A study of the condition of science education in the high schools of the pilot area of Nova Scotia

Abstract

The Pilot Area, designated by the Government of Canada for economic assistance, comprises the Nova Scotia counties of Antigonish, Cape Breton, Colchester, Cumberland, Guysborough, Inverness, Pictou, Richmond and Victoria. In this thesis, science education in the Pilot Area is compared with that in two other regions; namely, in the remainder of rural Nova Scotia (Area A), and in urban Halifax-Dartmouth (Area B). The factors compared include: student enrolment in science subjects; time distributed between science subjects and other subjects in the curriculum; the laboratory facilities; the qualifications of teachers; and the pass rate in the sciences in provincial examinations. The study reveals that, in the Pilot Area, a strong correlation exists between poverty and sub-standard science education. A revised cost-sharing structure featuring increased subsidization to impoverished school boards, additional salary incentives to teachers in economically disadvantaged areas, and means to improve teacher qualifications in science are the recommendations of this study.