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The way Science teaching has gone over the last 20 years with mandated curricula leading to exit exams has been a factor in lessened interest.
School systems cutting back on lab materials where lab experiments have been replaced by lectures about the lab experiments they didn't do, is another factor.
A lessened interest in Math also. My school used to have 2 full sections of Calculus AB. It now has one section and we struggle to get 10 kids for it. The school population is larger now.
Even kids who are good in Science say it's "too hard". I had one kid this year who wanted to major in Chemical Engineering but never took a high school Chem class. Too hard. There are kids who say they want Pre-Med but skip both Chem and AP Bio. Too hard.
We aren't allowed to tell them they're being unrealistic.
I do wish more people would take an interest in science, even if they don't want to be scientists. I didn't want to be a scientist. I am very interested in it, though. Sometimes I'll reply to an article and actually get feedback. Sometimes it is something they didn't think of.
Based on my college experience, lots of people like science and are interested in it...until they realize how hard and competitive the coursework is.
Bingo!
Over 1/2 the people that were in my early classes that were going after a CS degree (not the lite version, but the math/science option) changed their majors to something much easier after they found out what it entailed.
My math classes were funny. First semester Calc was brimming full with people, second semester was 1/2 that size and by 3rd semester, it was a class of around 5-6 people.
I do wish more people would take an interest in science, even if they don't want to be scientists. I didn't want to be a scientist. I am very interested in it, though. Sometimes I'll reply to an article and actually get feedback. Sometimes it is something they didn't think of.
It would be nice, that is for sure.
Personally, I think 2 semesters of Calc and 2 semesters of Calc Physics should be mandatory general ed.
Because pre-college education doesn't prepare most students adequately for the tough coursework involved in math and science.
It used to. That was the entire point of "college prep" courses in high school. For math, it was pre-calculus, physics it was a conceptual course (algebra based physics), and other topics of similar nature.
Problem is, it seems they spend most of their time these days working on just getting them to be able to read and write at a basic level.
Otherwise, why do you think that only such a small percentage of the population wants to grow up to become scientists?
Looking for a good discussion
Because most of the summer workers in my building start out by collecting water samples in the blistering heat with mosquitos buzzing at their head for crap pay. The ones who actually stay wind up pipetting all day, a tedious job for many years before they get a chance to move up.
Im sure when most people think of becoming a scientists they think about Dr. Jeykyll and mixing crazy concoctions together but its quite the opposite for most people unless you wind up getting a PHD.
The lady who does the hiring for summer workers likes to hire children of parents that work at our lab. She says its a good way to find out that they dont want to do this for the rest of their lives.
Because pre-college education doesn't prepare most students adequately for the tough coursework involved in math and science.
Yes, it does. I went to the same high school as a bunch of people who tried science and engineering coursework in college and decided it wasn't worth the hard work.
We all had the same prep. It's who wants it more.
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