Is Science Education In The UK Popular?
Science, as a discipline, is appreciated in every country of the world, including the UK. The countries, the united kingdom included, seek to build a solid foundation in all the sectors of the economy that need foundational knowledge in science.
To this end, science is taught in all the phases of education—primary to tertiary—and in all schools, apart from those designated for some specific discipline. Have you heard of BritainReviews? It is a platform that allows a person to read the reviews of all organisations in the UK, including science schools, or the reviews of those organisations that are science-related in the UK, like the reviews of online computing courses.
In the UK, the government encourages science through schools, grants, scholarship, et cetera. The government has spent millions promoting science as a viable discipline, propaganda that has elicited little or no encouragement or enthusiasm from the general English public. Like many nations of its pedigree, the UK suffers from a lack of interest in the study of science by a majority of its people, a problem sufficiently solved by foreigners or nationalised Britons.
Why is there a lack of interest in the study of science?
As stated earlier, every English person knows of the perks of studying science, especially when they are good at it. However, many of them refuse to study it as a discipline. The question of why comes to mind. Why is this? Well, some reasons are given below;
1. Poor PR
Today’s world is largely different from the more sophisticated 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries where the knowledge of science, or knowledge of anything at all, was prized above all things. It appears to everyone that everything that we need to know has been discovered in the modern world.
Therefore, when people show a slight resistance to imbibing the science culture, they immediately assume that the discipline is not for them. This is one area where other disciplines trump science. Take Art as a case study.
Art scholars have succeeded in convincing everyone that it is an easy discipline, more applicable and practicable in the modern world. The relatable success of the practitioners of art courses also draws the modern youth’s fancy into the discipline. Scientists need to up their PR game.
2. A Narrow Curriculum
Studies have shown that combining a narrow curriculum and enforced early participation has led many away from studying science as a discipline. It has become an elite discipline studied by the more able with limited relevance to the ordinary citizen.
It has been found that students prefer subjects with a broader curriculum and which are perceived to be less rigorous and difficult than science-based courses. As long as the curriculum remains out of touch with modern society, students will find it more difficult to relate. And when it is being forced down on them at an early age, frustration makes them run away as soon as they have the chance.
3. Poor Teaching
Scientists have a way of boring everyone, sometimes with their complex words, and at other times, with their quirky attitude. Often, they tend to be in a world of their own, a world that is different from others. This attitude is often reflected in their teaching methods. Only a few students can follow or understand, most times because they are also unconventional and nerdy.
Scientists must find a way to teach the discipline in a manner that attracts all students. This teaching method will appreciate the learning capacity of all students while seeking to encourage them to achieve their utmost best in the study of science.