David Unwin/Stuff

New Zealand students are falling behind with their achievements in maths and science, according to an international study.

OPINION: Its no secret New Zealand school students are falling further behind in maths and science knowledge compared with other countries.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study is performed every four years. If focuses on assessing student achievement in maths and science at middle primary (year 5) and lower secondary (year 9) levels around the world.

Its co-ordinated in the United States and in New Zealand managed by the Education Ministry.

Our year 9 students maths ability now ranks 23rd out of 39 countries, and in science its 17th from 35. Fair to middling in comparison, but these are decreases from the 2014 survey and notably worse than 15 years ago.

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While our own Einsteins (outliers) will still pop up occasionally and become tomorrows McDiarmids and Callaghans, it means the general ability of the average New Zealand young person to think like a scientist, or solve a maths-based problem, is declining.

And there will be outliers in the direction of Homer Simpson as well.

Maybe if a youngster has his or her heart set on being a manicurist or rugby player, maths and science ability is not especially useful. But at least a rudimentary understanding of maths is pretty useful for budgeting or building a deck.

I have three degrees, all science based. The first was a bachelor of science in agriculture, which provided a terrific grounding in much of the physical sciences, physics, chemistry and maths, as well as life-sciences, physiology, biology, botany etc.

My latter post-graduate education was in human nutrition and physiology, but there I often relied on my basic physical science knowledge to help understand the esoteric nature of what I was trying to get my head around.

The biggest impact this science knowledge has had on me is that I now act like a scientist as I live my life as an environmentally aware citizen and small business owner.

I make sure the doors are closed in winter to keep the cold air out, drive carefully to reduce fuel use and save money, and model sales from previous years to see when its best to take a holiday. I even wear jandals and socks at home in winter to stop my body heat dissipating into the cold kitchen floor.

Being a scientist is more than actions, its a way of thinking. My science career taught me to ask if something can be done better, or whether there is an alternative explanation for some observation.

It means challenging dogma, asking the questions, entering a debate armed with data, or questioning the narrative. These can make you unpopular, especially in New Zealand.

Being a scientist is not about assuming someone is right without taking the time to form an evidence-based opinion. No-one, after all, has won a Nobel Prize in medicine-physiology for re-hashing knowledge from a text book.

And scientists dont resort to name calling someone who disagrees with them or the current and popular explanation. Good science enables and encourages robust debate, but wins the debate with weight of empirical evidence.

My worry is that the next generation, whose grasp of science and mathematics is less than the previous, wont be able to think scientifically on a day-to-day basis.

They wont understand the importance of simple things such as enabling airflow to keep a house dry, using a longer lever to get your wheel nuts off, or exercising to keep warm. They wont draw a conclusion and win an argument based on evidence, but rather rely on weight of media exposure.

And when scientifically naive people are in charge and make decisions based solely on popularity and emotion, we will be in trouble.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that all sorts of quirky and popular theories and conspiracies are now so easily accepted. They are probably lacking a good school science education.

Steve Stannard is a Palmerston North business owner and former academic.

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Students' declining ability in maths and science a concern - Stuff.co.nz