The Science After School blog links to an article that asks the question: Why Do Some People Resist Science?
Indeed, a very good question.
As K-12 schools search for better ways to improve math and science education, this is a question that must be asked and answered from classrooms to the highest levels of education research and policymaking. If educators, researchers, and policymakers don’t truly understand where that resistance and lack of motivation comes from, they will have a hard time figuring how to get more kids fired up about finding a cure for cancer or understanding the causes of global warming.
Even though I grew up in a family of scientists (my father and older brother), I, unfortunately, became resistant to sciences, much like most folks. I am hoping my children take a more active interest in the sciences than I did. Scientific ignorance, in today’s world, is not bliss.
What do you think are the reasons for this resistance? And how do educators change student attitudes about the sciences?