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Despite the fact that women, African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans have long been under-represented in science and engineering (S&E) in the United States, a new survey shows parents of these students are overwhelmingly confident that their children have what it takes to succeed in these subject areas.
Parents see science and technology as important engines driving the nation’s economy and national security and view science and engineering careers as “desirable” and “realistic” for both their sons and daughters. At the same time, parents believe the science and engineering communities need to do a better job of making today’s students more aware of the wide range of job opportunities available to them in these fields.
When it comes to the long-standing gender and minority inequities in these fields, many parents surveyed say they are aware of such inequities and more than half say they are concerned about them.
These are among the key findings in the newest national science education/science literacy survey commissioned by Bayer Corporation as part of its Making Science Make Sense (MSMS) program.
“First and foremost, we must applaud parents for recognizing their sons’ and daughters’ capacity to succeed in science, math and engineering fields, and for encouraging and assisting them regularly in their formal and informal science education,” said Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the nation’s first African-American female astronaut and Bayer’s national MSMS spokesperson.
“That said, parents and all adults, for that matter, need to be aware that our own unspoken biases are often communicated unknowingly to our children with negative impacts. When it comes to science, math and engineering, we must acknowledge that for the United States to build and maintain the kind of creative and inquisitive research that keeps discovery and innovation alive, everyone must have a seat at the table.”
Dr. Attila Molnar, Bayer Corporation president and CEO, said, “The science and engineering communities not only need to do a better job communicating the myriad job opportunities to students, we need to work much harder at letting them n and their parents n know that we want and need them in these fields. One way is by actively supporting science education programs that strive to eliminate this inequity and achieve parity,”
Almost all parents (81 percent) believe science should be the fourth “R” in elementary school and given the same emphasis as reading, writing and math, although half (56 percent) believe science is/was given less emphasis during their children’s elementary school years.
Almost all parents across the board (87 percent) say that the most effective method for students to learn science is through hands-on, inquiry-based instruction where students conduct hands-on experiments, form opinions and discuss and defend their conclusions with others.
“The science and engineering pipeline doesn’t begin in college, nor does it begin in high school. It starts in elementary school at the earliest grades when all students are interested in science,” explained Sarah Toulouse, who oversees Bayer’s MSMS initiative. “Hands-on science, through the process of discovery, captures and sustains this interest, while building important science literacy skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork.”
For more information, please visit Bayer’s MSMS Web site at www.BayerUS.com/MSMS.
