Contemporary Issues, Access and Equity in Science and Technology Education - Literature review Example

Cоntеmроrаry Issuеs in Sсiеnсе аnd Tесhnоlоgy Eduсаtiоn Name: Tutor: Subject: Date: Access and Equity in Science and Technology Education Introduction Globally, science and technology play important role in development. Science and technology education in schools enables the learners to understand and apply the skills for the future of a country (Marginson, 2013). In Australia, one of the challenges that face science and technology education is access and equity. Achievement gaps between different groups of students are still there (Sellar, 2014). Just like in many other countries in the world, there are some restrictions which stop some students from accessing quality science education. Despite indications that gender inequality gap in this sector of education being low, it is still an issue especially in Australia (Baker, 2016). To address challenges that are experienced currently in Australia, the education specialists must ensure that curriculum is adhered to and accessible to all students. This paper analyses the contemporary issue of access and equity in science and technology education and it is addressed to curriculum developers. According to Darby (2009), there were campaigns to encourage girl child to participate in science, mathematics and technology education. The curriculum was gender-inclusive and policies were developed to encourage equity in the sector. In addition to this, curriculum developers were providing materials to teachers that they could use to encourage girls to take part in science, mathematics, and technology. Challenge Overview In Australia, the numbers of students who are taking science are few and equality is still a major issue. The interest and priority of education are shifting from that of gender and focusing on emerging issues such as immigration and globalization and the curriculum developers are putting these matters into consideration (Baker, 2016). The curricula including that of science are based on multi-cultural factors such as indigenous matters like respecting the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people, development of sustainable living standards, and the relationship between Australia and Asia (ACARA). Generally, the issue of access and equality in science and technology can be summarized in the following areas. Achievement According to Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) (Sellar, 2014), performance/achievement in science and mathematics declined in Australia since 2000. The survey was conducted in 2012 among 15 years old students in more than 70 countries globally. The problem-solving skills of the students in Australia are low. The assessment also indicated that average performance in year 4 and year 8 students is low compared to those of England and USA. This indicates that the standards of education in Australia declining. This low performance is more pronounced in girls than boys (Olsen, 2015). Subject interest and selection Participation in science and technology is also low despite the fact that the most marketable jobs in the market require skills and knowledge in mathematics, technology, and science (Kennedy, 2014). Australia is ranked the last in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the translation of education innovation which depends on science and technology. In 2013, studies showed that one in ten students studied advanced maths in year 12. On a gender basis, girls education on science (chemistry, biology, and physics) and technology are generally low and the number of girls is half those of boys in the country. The curricula vary from state to state in Australia and in some science is not a requirement after year 10. This is accountable for the low enrolment of girls. This matter becomes a major concern because it is affecting the quality of higher education which requires skills in science and technology. Possible causes of equality and access issues related to science and technology It is clear that there is a decline in the quality and equality of science and technology education in Australia. Causes of this contemporary issue are not easy to define but there are some factors related to the issue particularly gender gap. The following are some of the factors: Lack of qualified teachers- Sources indicates that preparation of teachers especially primary school teachers for science and technology are poor in Australia compared to high performing countries. Those who are recruited as teachers recorded low marks in the ATAR tests and therefore, they are challenged to meet the needs and abilities of children in the field. The reason for recruiting teachers with low marks is because those who perform well in ATAR test enroll in better-paying jobs such as engineering. The other thing which contributes to the low quality of teachers is time pressure. Time pressure affects the training of teachers in that they will not receive in-depth training on the importance of gender like in the 1980s. Therefore, low achievement is recorded in science and technology reflects low quality of teachers (Treagust, 2015). Lack of interest and negative attitude of students- some of the students mainly girls still have the mentality that science is difficult because it is abstract and theoretical in nature. Boys, on the other hand, are assertive and this makes them be more competitive. Studying science requires laboratory experiments and most of the time requires a teacher to be intellectually sharp so that it meets needs and abilities of learners. Again PISA results for Australia shows a significant difference in science performance between boys and girls (Olsen, 2015). This indicates that boys are more confident in sciences than girls. Students are losing interest in science and technology because of the current context of a social world which is shaped by media. Music, football and film stars are the role models for most students and therefore, they interests shift towards such areas. For example, for one to be a musician, science is not required. International immigrant students- in Australia, the top performing students are not original Australians. Students who come from Korea and China are the top performers as indicated by PISA (Thomson, 2013). This means that science and technology education in Australia is becoming low quality and there is need to improve focus on this sector. Possible Solutions To bridge the gap, girls need support from both parents and teachers to build their self-confidence in education and training (Bybee, 2015). Cultural change is needed so that ratio of girls to boys is increased and overall enrolment in science and technology to also rise. It is important to support students realize their abilities in science subject especially girls before they declare that science is not for them. The Australian government needs to join hands with education stakeholders in order to improve science and technology. Organizations such as Australian Academy of Science and Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering should work together to review the policies. The collaboration should set core standards that will promote science and technology education. To improve performance in science and technology as well as bridging the gender gap in performance, better assessment methods should be introduced (Luke, 2013). The current state of science and technology is characterized by poor teaching and hence poor learning which yields low marks. Quality assessment tests should be developed by involving experienced scientists based on the core standards. This will enable the teachers to test students’ progress and this will enable them to adjust their teaching and adopt the best teaching strategies. Early selection in the field of science and technology should be encouraged so that learners developed their skills early enough. For this to happen, primary and early childcare teachers need to be trained so that they will be able to deliver quality teaching. Improving the quality of teachers is another requirement in order to solve the contemporary problem (Treagust, 2015). The government needs to strengthen teaching career so that it can attract qualified people. One of the reasons for low-quality teachers in science and technology is because there are good paying jobs in science such as engineering compared to teaching. The other aspect is that department of curriculum development for teacher training are not getting enough resources to prepare materials that equip the teachers well. This government needs to allocate more resources so that teachers will be able to pass quality knowledge to the students. Due to today’s time pressure, teachers should be trained frequently through in-service training courses and also seminars and symposiums as suggested by Treagust, (2015). Conclusion Marginson, (2013) said that Australia requires the knowledge of science and technology to achieve development goals and to have a strong economy. Research, international engagement, and competitive education are what takes a country to the top. As the only member of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (Sellar, 2014), the country seems to have no strategy for science and technology education and therefore, it is behind other members. One of the strategies for solving all the problems related to science and technology in Australia is increasing incentives in teaching sector (Treagust, 2015). This will motivate science graduates to enter the teaching profession. The other way of solving the issue is changing curricula and assessment method (Luke, 2013). This recommendation will promote the development of skills and knowledge of the students which will bring Australia’s future prosperity. The focus should be to make science and technology subjects core for all students. This will give the subjects equal priority like literacy and numeracy. References Baker, D. R. (2016). Equity issues in science education. In Understanding Girls (pp. 127-160). SensePublishers. Bybee, R. (2015). Scientific literacy. Encyclopedia of Science Education, 944-947. Kennedy, J. P., Lyons, T., & Quinn, F. (2014). The continuing decline of science and mathematics enrolments in Australian high schools. Teaching Science, 60(2), 34-46. Thomson, S., De Bortoli, L., & Buckley, S. (2013). PISA 2012: How Australia measures up. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research. Luke, A., Woods, A., & Weir, K. (2013). Curriculum, syllabus design, and equity: A primer and model. Routledge. Luke, A., Woods, A., & Weir, K. (2013). Curriculum, syllabus design, and equity: A primer and model. Routledge. Marginson, S., Tytler, R., Freeman, B., & Roberts, K. (2013). STEM: country comparisons: international comparisons of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Final report. Olsen, A. J., Burgess, Z., & Sharma, R. (2015). The comparative academic performance of international students in Australia. International Higher Education, (42). Sellar, S., & Lingard, B. (2014). The OECD and the expansion of PISA: New global modes of governance in education. British Educational Research Journal, 40(6), 917-936. Treagust, D. F., Won, M., Petersen, J., & Wynne, G. (2015). Science teacher education in Australia: Initiatives and challenges to improve the quality of teaching. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 26(1), 81-98. Read More