When put to the test, Americans rate C in science, a new study has found.
The Pew Research Center found in a basic quiz of a dozen random science questions, Americans got eight correct, according to an online survey of more than 3,200 adults. The questions ranged from what kind of waves are used in cell phones to interpreting a scatter plot graph(散点图).
“This is one of those cases where you can look at it as a glass half-full or a glass half-empty,” said Pew associate director Cary Funk. She found it more interesting which questions Americans got right — the core is the hottest part of Earth — and which ones they failed in: water boils faster at higher altitudes.
Rush Holt, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said: “It may not be important to know that the core of the Earth is hotter, but it is important to know the difference between astronomy and astrology(占星学). It is important to know that science is based on evidence and that their daily decisions on daily life can also be based on evidence.”
Holt said he found “very troubling” what the demographic breakdown(人口统计数据) of the survey showed. Men in general got one more right answer than did women, while people with college degrees got two more correct answers than did those with a high school education or less. Whites did better than blacks and Hispanics. People between 30 and 49 scored the most correct answers. Those over 65 scored the lowest. Westerners scored the highest on average, while those in the South did the worst.
The gender difference is noticeable in physical sciences like chemistry and physics and not in biological sciences. Studies show that as early as sixth grade, girls have shown more interest in biological science and boys in physical science. It may be that children are encouraged one way or another, researchers said.
No one demographic group, not even those with postgraduate degrees, got 11 or 12 answers correct on average to get an A grade.
本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写,禁止复制和任何商业用途,版权所有,侵权必究!