Schools Fail to Provide Students of Diverse backgrounds to Engage in Outside Science Based Learning

According to new research published in the International Journal of Science Education, schools should being doing more to open up science education outside the school environment for children of diverse backgrounds. When survey data was analyzed from almost 6,000 UK secondary school children ranging from aged 11 to 16 that had considerably low science engagement;  scientists found that students from less privileged backgrounds were less likely to participate in informal science activities such as school trips and visits to the museum.

The reasons for the low participation was because of the high cost of school trips and the pressures of high stake testing were just some obstacles that contributed to the low numbers.  Over half of the students surveyed had never been on a science related school trip or been to after school science programs or museums. In spite of these numbers, there was a strong interest in science education among the students. This is a true indication that these efforts would be well received.

It is essential for school districts to ensure that students of all backgrounds should be encouraged to seek science related extra curricular activities in order to close the gap between the priviledged and lower income students’ educational benchmarks.  Opportunities should be expanded so as to allow all students to participate and institutions should be more welcoming and more open to make all students more comfortable.