Parents' perception of science education

During its initial research, the Partnership for Science Literacy conducted a survey (in English and in Spanish) of 800 mothers and fathers with at least one child currently in grades 4-10 to determine the parents' perception of their children's science education. Here are some survey highlights:

• A significant number of parents believe that their child's favorite subject is science. Science (22%) was second only to math (29%) and above reading (17%) when parents were asked "What is your child's favorite subject in school?"
• Parents aren't confident in their ability to help their children with science homework. When asked "When you help your child with his or her homework, in which subject do you feel most confident?" only 8% answered "science."
• Only half of the parents say their children have been tested in science. When asked "Has your child taken a district- or state-wide test in science?" only 53 percent responded "yes," with 30% saying "no" and another 17% "not sure." There seemed to be little difference between public or private schools or grade levels in terms of science testing. Most parents are only "somewhat" knowledgeable about their state's standards. Only 21% said "very" when asked "How familiar are you with the science education standards at your child's school?" and 52% said "somewhat." (with 20% saying "not very" and 6% "not at all").
• Only half of the parents (50%) said they had "ever talked about (their) child's science curriculum with his or her teacher."
• Parents believe that increased hands-on learning would do the most to improve science education. "Hands-on" received the highest number of responses (32%), particularly among women and minority parents.
• Students are really fascinated by science! When asked if their child had "ever done anything in science class that he or she liked and was really fascinated by," an overwhelming 77% of the parents said yes.
• Parents say their children are interested in science. In answering "How interested would you say your child is in science." 49% of parents said "very" and 41% said "somewhat."

These sample findings come from the Science Literacy Survey conducted for The American Campaign for Science Education and Project 2061/AAAS by Global Strategy Group, Inc., in Washington, D.C. The 62-question phone survey involved 800 interviews (600 in English, 200 in Spanish) conducted Nov. 7-13, 2001, and has a en error margin of +/- 4.9%. Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Public Understanding

The National Science Foundation's Division of Science Resources Statistics has consistently studied what the public understands and thinks about science and science-related issues. The most recent study, the Science and Engineering Indicators-2002, shows that adults claim to be very interested in scientific discoveries and inventions, but few truly understand what the discoveries are all about. Most adults learn about the latest developments in science and technology (S&T) from watching television, but there's a great disparity between news and the entertainment shows, where few scientists are featured and where stereotypes prevail. Here are highlights from the NSF survey:

• In National Science Foundation (NSF) surveys conducted since 1979, about 90 percent of U.S. adults report being very or moderately interested in new scientific discoveries and the use of new inventions and technologies. Those with more years of formal education and those who have taken more courses in science and mathematics are more likely than others to express a high level of interest in science and technology (S&T).

• News about S&T, however, does not attract much public interest. According to Pew Research Center surveys, only about 2 percent of the most closely followed news stories of the past 15 years were about scientific breakthroughs, research, and exploration. The leading science-related news event of 2000 was the announcement that scientists had completed mapping the human genome. However, only 16 percent of the public claimed to be following that story very closely. Twenty-eight percent said they were closely following news about the Microsoft antitrust court case, an event that may have been more of a business than a technology story, although the outcome could have a major impact on innovation in the software industry.

• The number of people who feel either well informed or moderately well informed about S&T is relatively low. In 2001, less than 15 percent of NSF survey respondents described themselves as well informed about new scientific discoveries and the use of new inventions and technologies; a substantial minority, approximately 30 to 35 percent, thought that they were poorly informed. People are feeling less informed than they used to. A recent downward trend is particularly noticeable for the five S&T-related issues included in the NSF survey.

• Most Americans do not know a lot about S&T. The general public's ability to answer basic questions about science has hardly changed. For instance, in 2001, only about 50 percent of NSF survey respondents knew that the earliest humans did not live at the same time as dinosaurs, that it takes Earth one year to go around the Sun, that electrons are smaller than atoms, and that antibiotics do not kill viruses. However, the number answering the last item correctly rose from 40 percent in 1995 to 51 percent in 2001, an increase that may be attributable to widespread media coverage of an important public health issue, antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

• A majority of Americans (about 70 percent) lack a clear understanding of the scientific process Although more than 50 percent of NSF survey respondents in 2001 had some understanding of probability, and more than 40 percent were familiar with how an experiment is conducted, only one-third could adequately explain what it means to study something scientifically. Understanding how ideas are investigated and analyzed is a sure sign of scientific literacy. Such critical thinking skills can also prove advantageous in making well-informed choices at the ballot box and in other daily living activities.

• Most adults learn about the latest developments in S&T primarily from watching television. Although the Internet is affecting what Americans know about these subjects, only 9 percent identified it as their main source of information about S&T, compared with those who identified television (44 percent) or newspapers and magazines (16 percent). However, according to a 2000 Pew Research Center survey, the Internet is displacing network news shows in certain types of households. Also, according to the 2001 NSF survey, the Internet is the preferred resource when seeking information about specific scientific issues, indicating that encyclopedias-and every other information resource-have lost a substantial number of customers to the Internet.

• Few characters on prime time entertainment shows are scientists. According to a recent study, the percentage of prime time television characters who are scientists was less than 2 percent in each year during the mid-1990s. Even though scientists seldom show up on the small screen, the appearance of women and minorities as scientists is even more rare. The reverse was true for foreign nationals, however, because they are more likely to portray scientists than other types of characters on television.

• Most people believe that scientists and engineers lead rewarding professional and personal lives, although a stereotypical image of these professions, deeply rooted in popular culture, exists and has been difficult to dislodge. For example, 25 percent of those surveyed thought that scientists were apt to be odd and peculiar people, and 29 percent thought that scientists have few other interests but their work. In addition, a majority (53 percent) of those surveyed agreed with the statement "scientific work is dangerous."

The highlights above are from the National Science Foundation's Science and Engineering Indicators-2002. To see more highlights, visit http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind02/c7/c7h.htm.
For background information on the study, see http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind02/c7/c7i.htm .