The State of Science Education in NZ Schools Examined

Tuesday 5 April 2011

News release from the Office of the Prime Minister’s Science Advisory Committee and the Royal Society of New Zealand

A new report released today by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, looks at the state of science education in New Zealand schools and makes recommendations on future directions.

“Looking Ahead: Science Education for the Twenty-First Century” brings together past and new research to suggest practical ways to enhance science education in primary and secondary schools. Extensive consultation was undertaken with representatives from the education sector.

The report is launched today at the Liggins Institute in Auckland from 4pm-5pm with a live broadcast via satellite and Internet. Hub sites were set up at schools and universities to enable teachers from throughout New Zealand to participate in this event. A live-chat room enabled participants to take part in a Q&A session during the launch.

In releasing the report, Sir Peter Gluckman, said: “In my view school science education in New Zealand is not in terrible shape. Indeed by international standards we perform well, but unfortunately we have a long tail of underachievement, and we need to think now about the challenges that are emerging.

“This report highlights some of these challenges and suggests areas where significant enhancement may be possible by closer interaction between the school and science communities. A forward looking science education system is fundamental to our future success in an increasingly knowledge-based world,” he said.

Research has found that year 5 students in New Zealand schools receive, on average, just one hour of science education per week.

There is also evidence that based on international measures, top students do very well, but New Zealand also has a large group of students who do poorly in science. Maori and Pasifika students are over-represented in this group.

This new report was developed in conjunction with the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Ministry for Science and Innovation. It used research commissioned from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Dr Di McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of New Zealand, said: “Engaging more young people in science early on is essential, and helping teachers gain confidence in teaching science is an important part of this process.”

“We are very keen to work on helping address the issues raised by this report. There are many good ideas put forward which have the potential to increase science literacy in schools.

Ultimately this flows on to public understanding and appreciation of the role of science in creating a better society.”

Lesley Middleton, General Manager of the Science Group at the Ministry of Science and Innovation also comments: "The Ministry of Science and Innovation welcomes the contribution this report makes to how we prepare the next generation of New Zealanders for a world where science and innovation will be an increasingly important part of daily life. Having evidence on what students think about science and how well they achieve in it, is vital to identifying priorities for action".

To read the report

Copies of the report are now available on the websites of the Office of the Prime Minister’s Science Advisory Committee www.pmcsa.org.nz and the Royal Society of New Zealand www.royalsociety.org.nz.

ENDS.

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