Summer 2009
Big Strides in Science Ed
As the worried discourse over America's global standing in science education reaches a new level of urgency, a bit of good news shows some trends are headed up.
"We are getting smarter," says Susan Losh, professor of educational psychology. "We're getting more astute at evaluating information about science."
Losh came to this conclusion after analyzing years of survey data meant to track how well the American public understands science. The nearly 24,000 surveys were conducted between 1979 and 2006 by the National Science Foundation.
One of the key questions tested participants on their belief in evolution. They were asked (starting with the 1985 survey) whether the following statement was true or false: "Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals."
Out of the countless science questions that were posed, this one drew Losh's close attention.
"It's a litmus test for what people understand about science," Losh explains.
Only 37 percent of those 65 and older answered "true" while 52 percent of the youngest age group marked "true." When Losh teased apart age, education and generation variables, she found education accounted for the change in evolution support.
"Education is making a big difference in understanding how science operates," she says.
It's an interesting find amid the talk about America's slide in science education rankings. On the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, U.S. 15-year-olds scored lower than teens in 16 other countries, with the Finns earning bragging rights to the top spot.
One reason for this, Losh says, is that the United States' educational system boasts a high rate of high-school graduates. Not all countries make education for all a priority, and as a result, lower performing students are weeded out and not included in international comparisons. In fact, Losh says, the U.S. has made significant strides in improving science education.
"The changes we've made in science education on the whole have been to get students to understand, not memorize facts," Losh says.
At the same time, she does have serious concerns that this positive trend could be easily undermined. Standardized tests have dropped thought-provoking essay questions in favor of easy-to-grade, multiple-choice questions.
"I am for accountability," Losh says, "but if we don't have essays, teachers are going to teach to the test, and we're going to lose what this revolution in science education has started."
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