibleconsumertoo.
PupilshaveaquitepositiveviewoftheusefulnessofS&Tingeneral(“Best way to understand the world”,“help cure diseases”,“Provide comfortable lifestyle”),buttheyconsiderthemincreasinglycomplicatedtoo.PupilsarealsoundecidedaboutethicalissuesconcerningS&T,andtheyassumethatS&Tcouldimplyapotentialrisk.
Stereotypes about S&Tand scientists arenot completely rejected; they consider peoplehaving a career in S&T “creative” and “hard-working”. Vocation is considered themainreasonforchoosingacareerinS&T,especiallyinthesecondandthirdage-group.
PupilsperceivetheconnectionbetweentheS&Ttechnologyandothersubjects.
INTEREST TOWARDS S&T
ThereisanevolutionoftheinteresttowardsS&T.TheyoungestgroupisquiteinterestedinS&Tissues.Thesecondgroupismoreinterestedandtheyareinterestedin“Education”and“MedicineandHealth”and“Environment”too.TheoldestgroupshowslargeinterestinS&Tand“MedicineandHealth”.
ConcerningS&Tsubjects,theyoungestgroupshowsinterestinEngineering,ElectronicsandMathematics.ThesecondgroupismoreinterestinEngineeringandChemistry.Finally,theoldestgroupisveryinterestedinChemistryandPhysics,andtheyarealsoquiteinterestedinmanyothersubjects.
AffinitytowardsacademicS&Tsubjectsisfairintheyoungestgroupanditincreasesinthenextgroups.Theyoungestaremore interested inspacetravelandtheuniverse,andthe
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oldestthinkthatstudyingS&Tsubjectswillhelptoobtaintheirdesiredjob,buttheyalsoconsiderS&Tsubjects“fun”and“interesting”.
AmajorityofthepupilswantsmoreS&Ttripsandexperiments.Thesecondandthirdgroupaskformoreresearchprojects,too.Thereisafairinteresttowardsdoingresearchprojectsandthecorrespondinginstrumentalactivitiesthatincreasesfortheoldestgroups.
“Designer”, “Teacher”, “Doctor” and “Engineer” are highly scored as future careers forthepupils.“Researcher”scoreslowinthefirstgroupandhighintheoldergroups.Pupilsperceivesomedegreeofinfluenceontheircareerchoicefromexternalpeople,especiallyfromteachersandparents/guardians.
The most used methods for getting information about S&T are “Television”, “Google”,“YouTube”,“Parents”and“Teachers”.
Theself-evaluationishighintheyoungestandoldestgroup,andlowerinthesecondgroup.
GENDER INFLUENCE
PERCEPTION
The number of the questionnaires in the second age-group is small and no relevantconclusionscanbeobtained.
Resultsshowsomesmalldifferencesformaleandfemalepupilsintheyoungestandoldestgroups,forexample,malepupilsarequitemoreinfluencedbystereotypes.
Anotherdifferenceisthatmalepupilsoftheyoungestgroupseemtobemoreconcernedabout ethical questions related with S&T (“Used properly to avoid danger”, “S&T areconcernedwith the needs of people” and “S&Tpresents serious risks to theworld”). Itchangesinthethirdgroup,malepupilsarelessconcernedaboutrisksofS&Tthanfemalepupils.
Femalepupilsof theyoungestgroupshowmoreagreement thanmalepupilswith“S&Timprove theunderstandingofcommunicatingwithotherpeople”and“S&T improve theunderstandingofacareerinS&T”.FemalepupilsoftheoldestgroupperceiveevenlowerconnectionbetweenS&Tandothersubjects.
InteresttowardsS&T
Femalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardsmedicine/healthandfamouspeople,andmalepupilsshowmoreinteresttowardssports,economy/businessandpoliticalissues.
Therearebiggerdifferencesintheoldestgroupaboutthistopic.
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Femalepupilsshowmoreinterestin“Biology”and“Chemistry”,andtheyaremoreinterestedinsubjectsrelatedtohealth.Femalepupilsarenotinterestedatallincompetitions,speakers,assembliesanddisplays,butaremoreinterestedthanmalepupilsinexperiments,researchprojectsandtrips.
Malepupilsshowmoreinteresttowards“Geology”,“Electronics”,Engineering”,“Physics”,“Product design” and “Productmanufacture”, and they aremore interested in subjectsrelatedtospacetravelandlawsofS&T.
Whenpupilsareaskedaboutresearchactivities,ingeneralmalepupilsaremoreinterestedininstrumentalactivitiesthanfemalepupils.
VocationsinS&T
Femalepupilsaremore interested inpursuingacareerasdesigner in theyoungest,anddoctorandjournalistintheoldestgroup.Malepupilsareabitmoreinterestedinpursuingcareersasresearcherandinventorintheyoungest,andresearcher,engineer,inventoranddesignerintheoldestgroup.
Femalepupilsscorethemselvesabithigherthanmalepupilsinthefirstgroupbuttherearenotcleardifferencesintheoldergroups.Thosefemalepupilsoftheoldestgroupsperceivelessexternalinfluenceintheircareerchoice.
THE EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
Afterthe“Stimula”activitiesthelevelofagreementwiththestatement“S&Tareharmfultoourhealth”increasedinallthegroups.Thistendencyisalsoobservedinthecontrolgroupsandcomparingtheage-groupsinthefirstsurvey.
Intheyoungestgroupstereotypesare lessacceptedbypupils intheexperimentalgroupaftertheactivity,andtherearenotchangesinthecontrolgroup.Inthesecondandthirdgroupalthoughstereotypearestillrejectedbymanypupils,theyareabitmoreacceptedbytheexperimentalgroup,andtherearenochangesinthecontrolgroup.
Interest towards S&T has not changed in the youngest group, it has decreased in thesecondgroupforbothexperimentalandcontrolgroups,andithasdecreasedabitintheexperimentalgroupbutnotinthecontrolgroupoftheoldestgroup.
InterestinS&Tsubjectsandinstrumentalactivitieshavenotchangedorhavebeendecreasedinallthesubjectsofallthecontrolandexperimentalgroups.
IntheexperimentalgroupoftheyoungestpupilsinterestinBiologyhasincreasedabit,andtheinteresttowardsS&Tcompetitions,speakers,tripsandassemblieshasincreased.Therearenochangesinthecontrolgroup.
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Norelevantchangeshavebeendetectedinvocations,onlyasmallchangeintheperceptionoftheexternalinfluence.
SUMMARY
The youngest pupils of the Spanish groups are just fairly interested in S&T issues, buttheinterest increases intheoldergroups.ThistendencyisreflectedintheperceptionoftheusefulnessofS&T, interest towardsbothS&T issuesandacademicS&Tsubjectsandactivities,andaffinitytoS&T.Careersasteacher,doctorordesignerareconsideredbymanyofthem,andalsocareersasresearcherorengineerareconsideredbymanypupilsintheoldestgroup.They feel themselves rather influencedbyothers for choosing their futurecareers.
Ingeneral,the“Stimula”activitiesdon’thaveaveryrelevanteffectinperceptions,interestorvocationsofthepupils.
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6 OVERALL CONCLUSIONS
TheresultsobtainedfromthesurveysoftheSTIMULAProjectreflectperceptions,interestandvocationsinrelationwithS&TofseverallocalgroupsfromtheBasqueCountry(SpainandFrance),Germany,NorthernIreland(UK),andRomania.Differencesrelatedtolanguage,culturalbackground,academiccurriculaandothersareevident.Wedonotconsiderthatthegroupsarerepresentativeoflocal,regionalornationalpopulations.
Nevertheless,we could describe our results as rather homogeneous, indicating that theviewof S&Tbypupils in secondary schools inwithinEuropecould showsomecommonpoints.Thus,wewillstarttheseconclusionsbydescribingthe“generalview”aboutS&TofEuropeansecondaryschoolpupilsthatcanbeinferredfromourresults.
GENERAL VIEW
Perception of usefulness of learning about S&T subjects is quite positive. Amajority ofpupilsconsiderthemusefulespeciallyforchoosingacareerinScienceandTechnologyinthe futureaswellas solvingdailyproblemsorbeing responsibleconsumers.The lowestscoresarerelatedwith“socialskills”ascommunicatingwithotherpeopleorbeingmoresensitivetowardsotherpeople.Theydon’tseemtoperceivethelinkbetweentheacademictechnologysubjectsandthecommunication.
In general, pupils perceive that S&T is the best way for understanding our world andprovidingcomfortandwelfare.Itisalsoevidentthattheydon’thaveanidealizedviewofS&T,astheyareconcernedabouttheirrisks.Ontheotherhand, inmanycasestheyareconvincedthatS&Tareincreasinglycomplicated.
AlthoughmanytypicalstereotypesaboutpeopleworkinginS&T(“men”,“boring”,“strange”)are rejected, someof themarestill in somesenseaccepted.Someof thesestereotypescould be considered “positive” (people working in S&T are considered “hard-working”,“creative”,sometimes“addictedtowork”),butthisreflectsaviewofS&Tcareersthatcaninfluencetheconsiderationof thepupils forchoosingacareer inS&T,aswewilldiscusslater.Infact,almostallthepupilsconsidervocationalreasonsasthemainonestochooseaS&Tcareer,althoughotherreasons,asprestige,oreventhepossibilityofearningalotofmoney,arealsoconsidered.
Sometimesithasbeenassumedthatsecondaryschoolpupils’interesttowardsS&Tislow,andeducationalprogramsusuallydeclaretobedevotedtoimprovethisinterest.However,oursurveyresultsdon’tsupportthisidea.PupilsarebothinterestedinS&Trelatedissuesin their lifeand in studyingS&Tsubjects.S&Trelatedsubjectsareconsidered“fun”and“interesting”bymanyofthem.PupilslikeS&Tschoolactivitiesasexperiments(thisactivity
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was high scored by almost all the groups in the surveys), projects and trips. Others ascompetitionsorspeakersareusuallyinterestingjustforaminority.
ItisworthnotingthatmuchinformationaboutS&Tcomestothepupilsbytheacademicenvironment (lectures, activities…), but S&T issues arise also in their daily lives throughdifferentmediatoo.Althoughpupilsusuallygetinformationfromteachersandparentsaboutthoseitems,manyofthemgetthatkindofinformationfromtelevision,GoogleandYouTubetoo.Itshouldbenotedthatinformationcomingfromtelevisionisnot“ondemanding”,asitcouldbetheinformationobtainedthroughasearchinGoogleoraquestiontoateacher.PupilsliveinaworldveryinfluencedbyS&T,informationisveryaccessibleandiscomingtothemindifferentwaysandformats.
As far as vocations are concerned, there is an important dispersion between groups ofdifferentregionsandages.Ingeneral,interesttowardscareersasresearcherorteacherisjustmedium/low.Interesttowardscareersasdoctor,engineerordesignerismedium.TheseresultsimplythattheratherlargeinterestofpupilsinS&TissuesandinstudyingS&Tsubjecthasjustalimitedinfluencewhenpupilsconsidertheirfuturecareers.
GENDER CONSIDERATIONS
Ingeneral,thegenderinfluenceissmall,andperceptions,interestandvocationsrelatedwithS&Tofmaleandfemalepupilsareveryhomogeneous.Genderdifferencesarecomparablewithdifferencesbetweenexperimentalandcontrolgroupforagivenplaceandage,andarenot systematic.Anyway thereare somedifferences, forexample femalepupils showmore interest towards issues relatedwithart/cultureandhealth, towards thebiologyasanacademicsubject,andlessinteresttowardsElectronicsandEngineering.Femalepupilsconsidermoreoftenacareerasteachertoo,butthesetendenciesaresmallandformanygroupsdon’tapply.Theprevious“generalview”properlydescribesbothmaleandfemalepupils.
EFFECT OF THE STIMULA ACTIVITIES
Foralltheregions,alltheactivitiesandalltheages,theeffectsoftheSTIMULAactivitiesonthesurveyresultsareminororirrelevanttoimprovetheperceptionorincreasetheinterestand vocations of S&T. This (apparently) “negative” result could seem surprising or evendisappointing. Fromourpointof view, thereare several factors contributing to considertheseresultsaslogicalinsomesenseandtoobtainnotsonegativeconclusionsfromthem.
Oneofthefactorscanbethedurationoftheactivities, justoneday-long insomecases,andnotmorethanafewdaysintherestofthem.Fromtheresultswecanconcludethataone-timeactivityhasnotaclearinfluenceintheperception,interestandvocations,andlong-termactivitiescouldbemoreinterestinginanyofthem.
Besidesandaswediscussedabove,S&Tispresentinmanyaspectofthepupils’life,andtheadditionalschoolactivities(inS&Torothersubjects)arenotrare.WethinkthatthepositiveperceptionandtheinteresttowardsS&Tofthepupilscomefromacombinationof
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theacademicsubjects,additionalactivitiesandexternalinformation.S&Tissuesarequiteattractiveandpupilsjustneedtheopportunitytoparticipateinthem.Inthissense,eachcontactwithS&TissuesgivespupilsawiderperspectiveofS&T,fromthestudyofformallawstoanamazingTVdocumentary.ItwillbeanerrortoconsiderthatadditionalS&TschoolactivitiesarenotnecessaryjustbecausethereisnotameasurableincreaseoftheinterestinS&Taftertheseactivities,whenthisinterestalreadywashigh.Additionalactivitiesallowpupilsdeveloping instrumentalskillsandfilling thegap fromformal lectures torealS&T.Thus,theyareconvenientfromapedagogicalpointofview.ConcerningtheinfluenceoftheS&Tschoolactivitiesonvocations,wewilldiscussthispointlater.
LOCAL CONSIDERATIONS
Somesystematicdifferencesbetweengroupsfromdifferentplacesaredetected.Wewanttoemphasizethatwedon’tconsiderthestudygroupsasrepresentativeofanylocal,regionalornationalarea.Whenwereferto“French”or“German”groupswearejustusingthelocalreferencetoidentifyourstudygroupwithoutanyfurtherassumption.
In general, pupils fromNorthern Ireland andRomaniawere themost interested in S&T,S&TsubjectsandS&Tactivities.PupilsfromSpainandGermanydisplayedabitlessinteresttowardsS&T,andPupilsfromFrancewereevenlessinterested.Besidesthat,pupilsfromGermanydisplayedlessinteresttowardsadditionalS&Tschoolactivities(perhapsbecausetheyareusedtosuchactivities).
There is a pretty nice correlation between interest towards S&T and perception of theusefulnessofS&T.Pupils fromRomaniaandNorthern IrelandperceivedmoreusefulnessofS&T.
Ontheotherhand,ahigherinterestinS&Tdoesn’timplymorepupilsconsideringfuturecareers in S&T. Consideration of S&T related careerswere similar for the different localgroups,andinsomecases(forinstance,inRomania),pupilsareveryinterestedinS&Tbutjustafewconsideredpursuingcareersasteacherorresearcher.Theseresultsmightseemsurprisingandrequireafurtherdiscussion.
VOCATIONS IN S&T
Aswehavedescribedduringtheseconclusions,pupilsshowaratherhighinteresttowardsS&TandhaveapositiveperceptionofS&Tissues,butconsiderationaboutpursuingacareersrelatedwithS&Tislimitedand,infact,moreinterestdoesn’timplymorevocations.Asmanyreportsandstudiesare indicatingthatEuropeshouldneedmorepeoplewithdegrees inS&Tareas,someevidentquestionsarise:Whymore interestseemsnottobeconnectedwithmorevocations?Canadditionalschoolactivitiescontributetoincreasevocations?Ifitisso,how?
Of course, these are very complexquestions, andwedon’t think thatourproject couldobtain“therightanswers”tothem(eveniftheseanswersreallyexist).Butwethinkthatsomeusefulideascanbedraftfromoursurveys.
Stimulating Science and Technology competences through innovativemeans for teaching and learning
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PupilsseeS&Tsubjectsasinteresting,evenfun,butcomplicated;theythinkthatacareerinS&Tmustbeveryvocational,asitrequiresbeinghard-working,creative,evencompetitive,andthatcouldscarethemoff.Itcouldbeinterestingtomakeanapproachwiththepupilstoarealisticvisionofthisdifficultyandtheself-perceptionofthecapabilitiesofthem.
Additionally,pupilsalreadyhaveapositiveviewofS&T.Ouractivitiesmustbeorientedtokeepthisinterestaliveinpupils,butmaybetheactivitiesshouldnotbeaimedto“improve”the interest towardsS&T,as italreadyexistsandthere ismuch informationabout theseissuescomingtopupilsfromoutoftheschool.
This could be described as the “environment” where secondary school pupils have toconsider their post-Secondary studies in order to pursuing a career. We think that ourresultsindicatethat,eveninagroupwithhighinterestinS&T,onlyaminorityofpupilswillhaveavocationasresearcher,designerordoctor.Thesefewpupilssurelywillfollowpost-SecondarystudiesrelatedwithS&T.butwhatabouttherest?TheyarepupilsinterestedinS&Tbuttheydon’thave(still)avocationforacareerinthisarea.Theymightdevelopthisvocationlater,but itwillonlyoccur if theykeepstudyingS&Trelatedsubjects.However,forthemomentthis isnottheiroption,andthesepupilsarereceivingthemessagethatstudyingS&TwillonlybeusefulfordevelopingacareerinS&T.Then,theyrejectthisoption.
ThismessageisreinforcedbymanyadditionalS&Tschoolactivities:whenaspeakercomestotheschool,orwhenthegroupisvisitingaCompanyoralaboratory,pupilsseepeoplethathadavocationinS&TanddevelopedacareerinS&T.Thesepeoplearealwaystalkingabouthownicetheircareersare,andhowtheylikeworkinghardinthem.Thisisapositivemessage,butitisonlyusefulforpupilstodevelopanS&Tvocation.
Besides, thismessage is not the picture of the real situation.Only a part (sometimes aminority)ofpeoplewithadegreeinS&Tactuallydevelopsacareerintheseareas.ButtherestoftheS&Tgraduatesusetohavesuccessfulcareersaswell,becausenowadayspost-SecondarystudiesinS&Tareasareaverynicegeneralpreparationforanyjob.Manypeopleworkinginabank,orinbusiness,haveadegreeinS&T.Andusuallytheydon’tgivetheirvisiontothepupilsduringtheS&Tschoolactivities.
PerhapstheadditionalS&TschoolactivitiesshouldincludeawiderviewofS&Tsubjectsasoneofthebestwaystobeprepared,notonlyforS&Tcareers,butforanycareerinaworldthatisincreasinglydependingonS&T.Inthisway,theseactivitieswouldstimulatevocationstowardsacareerinS&Tbuttheyalsowouldcontributetoincreasethenumberofpupilsconsideringpost-Secondarystudies relatedwithS&T,whichcould foster“late”vocationsandincreasetheaveragelevelofthepopulationinS&Tissues.