Assessing educational parity of Bahamian students’ formal and informal science experiences by comparing three key demographic factors

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Among all nations, it is vital that K-12 students understand and perceive the value of science, which requires that students have equitable access to a broad and comprehensive set of science experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, regardless of demography. Purpose Bahamian students were surveyed on their in/formal science experiences to compare adolescent learners’ access to science by three key demographic variables: gender (boy or girl), school location (rural or urban) and school type (public or private). Sample One thousand one hundred and five students, 14–16 years of age, from the main island of New Providence and seven of the most inhabited islands in The Bahamas. Design and Methods Two batteries of The Relevance of Science Education questionnaire: Section F of ‘My science classes’ (n = 16) and Section H of ‘My out of school experiences’ (n = 61) were analyzed at the construct level (t-test) and the item level (Mann–Whitney U) by each demographic variable. Results Analyses indicate students’ formal (in school) experiences varied most by gender, whereas students’ informal (out of school) science experiences varied most by school location. Conclusion Findings suggest different science experiences at school based upon students’ gender and reduced access to science among students in rural areas and off the mainland. This research provides an impetus for gender and geographic parity for Bahamian science learners.