Entrenched compartmentalisation and students’ abilities and levels ofinterest in science

This article explores the notion that asking and exploring so-called ‘big questions’ could potentially increase the diversity and number of students who aspire to work in science and science-related careers. The focus is the premise that girls are more interested than boys in the relationships between science and other disciplines. The article also examines the view that the practice of entrenched compartmentalisation is squeezing students’ curiosity and channelling their thinking away from creative activities such as identifying good questions to ask and devising ways to address them.

Based on their findings, the authors suggest that entrenched
compartmentalisation could be a barrier in schools to students’ intellectual progression and to students’, particularly girls’, interest in science.