THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. and
WASHINGTON, June 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Amgen
Foundation and Change the Equation (CTEq) today announced results
of a survey conducted to better understand what motivates U.S. high
school students to study science, technology, engineering and math
(STEM). The report, titled "Students on
STEM: More Hands-on, Real-World Experiences," shows that
students want additional opportunities that will inspire them to
explore careers in scientific fields, and teachers are uniquely
positioned to stimulate students' interest in STEM.
The survey found that large majorities of teenagers like science
and understand its value, but common teaching methods, such as
teaching straight from the textbook, do not bring the subject
matter to life in the same way hands-on, real-life experiences do.
Several results reveal an opportunity to better engage students in
the classroom. For example:
- Eighty-one percent of students are interested in science, and
73 percent expressed interest in biology. However, only 37 percent
of teenagers said they like their science classes "a lot." By
contrast, 48 percent reported liking non-science classes "a
lot."
- Among teenagers who are interested in biology careers, teachers
(85 percent) and classes (86 percent) rank right alongside their
parents or guardians (87 percent) as the biggest influences on
their career decisions.
- Two-way, hands-on learning, like experiments and field trips,
are most likely to engage teenage students in biology, followed by
tools that help them relate biology to real life. One-way
communication, such as class discussions or teaching straight from
the book, are least interesting, but among the most common.
"We are in an era where scientific advances provide the
opportunity to make meaningful progress against some of the world's
most serious diseases," said Raymond C.
Jordan, senior vice president of Corporate Affairs at Amgen
and Amgen Foundation Board of Directors member. "To sustain this
momentum, we must inspire the next generation of innovators.
Through this study, we have seen that teachers are critical
catalysts to inspiring a love of science in students."
The survey also looked beyond the classroom, revealing that most
teenagers lack access to additional resources and opportunities to
learn more about scientific careers and engage with science
professionals—experiences that are critical to developing a
lifelong love of science. For example:
- Most survey respondents believe knowing an adult in their field
of interest would be helpful, but only 32 percent actually know an
adult in a science-based career. And just 22 percent know someone
with a job involving biology.
- Only 33 percent of teenagers have ever been involved in a
science club or group, either in or out of school. Low-income
teenagers are especially unlikely to have been involved, and are
more likely to be unaware of extracurricular science
offerings.
- Low-income students also have the fewest pathways to science
careers. They are less likely to know someone who works in biology
(19 percent versus 25 percent of higher-income students) and not as
likely to have access to career-planning resources.
"Students who pursue a STEM education today are the innovators
who will solve the world's greatest problems tomorrow, whether or
not they become scientists or engineers," said Linda P. Rosen, chief executive officer of
Change the Equation. "Change the Equation is pleased to partner
with the Amgen Foundation to help uncover how we can ensure all
U.S. students, regardless of income level or location, have access
to the right resources."
To expand youth access to the nation's best STEM education
opportunities, CTEq maintains the STEMworks honor roll of programs
that have proven their impact through rigorous third-party review.
Over the past two years, CTEq's state and corporate partners,
including the Amgen Foundation, have rallied around STEMworks
programs, bringing them to almost 1 million more youth
nationwide.
To help science teachers give their students more hands-on
learning experiences and insight into career options in and out of
the classroom, the Amgen Foundation created the Amgen Biotech
Experience. This program provides professional development training
to teachers and state-of-the-art equipment to schools, bringing
real-life biotech experiments into the classroom.
For more information about the survey, visit amgeninspires.com/studentsonstem and join
the conversation using #TeensTalkSci. Visit AmgenInspires.com and
follow @AmgenFoundation to learn more about our commitment to
inspire the next generation of scientists. For more on CTEq, visit
changetheequation.org and follow @changeequation.
About the survey
The research was commissioned by the Amgen Foundation and Change
the Equation and conducted by C+R Research Services, a national
marketing research firm that specializes in research with youth. A
total of 1,569 online surveys were completed by students ages 14-18
years old. Participants were high school students (sophomore,
junior and senior levels) currently attending public and private
schools in the U.S. Hispanics and Blacks/African Americans
were oversampled to ensure adequate representation, and the data
was weighted by ethnicity and region to mirror the U.S. population.
Data collection took place November
2015. For the full methodology, visit changetheequation.org/students-on-stem.
About the Amgen Foundation
The Amgen Foundation seeks to advance excellence in science
education to inspire the next generation of innovators, and invest
in strengthening communities where Amgen staff members live and
work. Since 1991, the Foundation has donated more than $250
million in grants to local, regional and international
nonprofit organizations that impact society in inspiring and
innovative ways. The Amgen Foundation brings the excitement of
discovery to the scientists of tomorrow through several signature
programs, including Amgen Scholars, Amgen Biotech Experience, and
Amgen Teach. For more information, visit AmgenInspires.com and
follow us on Twitter @AmgenFoundation.
About Change the Equation
Since 2010, Change the Equation has been championing
the value of a good start through K-12 STEM education as a means to
build and inspire the next generation of America's workforce. The
nonprofit CEO coalition works at the intersection of business and
education to ensure that all students are STEM literate by
collaborating with schools, communities and states to adopt and
implement excellent STEM policies and programs. For more
information, visit changetheequation.org and follow us on Twitter
@changeequation.
CONTACT:
Amgen Thousand Oaks
Jennifer van der Borgt, 805-447-5597 (media)
Change the Equation
Claus von Zastrow, 202-626-5734
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SOURCE Amgen