Even as Ireland is busy selling itself as a land well-stocked with a technologically-literate workforce, second-level students are spurning the sciences. As ASTI general secretary Charlie Lennon pointed out in The Irish Times recently, the numbers taking chemistry have declined from 10,187 to 7,669 between 1987 and 1997 which means that only 11 per cent of Leaving Cert students are taking chemistry compared with 21 per cent in 1987.
The proportion of students taking physics has fallen from 20 per cent to 14.5 per cent, in the same 10-year period, while the numbers taking the Leaving Cert have increased by 17 per cent, he pointed out.
The 1998 figures were similarly discouraging and the Minister for Education and Science, Micheal Martin, reacted swiftly, outlining measures which he would put in place. Examiners' reports on physics and chemistry were to be brought forward, the new Leaving Cert syllabi in these subjects are to be introduced in the year 2000 and a full-scale review of science facilities in second-level schools has been initiated. Additional H Dip places were created to provide more physics and chemistry teachers.
While the Minister's commitment to science and technology is obvious, the efficacy of these measures remains to be seen. Already, the ASTI has warned the Minister that schools are not ready to cope with the introduction of the physics and chemistry syllabus1.
As usual, it comes down to money and resources. The ASTI estimates that up to £10 million a year must be invested over the next five years if all second-level schools are to have properly equipped lab facilities.
The TUI has signalled its agreement with the Minister's year 2000 date but also has a number of caveats. Education officer Billy Fitzpatrick says schools need full-time technicians to staff the labs.
He wants schools to be supplied with sample exam papers well in advance of the introduction of the new syllabi. Comprehensive in-service training for teachers is also needed, says Fitzpatrick.
The main reason identified for the declining interest in the sciences at Leaving Cert is not lack of facilities but the pressure for students to achieve points. Dr Ed Walsh, chairman of the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, says students have become expert in optimising CAO points. This view is endorsed by the Irish Science Teachers Association (ISTA).
"Certain subjects, such as home economics and geography, are seen as a smarter choice than physics, higher-level maths or chemistry," says Walsh. "As a result, some students who may have an interest and ability in science subjects may shun them in favour of others."
This year, 19.8 per cent of students sitting ordinary-level physics failed, while 10.5 per cent of higher-students failed. In ordinary-level chemistry, an even higher proportion - 21.5 per cent - failed, while at higher-level 9.9 per cent failed. This compares with failure rates of 6.8 per cent and 5.1 per cent for ordinary and higher-level geography respectively.
This situation can be reversed through tweaking the syllabus and the exams, suggests Walsh. "During the seven-year period I chaired the Curriculum and Examinations Board and its successor, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, it constantly surprised me that there was such resistance to addressing this issue.
"I held then, as I hold now, that it is the responsibility of those who specify the syllabus and manage the examination system to ensure that there is such a level of uniformity across the curriculum that students do not perceive major variations of difficulty between subjects."
There may be a number of reasons for students shunning the sciences, says Bernadette Fagan, public relations officer for the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. "Science is not compulsory in the Junior Cert," she says, "and it would be virtually impossible for students who did not take science in junior cycle to take physics and chemistry at Leaving Cert. That's one area the Department could take care of." Padraig O Leime, president of the ISTA, spports this call.
Fagan is in no doubt that some students feel the content of the physics and chemistry courses is difficult to understand and they are also seen as difficult to score in.
O Leime says that, if the ISTA was to be asked for its shopping list to improve science participation at second-level, the introduction of practical assessments would top it. This would be closely followed by the provision of lab assistants.
"A little more IT in the science room could also have a big impact on enlivening the new syllabus," he says. "A percentage of the new physics and chemistry practicals could be written so that they interfaced with computers."
THE chairman of the NCCA, Albert O Ceallaigh, says that the introduction of practical assessment is an issue which must be addressed in the context of the new chemistry and physics syllabi. The sciences have relied solely on written exams to date with the exception of agricultural science.
The council is of the view that one of the reasons for the substantial underachievement at Leaving Cert is because of this reliance on written exams, says O Ceallaigh. There are difficulties with the role of teachers in practical assessment, he notes, particularly the ASTI. However, it seems these can be overcome by external assessment.
The new chemistry and physics syllabi were completed in 1994 and the ISTA would like a brief review of these to ensure they are up to date for their year 2000 introduction. Meanwhile, the new biology and agricultural science syllabi are in preparation and the Minister has asked that these be introduced in 2001.
