UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF GEOSCIENCE

Geoscience-related issues have been prominent in the media for many years including news items and documentaries. However, in the UK at least, this does not seem to translate into a demand for university places, indeed there has been a steady decline in applications to Geoscience courses over the last decade. In order to better understand this phenomenon and, hence, to inform the ‘marketing' of the subject, two pilot research studies into perceptions of Geoscience were carried out with years 7,10 and 12 school students and the general public in the UK. In both cases participants were asked their perceptions of ‘geology' as it is this term that is used in high school examinations. The commonest response from the students was ‘rocks' (57.3% of the 946 participants wrote this word). In Year 12 where students take only 4 or 5 subjects, those students who were studying geology provided richer responses than those who were not; however, students who were studying geography (including physical geography) exhibited no greater understanding of geology than their peers who were taking neither subject. Volcanoes, earthquakes and fossils featured in relatively few responses (4%, 1.7% and 2.4% respectively) and only 22 of the 946 respondents (2.3%) mentioned Earth through time. The general public's responses were also restricted: 66% of the 30 people questioned mentioned rocks and volcanoes and earthquakes were each mentioned only once. Interestingly, a larger proportion mentioned fossils (20%) and Earth through time (10%).

It could be inferred from these results that school students and the general public (as represented in our limited study) have only a basic understanding of the relevance of Geoscience to their daily lives and do not appreciate the full range of topics covered by the subject. A literature review carried out as part of this project emphasised that there is a cumulative process of evolving perceptions and achievement that influences degree subject choice and, for most people, this starts well before the age of 14 years. More in-depth research is required on this theme both in the UK and internationally but this pilot study emphasises the need for better marketing of Geoscience to all ages in order to enhance take up in universities and for public outreach.