Astrobiology Outreach and the Nature of Science: The Role of Creativity

Abstract

There is concern in many developed countries that school students are turning away from science. However, students may be choosing not to study science and dismissing the possibility of a scientific career because, in the junior secondary years, they gain a false view of science and the work of scientists. There is a disparity between science as it is portrayed at school and science as it is practiced. This paper describes a study to explore whether engaging in science through astrobiology outreach activities may improve students' understanding of the nature and processes of science, and how this may influence their interest in a career in science. The results suggest that the students attending these Mars research-related outreach activities are more interested in science than the average student but are lacking in understanding of aspects of the nature of science. A significant difference was detected between pre- and posttest understandings of some concepts of the nature of science.

Attitudes towards the scientific search for extraterrestrial life among Swedish high school and university students

“…Offerdahl et al 2003; Foster & Drew 2009; Arino de la Rubia 2012; Hansson & Redfors 2013) or how astrobiology education and outreach affect students’ interest in studying or pursuing a future career in science (e.g. Brake et al 2006; Foster & Drew 2009; Fergusson et al 2012; Dougherty et al 2014). There have also been studies focusing on other target groups than students (e.g.…”

Astrobiologia como eixo integrador do ensino de Ciências e Biologia: como extraterrestes nos auxiliam no estudo da vida na Terra

“…Em muitos países desenvolvidos com alto grau de avanço cientifico e dependência intrínseca do desenvolvimento tecnológico na sociedade, muitos alunos não estão aderindo a carreiras cientificas (FERGUSSON et al, 2012). Causas dessas desistências são apontadas como a não relação de criatividade e ciência, ou seja, muitos alunos de alguns destes países, não acreditam que carreiras cientificas são compatíveis com curiosidade e imaginação.…”

Finding the time: Exploring a new perspective on students’ perceptions of cosmological time and efforts to improve temporal frameworks in astronomy

“…Astrobiology-a relatively new interdisciplinary field of science studying the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the Universehas made its way into both high school and college science classrooms. Implementing astrobiology courses has recently been viewed as an ideal way to engage students and adults in science due to the subject's multidisciplinary nature and appeal [7][8][9]. Our understanding of the origin, formation, and evolution of the Universe has increased drastically over the past few decades as well, and cosmology has become more widely incorporated into existing astronomy courses [10].…”