Why science?

Why science? This one and other questions were asked to 24 italian students aged 14-18 from a professional school during a discussion that took 2 hours. Here the results of this first investigation.

Why science?
Students answered individually to this question and then discussed their personal assertions with classmates.

- Science is dull.
- Science sometimes is boring, but is useful.
- Science is interesting.
- Science is a little bit complicated.
- Science is fascinating, but when science is explained it loses the appeal because the scientific language is too technical and gloomy.
- Science is useful to understand facts around us.
- Science is useful to discover "life".
- Science generates new forms of life.
- Science is helpful, because medicine save people.
- Many people think that, coming to this school, science isn't useful, however it's helpful for our future.
- To study science only for two years (as in our school) isn't profitable.
- In science experiments are made. Experiments are neutral. Scientists determine if the consequences of their experiments are negative or positive.

Does science affect your daily life? In which way?
Students answered to this and following questions collectively. They elaborated the answers working in small groups.

- Not always.
- Science concerns every activity we do: cell phone, television, light.
- In some cases, science help us to "translate" the facts that happen every day.
- Science affects our life 24 hours a day starting from the simplest gesture we do.

Does science affect your scholastic life? In which way?

- We think not. But perhaps science affects our scholastic life without knowing.
- Science affects our scholastic life through atmospheric phenomenons that allow us to go or not to go to school.
- Yes sometimes, but above all when we study.
- Indipendently from the scholastic subjects, science is present in every activity we do at school, e.g. when we use the computer or when we have a coffee.

Do you think that science could affect your future job? In which way?

- No.
- Yes, it depends on the kind of job and on the position.
- Yes, because in many jobs science is the main element.
- Yes, when people take a scientific branch.

Do you think that science could affect your future life?

- Yes, because science will be helpful when we use technology.
- Yes, e.g. when we will drive a car, use domestic appliances, cook or asssist children.
- Yes, because if we encontered problems, science could be helpful. A ten years old girl, in 2004 when a tsunami hit southeast Asia coasts, saved many lives because she knew the dynamics of tsunami.

Do you think that science has a positive role in society? Why?

- Yes. If science didn't exist, the world wouldn't progress.
- Yes, because all our actions are concerned with science.
- Yes and no, because science could be positive, but also negative. E.g., humans can use science to create tools that damage humanity or that provoke wars. This isn't the fault of science, but is the fault of humans who are not able to utilize correctly their knowledge or are not able to utilize this common good (knowledge).

Do you think that science has a negative role in society? Why?

- No, because science allows society to progress in all fields.
- No. The world revolves around science and, also if sometimes it's boring, we can't ignore it.

Do you think that the scientific knowledge has to be a right for everybody? Why?

- Yes. Actually, every italian student has the opportunity to learn science in every school.
- Yes. Every student has the right to know science.
- Yes, because people in this way can increase their lexical and culture.
- Yes, we have the right and the duty to know the thing around us.

Do you think that scientific knowledge has to be a duty? Why?

- Actually science is a duty only at school.
- Science mustn't be imposed, but people should understand its importance.
- Actually science isn't a duty, but it's a choice that one make to know more.

Do you think that scientific knowledge concernes only some kind of people?

- No, because we, all, have to know the most important issues in our life.
- No, as already said, knowledge has to be a right for everybody.
- No, it concerns everybody because scientific knowledge increases our knowledge.
- No, it concerns everybody. To know is a right for everybody, as it's written in the Italian Constitution.

You studied science at school since you were 8. In which moments did you appreciate to learn science?

- When we went to planetarium, when we watch documentary films, when we study on maps, when we participated in a project about sexuality.
- It was very interesting to study masculine and feminine genitals, the gravity, the universe and minerals. We think that it would be opportune that science was explained in a more fluide way, making also experiments.
- Everything we do is bound to a unique big sphere: science. The study of science is of vital importance. For this reason the Italian Government allows every student to learn it. Science isn't a "light" subject and asks engagement and a lot of time. Science is certainly a fascinating subject that allow us to know the why of everything: why things work, why some phenomenons happen..


You studied science at school since you were 8. In which moments didn't you appreciate to learn science?

- When science is unclear, when the teacher doesn't explain well, when the language of the book is too complex.
- Subject we appreciated less are cells and oceanic crust.
- Science is a complex matter. This is certainly a clear invitation to forget it. In fact to learn science is one of the most complicated existing things. It's full of abbreviations, complicated words and uses a own language that can put a student on the spot.


Thanks to Veronica, Luca, Adrea, Lisa, Ferhat, Lorenzo, Matteo, Federica, Silvana, Alice, Tahmina, Rihab, Sara, Veronica, Yollande... students at Istituto Professionale per i Servizi Turistici e Commerciali "C. Macrelli" in Cesena