New Zealand 'top of the class' in science excellence

New Zealand and Finland are leaders in school science, with one in five 15-year-olds reaching top levels of science proficiency, the OECD finds.

But while New Zealand is a leader, overall, the report showed, schools in most OECD countries failed to engage students in science and science-related careers.

Top of the Class, the latest report from the Programme for International Student Assessment, found that while many high-performing 15-year-olds had a general interest in scientific careers, about half were not well informed about what these would entail.

Less-motivated high-performing students tended not to enjoy science lessons and not to get involved in science outside school, even if they did well in tests.

This lack of involvement could be a handicap for science-based societies, which will increasingly depend on people pushing the frontiers in science and taking a positive attitude to science as citizens, the report concluded.

In contrast to New Zealand, fewer than one in 20 students made top grades in science subjects in Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Turkey.

To access the OECD report, go to this web page.