In the recent past, India has made remarkable progress in the enrolment, retention of students in school, and the universalization of elementary education (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Government of India, 2010; Planning Commission Government of India, 2008). However, despite the launch of various schemes to improve education at school level and the extensive focus on science and technology by the Indian Government (as presented in the preceding section), the learning outcomes of students in science, mathematics, and languages are not satisfactory (ASER, 2011, 2015; Bhattacharjea, Wadhwa, & Banerji, 2011; UNESCO, 2014) and are of serious concern (Planning Commission Government of India, 2013b). According to the Planning Commission of Government of India reports (2008, 2013), nearly 50% of students fail in Science, Mathematics and English subjects at the elementary level. There is a very minimal amount of research/reliable data about the learning outcomes of Indian secondary students (The World Bank, 2009) and information presented by the ministries and their departments (such as DSEL) appears to be politically framed and/or motivated. There exists a wide difference between these government findings and independent/NGO observations.
The learning outcomes of Indian students are either not recorded or ill-recorded both at national and international levels (Kingdon, 2007). At the international level there is no information available about the learning achievement of Indian students because India participates in neither the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) nor in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) surveys. In their debut and trial appearance in the PISA 2009 survey (M. Walker, 2011; PISA Plus
results published by ACER, Australia) Indian students just managed to finish second (73rd rank out of 74 countries) from the bottom, leaving only Kyrgyzstan students behind them. In this only international assessment about 87% of Indian students were placed at and below level 1 of scientific literacy8 and around 13% attained the mid- range levels9 of 2, 3 and 4. This performance appears no less than a mockery of Indian science education (Kaushik, 2015).
At the national level, a major factor for the poor record of results of learning achievement is the meaningless comparison of the results of more than 40 examination boards across India. Schools affiliated with these boards differ in curriculum content, methods of teaching and types of assessments (ASER, 2015; UNESCO, 2014), thus comparison is virtually meaningless. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), since 2001, has been presenting the learning outcomes of Indian students through the National Achievement Surveys (NAS) for grades 3, 5 and 8. However, the survey findings have been reported as being not reliable and comprehensive (ASER, 2015). The achievement results of elementary students from the National Achievement Survey conducted by NCERT in the year 2005 are given in Table 1.1. Similar findings have also been reported by the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) surveys since 2005.
Analyses of results in Table 1.1 indicate that achievement in science is less than satisfactory and declining as a student progresses to more senior grades. Recognizing these results and the need to improve the learning outcomes of students at elementary and secondary stages of school, NCERT, the apex body to decide the curriculum and direct policy in India, stresses the need for making learning joyful and permanent (especially in science and mathematics) through the INCF 2005 and National Focus Group on Teaching of Science (National Council of Educational Research and Training, 2005, 2006).
8 According to PISA, scientific literacy is, “An individual’s scientific knowledge and use of that
knowledge to identify questions, to acquire new knowledge, to explain scientific phenomena, and to draw evidence-based conclusions about science-related issues, understanding of the characteristic features of science as a form of human knowledge and enquiry, awareness of how science and technology shape our material, intellectual, and cultural environments, and willingness to engage in science-related issues, and
with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen” (M. Walker, 2011, p. 52)
9Levels of scientific literacy are decided on the basis of students’ knowledge and ability to perform most
Table 1-1 Learning achievement at Elementary level Stages of
education (at the end of)
EVS (for grades 3 & 5) /Science (for grade 6 onwards)
Mathematics Languages Social Science
Grade 3 - 58.25 63.12 -
Grade 5 50.3* 46.51 58.57 -
Grade 7 35.98 29.87 53.0 32.96
Grade 8 40.54 38.47 52.45 45.0
Source: Planning Commission Government of India (2008) * The data are reported as percentages
The motivational facet of the rationale has two aspects: the high dropout rates of secondary students because of poor performance at earlier grades and the declining interest of Indian secondary students to learn science in higher grades. The Educational Statistics at a Glance (MHRD Government of India, 2014a) report states that the gross enrolment ratio (GER) of Indian students at secondary level (grades 9-10) and at senior secondary level (grades 11-12) are 73.6 and 49.1 respectively (with a joint GER of 62.0% for 9-12 grades). The 8th All India School Education Survey published by the NCERT (2016) however, reports the secondary education GER as 54.55, whereas, a World Bank (2009) study reports it as 40% for grades 9-12, which is less than half of the average of its South and East Asian counterparts (The World Bank, 2009). Moreover, the drop-out rate at the upper-primary (grades 1-8) and secondary (grades 1-10) stages are 36.3% and 47.4% respectively (MHRD Government of India, 2014a). Pandita (2015) expresses his worry about the massive dropout rates of Indian students and reports that 58.80% students drop out by the time they reach elementary level and 79.95% drop out by the secondary level. One of the major reasons for the massive dropout rates at the secondary (after upper primary) level of schooling is students’ poor performance in science and mathematics subjects (Pandita, 2015; Sarangapani, 2014; Shukla, 2005) at the upper- primary and elementary level. Because of the failures in science and maths the pass percentage of students at secondary level is 52.1% and out of these pass out students, those who choose to study science after secondary school, only 37.5% students manage to pass at the senior secondary exam (MHRD Government of India, 2014a). Similar
reasons for the lack of retention are mentioned by international researchers. For example, Rumberger (2011) in his book Dropping Out states that “research shows that poor academic performance in middle school and even elementary school can decrease a student’s motivation in high school, which can lead to failing courses and skipping school, the more immediate precursors to dropping out” (p. 15). These alarming and high dropout rates are crucial challenges for the Indian schooling system if it is to achieve the ambitious goals of 75% GER by 2017 and universal enrolment and retention by 2022 as envisioned by the RMSA (Planning Commission Government of India, 2013b).
Since the start of 21st century, there has been a constant decline in the interest and attitude towards science of Indian secondary students (Awan, Sarwar, Naz, & Noreen, 2011; Josphine, 2008; Laad, 2011; Schreiner & Sjøberg, 2007). By the time students reach secondary level, they have not maintained their interest and achievement in science and mathematics (Josphine, 2008; Laad, 2011). Some authors such as Padmanaban (2008) and Shukla (2005), however, report that there is no decline of interest at the upper-primary stage of schooling but it slightly declines in secondary and senior secondary grades. As a result of the decline in interest, there has been a decline in science enrolments after secondary education (Garg & Gupta, 2003; Jayaraman, 2007) resulting in only 12% of the total enrolled senior secondary students choosing to study basic science (MHRD Government of India, 2013). Reflecting on this declining interest of Indian students, the former prime minister of India has commented that he was “deeply concerned” about basic science enrolments (Jayaraman, 2007, p. 134) and therefore urged the scientific community to promote science among Indian schools and colleges. Keeping in mind the dropout rates at the senior secondary level due to poor achievement in science and declining enrolments, interest and attitudes, it seems urgent to motivate secondary school students to learn science to ensure the vision of the Science Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister (2010) of India as Global Leader in Science by 2030 is achieved and in a timely manner. Keeping in sight the current situation and the action needed to achieve this aim, it appears that there is crucial need not only to engage secondary school students but also to motivate them to learn science - hence is the rationale of the current study.