"Growing Up, Einstein saw his father struggle to provide for the family. Looking for work, Einstein's father moved the family several times for different jobs. This meant that Einstein had to change schools more than once during his childhood. Moving between schools was very difficult. Einstein not only felt out of place, but it was also challenging for him to catch up to what his new class was working on."This story can't be found in your regular science textbook, but maybe it should be: According to a new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, reading stories about the struggles of famous scientists is more beneficial for students' grades than reading about their achievements. The way we currently teach science—by focusing on great feats of knowledge by larger-than-life geniuses—may not be the best way to encourage students to pursue scientific careers.
Researchers at Columbia University and the University of Washington recruited just over 400 freshmen and sophomores at a low-income, mostly non-white high school. The students read stories about Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, or Michael Faraday, just 800 words centering on one of three themes:
- "The Story of a Successful Scientist." Similar to what you'd find in a regular science textbook, this story talked about the great discoveries the scientist made, like winning Nobel Prizes, publishing papers, or pioneering new fields of study.
- "Trying Over and Over Again Even When You Fail." This story focused on the scientist's intellectual struggles, as they tried different experiments—and failed.
- "Overcoming the Challenges in Your Life." This tale focused on the scientist's personal struggles, such as dealing with poverty and discrimination.
As it turned out, the students who had read about scientists' struggles—whether intellectual or personal—now had higher grades than students who had read about achievements. These differences showed up among students who weren't getting good grades to begin with, suggesting that this exercise may benefit those who need help the most.
Comment: Read more about Daniel Kahneman's work: