An intriguing study involving over 1,400 junior cycle students in Munster, Germany finds that the majority of the respondents described science subjects as "extremely hard". Consequently, a lot of them think about dropping the courses if only they are allowed to do so. Basically, they hate science because they do not feel good at it.
Beulah McManus conducted the research and then submitted it to the University of Limerick. In it, McManus suggests that various factors play a role in maintaining student engagement in science subjects. For one, parents and teachers are vital in making their kids and students interested in scientific matters. Moreover, someone must measure whether the introduction of science at primary level really prepares pupils for the subject at secondary level.
Per Irish Examiner, a total of 1,427 students from 10 secondary schools in Munster participated in the survey. Another 77 teachers were also asked. The findings are a bit confusing because while the majority of the respondents believe that science subjects are important, a lot of them also want to drop the course.
Aside from the fact that 76 percent of respondents admitted that they do not "understand the point of studying science in school", two-thirds of the samples agreed that science is still an interesting subject. Meanwhile, 58.4 percent opt to continue taking it for Certificates. The good news is that only 22 percent (so far) decided to drop science.
Apparently, they lose interest because science only gets harder as time passes by. More and more terms are being discovered on a daily basis. Thus, new problems to be solved emerge.
On the contrary, students in the US seem to be reaching new heights in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). US News reported that a student at Giving Kids Wings Flight Academy, who became the first solo female glider in the summer of 2016, found the "love" for science through seminars. In particular, Emma Hall chose to focus on the science of flying.
Hall, 16, is currently a sophomore at Da Vinci Science High School. She told the same source that flying is the "best experience" of her life. Hall added that she just "could not stop smiling". Science gave her "a taste of what she can do" and so she was hooked.
