Make science and technology studies more attractive, concludes OECD conference
'OECD governments must take concrete steps to make science and technology studies more attractive,' stressed the conclusions of a recent international conference on the problem of declining student enrolment in science and technology (S&T) courses. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) event was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and presented quantitative and qualitative results from a study on the decline in science students, which identifies the responsible factors and makes recommendations on how to reverse the situation. The study analyses data for the period 1985-2003 in 18 OECD countries. During this time in the countries studied there has been a progressive decrease in the number of students aged between 15 and19 enrolling in science and technology courses. But this demographic evolution is not reflected in the number of upper secondary graduates in S&T, which is either relatively stable or increasing in most cases. In tertiary education too, there was a general increase in absolute terms in the numbers of new university entrants, graduates and new doctorates in S&T disciplines over the period. A rise was also seen in the number of S&T graduates relative to the total population at the age of graduation (20 to 24 years). However, the report states that these two indicators may obscure the declining trend in the number of students enrolling in subjects such as mathematics, physics and chemistry, which have been counterbalanced by a steadily increasing number of enrolments in computing studies over the same period. This worrying trend is epitomised by a decline in the number of university graduates in physical sciences of up to 30 to 50 percent over the last 10 years in some countries. Women, whose share of the total number of S&T students has increased relative to that of men, are still under-represented in S&T tertiary studies, although the report highlights important differences between the countries studied and also within different disciplines. For example, women are generally well represented in the life sciences but not in engineering. Turning to foreign students, the international mobility of students has doubled over the last 20 years, and the number of foreigners in S&T disciplines has increased more rapidly than that of nationals, particularly at doctoral level. The study concludes that both women and foreigners constitute a vast untapped reservoir of potential science students and professionals, and action plans directed towards reversing declining student enrolment in S&T should systematically integrate concrete actions targeted at these groups. Another worrying trend highlighted by the report is the high numbers of teachers and researchers that will retire in the coming years, and the shortage of available mathematicians, physicians and chemists to replace them. Exploring the factors underlying this negative trend, the report highlights the negative perception of S&T professionals and their careers by young people, who often have stereotypical perceptions. Therefore, the conference conclusions recommend the provision of accurate information to young people, for example through direct contacts with real professionals, in order to counterbalance such negative stereotypes. Furthermore, S&T curricula are often rigid and outdated and thus their content should be updated in order to make it more relevant to modern society. Participants agreed that more curricular flexibility would also allow for students coming back into S&T fields at various stages of the educational process, instead of being definitively excluded after moving outside S&T or following a break in their curriculum. The lack of adequate S&T training for some teachers in primary or secondary education also stops students from pursuing studies in these fields. At the tertiary level, the required pedagogical skills are sometimes lacking, particularly since the evaluation of academics is usually based on their research work rather than their ability to transmit knowledge. Resources and incentives should be provided for additional training throughout teachers' careers, the conclusions stressed. A policy-level report will be published in February 2006, containing the findings and recommendations of the full OECD Global Science Forum study of science education, including the results of this conference.