Science education policy-making: eleven emerging issues; 2008 - OEI

More generally, government policies often compound educational disadvantage
geographically or by encouraging private schools. Too many S&T classes are still taught
by teachers without strong backgrounds in these fields. Their lack of scientific knowledge,
skills and confidence has been shown to reduce their students access to a rewarding
S&T education. Instead of focussing the resources for professional development on
long term remediation of these teachers’ deficiencies, these resources are too often
short term programmes, that are of more benefit to the already more able teachers
of S&T and the schools in which they are concentrated. Equity is not addressed and
the educational system thus compounds the advantage that students from high family
socio-economic status bring to it.
Cultural dissonance
Cultural differences are another case where barriers to access and equity occur.
There is now such a body of research studies into the problems associated with the
participation of indigenous students in science and technology education, that this case
warrants its own reference. It is noticeable in African countries, and in others like New
Zealand, Canada, USA, Australia and Norway, that indigenous students participate less
successfully than students from the dominant social backgrounds. The family culture of
these indigenous students, ironically, includes a great deal of detailed knowledge about
the natural world that has been acquired over many generations of careful observation
and experiment. This knowledge, and the values associated with it, is often expressed
in ways that are very different from those used in modern science. It is also acquired
in ways that are very different from the teaching context of schooling. Accordingly,
the teaching of modern science, as if it is the only source of knowledge about the
natural world, can be a contradiction of knowledge and values that are very important
to students in these cultural groups. When this difference is not acknowledged, it can
be a real access barrier for these students.
Recommendations
B.1 Policy makers should consider, within whatever funding is available,
how to maximise the number of students whose science and
technology education is in the hands of able science teachers.
Quality science learning time, albeit less, is preferable to the damage done by underequipped
science teachers. To achieve this goal of access and equity in S&T education,
professional development priority should be given to raising the content knowledge and
confi dence of the weaker of S&T teachers.
Science Teacher Associations as representative bodies for science and technology
teachers have insight and experience of the present problems associated with access
to S&T education. They should take practical responsibility for ensuring that their
members are equipped to remove any implicit barriers in their teaching that limit access
and exclude some groups of students.
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