Education for eaual opportunities in a Scientifically literate society

This paper argues that a scientifically and technologically literate public is a necessary support for the work of scientists and technologists and that it is important to society, as well as being more fair to individuals, for women to have equal opportunities for developing this form of literacy. It suggests that science education which enables learners to develop and use science processes, through which they acquire ownership of ideas, has not only a greater validity in reflecting the nature of science but is more likely to provide equal learning opportunities for both sexes than a traditional transmission of knowledge approach. In developing these arguments some of the possible factors that create gender differences in science are reviewed, in particular the personality characteristics of men and women, which suggests that girls may have greater interest in science if it is experienced as an activity in which imagination and social interaction play a part.