The Doing What Works LibraryLibrary
5. Sparking Curiosity

Spark initial curiosity and foster long-term interest in math and science.

The fact that girls lose interest in advanced math and science before they even reach their teens has long-term ramifications in education and industry. Providing students with engaging and meaningful activities as part of regular instruction leads to improved skills and test scores. The more interested students are in a subject, the more involved they become in their assignments, putting effort into their studies and engaging in deeper levels of thinking. Experts believe that increased student engagement in math and science at school will eventually lead to involvement in math- and science-related after-school activities and career aspirations.