Exploring Young People's Views on Science Education

This research report was commissioned by the Trust and conducted by NFER in 2011 to look at young people's experiences of science education and how they could be enhanced.

The research surveyed 240 pupils from 20 schools around England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a further 20 recent school leavers. Its results suggest that science teaching is managing to capture the attention of most young people. Almost two-thirds of participants said that they find science lessons "fairly" or "very" interesting, and a staggering 90 per cent felt that compulsory teaching of science in school up to age sixteen is important. The research builds on earlier findings from the 2009 Wellcome Trust Monitor, where 81 per cent of the pupils surveyed expressed a keen interest in science as a school subject.

Pupils clearly want their science lessons to be more relevant to the real world, but almost 40 per cent of those surveyed had difficulties in making direct links between what they learn in the classroom and how they apply this to everyday situations. The study shows that around 80 per cent felt that having a good understanding of science would improve their career prospects; however, many students did not have clear ideas of what a science career constitutes beyond 'doctor', 'engineer' or 'vet'. Therefore, the report highlights several areas, such as the need for better careers guidance, that must be addressed if this apparent increased appetite for science is to be sustained.

Download full report [PDF 720KB]

Download executive summary [PDF 672KB]

Download Learning Outside the Classroom document [PDF 500KB]