Study of physics in "downward spiral"
Interest in physics appears to be waning
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Friday, 11, Aug 2006 12:52
The number of students opting to take physics at A-level and university is in serious decline, academics have warned in a report issued today.
Physics in Schools and Universities, issued by researchers at the University of Buckingham, found that the number of students sitting A-level physics has halved since 1982.
The report comes just days before students across England and Wales are given their A-level results next Thursday.
The number of students studying physics at university has fallen by 28 per cent while one in four universities that used to have high numbers studying the subject has stopped teaching it since 1994.
Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, the authors of the report, warned that as such there is continuing shortage of physics teachers.
Speaking on the Today programme, Professor Smithers said that "physics is in the grip of a long-term downward spiral and it's urgent that we find ways of breaking into it".
"The decline in physics in terms of falling student numbers and university departments closing is much more serious than is generally appreciated," he said.
Recruiting teachers is one of the key concerns, as Professor Smithers added: "It's difficult to recruit the teachers and the fall in A-level entries has been sharpest in those schools and colleges that have found it most difficult to recruit expert teachers."
Responding to the report's findings, Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge University, said that there is a need to "get across the message" that students with a physics degree would find the best jobs would be open to them.
Martin Rees, president of the Royal Society which promotes the natural and applied sciences, said that the report highlights the "especially precarious state of physics in our schools".
"It is crucial that we get more specialist physics teachers into our classrooms if we are to inspire more young people to study physics at A-level and beyond," he said.
"Teachers who are both enthused and knowledgeable about their subjects are key to breaking the cycle of decline that physics is experiencing."
On a wider scale, Lord Rees added that the report's findings are worrying for the UK's economy.
"These trends in science education raise broader concerns as to whether UK universities and colleges will be able to deliver enough individuals with the skills in science and engineering that are necessary to meet the needs of the economy over the coming decade and beyond," he said.