312 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
GENERAL SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS. 
Final Report of Committee on the Teaching of General Science in Schools, 
with Special Reference to the Teaching of Biology (Dr. LILian J. 
CLARKE, Chairman; Mr. G. W. Ottve, Secretary; Mr. C. E. 
Browne ; Major A. G. Cuurcn, D.S.0.; Mr. G. D. DUNKERLEY ; 
Mr. S. R. Humspy; Sir Percy Nunn; Mr. E. R. B. REYNOLDs ; 
Dr. E. W. SHann; Dr. E. M. THomas; Mr. A. H. WHIPPLE ; 
Mrs. GorDON WILSON ; Miss von Wyss). 
CONTENTS. 
I. Introduction. II. Historical Review of Reports previously issued on 
the Teaching of Science. III. Analysis of the Results of the Questionnaire. 
IV. Examinations. V. Out-of-School Activities in relation to Science. 
VI. Summary and Conclusions. 
I. INTRODUCTION. 
THE committee undertook to ascertain as far as possible the position occupied 
by General Science with special reference to the inclusion of Biology in the 
curriculum of secondary schools of England and Wales. ‘The term General 
Science has frequently been taken to mean physics and chemistryalone. It is 
therefore to be understood that the term when used in this report means a 
course or syllabus which includes at least a study of living things, both plant 
and animal, together with physics and chemistry. Inorderto givetheinquiry 
its maximum value, the co-operation of heads of secondary schools and 
science teachers was invited, and this assistance was fully and freely given. 
Teachers were obviously interested, and.a large number of questionnaires 
were returned, completed in detail and supplemented by explanatory notes. 
At the outset, members of the committee were conversant, broadly 
speaking, with the position occupied by General Science in the schools. 
They were aware of the work undertaken by various bodies and pioneers 
in the past, and of the investigations already made. Their first step was to 
prepare a historical review of the growth of opinion in favour of Biology as 
a part of the general science work of aschool. Their next step was to obtain 
as complete and comprehensive information as possible on— 
(1) The extent to which General Science was already adopted in the 
schools ; 
(2) The attitude of heads of schools and science teachers towards the 
value of General Science under the present organisation of schools. 
This information they sought largely by means of questionnaires, circu- 
lated to schools throughout the country. In this connection, certain 
selected schools were invited to supply information on special features of 
‘their out-of-school activities, as ancillary to the work carried on in school. 
As examinations play a large part in determining the type of science work 
in schools, and exercise a restricting influence on a school’s freedom in the 
choice of subjects or in the scope of a subject, the committee have considered 
the problem of school examinations in relation to the adoption of General 
Science as a school subject. 
Out-of-school activities play an important part in science teaching. It 
was essential, therefore, to obtain information on this point also, and again 
