19 - Science education for the new century – a European perspective

Summary

Abstract: The paper briefly discusses the surveys about public interest in science and the ways to stimulate interest in science among young people through improvements in the formal science teaching system. It emphasizes the need to develop programs of sufficient size to achieve a long-term impact and obtain the necessary changes. It describes the strategy and individual activities that ESO has undertaken in the field of science education and provides an outlook to the future EIROforum European Science Teachers' Initiative.

Introduction

Scientists occasionally lament the low public interest in science and the falling level of scientific literacy in the public. However, public surveys continually demonstrate that public interest is high, and although we might not be happy with the current level of scientific literacy, it is, if anything, on the rise (albeit marginally).

In the classical study by Durant and Evans (1989), more than 80 per cent of the respondents professed (a high or moderate) interest in science. A survey in Norway by Eide and Ottosen (1994) found that “as many as 37 per cent of the readers regularly read science articles presented in newspapers.” Other researchers using various indicators report significantly higher self-reported interest in science, although there is a strong subject dependency.

Recently, Eurobarometer (European Commission 2001), the survey carried out on behalf of the European Commission in the 15 member-states of the European Union (later augmented by a similar survey in those countries that since joined the Union), looked at attitudes towards and knowledge about science.