ABSTRACT

It is vital that the next generation of young people develop scientific skills to ensure global environmental sustainability and the capacity to solve many of the global problems caused by narrow scientific thinking. The aim of this article is to discuss the interest on studying science of primary school students and how to engage them in science education. We explore the perceptions of 709 sixth-grade students from Spain aged between 11 and12 with regard to studying science using a questionnaire entitled Scientific Competencies. Our findings show that there is a growing interest in science motivated by the engagement of primary school students in scientific learning that is transferable to daily life. We discuss how this optimistic result could lead to more students becoming interested in pursuing a career in science. We conclude the article by discussing some of the challenges in relation to maintaining students’ positive attitude towards learning about science.

摘要

至关重要的是，下一代年轻人培养科学技能，以确保全球环境可持续性和解决由狭隘科学思维引起的许多全球问题的能力。本文旨在探讨小学生学习科学的兴趣以及如何让他们参与科学教育。我们使用题为“科学能力”的问卷调查了来自西班牙的 709 名 11 至 12 岁的六年级学生对学习科学的看法。我们的研究结果表明，由于小学生参与可转移到日常生活中的科学学习，人们对科学的兴趣与日俱增。我们讨论了这种乐观的结果如何导致更多的学生对从事科学事业产生兴趣。