Space Science: the View from European School Students
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Space Science: the View from European School Students Jennifer DeWitt 1
& Karen Bultitude
2
# The Author(s) 2018
Abstract Gender imbalance in the physical sciences and engineering is a longstanding and welldocumented concern within science education, industry, and policy. The current study is motivated by this issue and focuses on space science in particular, which has been promoted as a physical science with the capacity to inspire both boys and girls. A survey of over 8000 pupils aged 9–16 from 11 European countries was utilised to provide the first large-scale investigation of school students’ perceptions of space science. Enthusiasm for space science was clear within our sample, and individual differences were more important than background characteristics (gender, age, country) in driving attitudes to space science. However, although these positive attitudes and perceptions were shared by boys and girls, substantially fewer students, particularly females, expressed interest in pursuing a career in space science. Keywords Attitudes . Aspirations . Gender . Space science
Introduction Gender imbalance in the physical sciences and engineering is a longstanding and welldocumented concern within science education, industry, and policy. Although increasing numbers of females are embarking on science qualifications and careers, they remain underrepresented in the physical sciences and engineering (e.g. OECD 2013; Smith 2010a, b, 2011). A substantial body of research exploring this disparity has highlighted that attainment is not
* Jennifer DeWitt [email protected] Karen Bultitude [email protected]
1
Education, Practice, & Society, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, UK
2
Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Research in Science Education
the issue, with the minimal (or no) differences found being insufficient to explain gender disparities in participation (Mujtaba and Reiss 2013; OECD 2016a; Riegle-Crumb et al. 2012). A number of large-scale international surveys have examined gender differences in attitudes and interest in science, most notably the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment1) and ROSE (Relevance of Science Education) surveys, both of which focus on 15-yearolds. In line with earlier studies utilising data from the 2006 administration of the PISA survey (e.g. Kjaernsli and Lie 2011), data from the 2015 administration found evidence of a continuing gender imbalance in attitudes and aspirations to science (OECD 2016b). For instance, although comparable proportions of girls (24%) and boys (25%) expect to work in science-related careers, they aspire to markedly different fields within science, with girls’ aspirations generally aligned with health and medicine, while boys’ aspirations are more likely to be in ICT, physical sciences, and engineering. There are also further disparities among individual countries. For instance, while in Germany more of the top
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