Teens are Interested in Science, Not in Science Classes, Study Finds

It is said that if you study what you are passionate about, you will end up excelling in it. However, this may not always be the case. The results of a recent study suggest that teens find the subject of science interesting and exciting, but they do not necessarily feel the same way about a science class in school.

Science subjects such as physics, biology, and those related to the field of engineering are popular among high school students. What they dislike though is the constant droning of the professor during hour-long classes. In a recent survey conducted by the AmGen foundation together with Change the Equation, they found out that 81% of the 1,500 teenagers surveyed enjoy science as a subject, but only 37% liked science classes.

In fact, biology proved to be one of the least popular science class with only 33% of those surveyed saying that the subject legitimately piques their interest, says a report from Ed Week. This is considerably less than the 48% of those surveyed who said that they are fond of the school subjects not related to science.

The study also shows that teens hope to see variety in teaching styles to make the classes surrounding scientific subjects more interesting. While they usually slave away with a textbook or chalkboard in front of them, the study suggest that these students would prefer a more hands-on approach to learning. This includes field trips, lab activities, simulated experiments, and the like.

The study also reveals that the students who came from low-income families were less likely to be acquainted with an adult whose work is in a scientific field. They were also found to be less likely to be a member of a science club in their school. This is alarming because the majority of teens believe that they need to know someone already working in a certain field to advance in it.