Opening up people's minds

04/08/2002
China Daily: Jia Hepeng

Luo Xia, a middle-aged government employee in Beijing, found it difficult to find good books that popularize science to give to her 11-year-old son for his birthday.

There were several series of such books, ranging from the secrets of universe to the adventures of scientists, on the shelves of a big bookstore in the capital city. But leafing through the pages, she discovered the books either too difficult to understand, or full of errors, or even containing descriptions of violence.

Luo's is not alone in her frustration.

In 2001, China Association of Science and Technology (CAST) and other organizations launched a series of activities to popularize science, the result of the unremitting efforts of the public and society since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

For the past half century, CAST has been working on the tough job of trying to popularize common scientific knowledge, as the country's illiteracy level in 1949 was more than 90 per cent.

A number of people have become well known for their efforts to popularize such knowledge.

Sima Nan and He Zuoxiu are contemporary "heroes" who have given numerous lectures to demystify the seemingly supernatural exploits of some qigong "masters."

But despite their successful work, there is still much to be done.

Behind the dust of trucks carrying teachers and materials to popularize scientific knowledge in the nation's cities and villages, there is still a great body of basic scientific knowledge that is still unavailable to the general public.

And on the other hand, there have been too many of those claiming to be able to cure cancer or bone fractures overnight, or to be able to change water into oil within minutes who have been only too willing to deceive and confuse the public.

Public survey

CAST recently conducted a national survey to find out about public attitudes toward science. The aim of the survey, which was started about 10 years ago using international survey standards, was to try to determine the number of people who have acquired basic scientific knowledge.

According to international standards, this group of people should have the ability to read and understand scientific terms, the ability to understand the scientific research process, and the ability to understand the impact of science research results upon society and the life of the individual.

In the survey, the researchers queried respondents on the following scientific subjects: Internet, DNA, molecular science, radiation, and the scientific research process.

Among the respondents, 80 per cent said they knew what the term "scientific research" involved and more than half could describe what molecular science and radiation were about.

However, only 20 per cent of them knew anything about the Internet and DNA.

To ascertain their understanding of scientific methodology, the surveyors gave respondents two examples: To ascertain the effectiveness of a drug to treat high blood pressure, one researcher gave the medicine to all 1,000 patients participating in his experiment, while another provided the drug to 500 of the patients and offered placebo pills to the other 500.

Only half of the respondents correctly picked the latter as the scientific method.

During the survey, the researchers also discovered that the public demonstrated increasing concern over environment pollution, additives in foods and over-exploitation of natural resources, and that 68.2 per cent saw desertification as a serious environmental problem.

However, most knew nothing about the effects of transgenic and cloning technology upon nature and human beings.

The survey's end result showed that only 1.4 per cent of the respondents possessed the knowledge to be classed as scientifically informed, as defined by the survey.

And the figure was much lower in rural areas and in underdeveloped areas in western China.

Digging up reasons

There are many reasons for the lack of public knowledge of common science.

"A single specialized science popularization department is not sufficient to carry out the tremendous task of educating such a huge population in basic scientific knowledge," said Fang Zhouzi, a US-based Chinese popular science columnist who has been fighting against pseudo-scientific activities ranging from hyperbolic advertising to ascribing superhuman abilities to human beings.

Science education and its popularization should be handled in regular education and research institutes rather than by specialized organizations, Fang said in an e-mail interview with China Daily.

But in China, it is not easy for education and research institutes to undertake this job.

Researchers, for example, undertake heavy workloads with the funds they get from the government, and have no time left over for popularizing science.

"The spread of scientific knowledge in society is at a low level," said Fang. "There are also few opportunities for the public to access such knowledge."

Liu Jianming, a communication professor with Tsinghua University, said that the pressure on the school to train students to get high academic scores also sets a limit on what the country's basic education system can do to popularize scientific knowledge.

Although college enrolment in China increased to about 2 million last year, competition for college entry among high school students remains quite fierce.

The students have to prepare to pass specific courses and difficult tests rather than spending time acquiring a broad range of scientific and humanitarian knowledge.

Over the past five years, the Ministry of Education has launched a national campaign of "cultivating education" to enrich students with knowledge beyond exam requirements as well as practical skills.

Lei Yihong, director of the Science Popularization Institute under CAST, praised the programme saying it has made great progress in raising primary and middle school students' knowledge of science.

But Liu claimed that as long as the system of college entry examinations is not fundamentally changed, a broader education programme can only achieve limited and superficial results.

Jia Shaoliang, a freshman of the Beijing University of Aerospace and Aeronautics, recalled that in his three years in high school, he never had a chance to read a novel because of his heavy academic load.

"The reason is simple. Even if students are given opportunities to learn more, they still have to focus on preparation for the national college entrance exam," Liu said.

He added that current educational methodology still stresses training and learning by rote.

Students are usually made to repeat "correct knowledge" from their textbooks and they have no time and initiative to think independently and creatively.

The popularization of scientific knowledge and the identification of pseudo-science need more than just textbooks. It also requires independent and creative thinking on the part of both teachers and students, Liu said.

"Without independent thinking, people may be prone to accept the pseudo-scientific ideas resorted to in irresponsible advertisements and the mass media."

The knowledge gap between urban and rural areas is the result of the low level of education in the countryside.

Several million Chinese children reportedly do not get the chance to finish their nine-year compulsory education.

Many rural school teachers do not have enough books and lab equipment to help upgrade students' levels of scientific knowledge.

Nor has China's mass media done enough to popularize common science, said Lei, from the science popularization institute.

Many reporters and editors in pop science newspapers and magazines are not only poorly trained in science but also lack the initiative to improve their qualifications in the field of science.

They do not use common language to write about science discoveries, or even about popular science subjects.

Despite all the above barriers, most scholars believe that Chinese people can raise their knowledge of science if there are continuous reforms in education.

Liu suggested changing the education system from an examination-oriented one to one that is interest-driven.

While advocating the introduction of more interesting foreign science popularization programmes from TV, such as the US-based "Discovery" or PBS channels, Fang Zhouzi said many more science fiction and popularization writers should be trained.

In addition, China's further opening up with its entry to the World Trade Organization will also bring about reforms in science research institutes, enabling them to better communicate with the public, said Mu Rongping, a senior researcher with the Institute of Science Policy under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Coupled with China's economic progress, all of these changes should bring a new face to the popularization of science, claimed CAST's Lei.