R12. Summary of Research Findings

R12.1 The majority of students in the sample understood the concept of risk and were aware that risk could be reduced by taking certain safety precautions. Only the youngest and least able respondents were unable to discuss what they could do themselves to manage a risk situation. These children tended to rely on authority figures, both in terms of being told what to do and as people to turn to for protection.

R12.2 The majority also took the view that familiarity breeds complacency and that when complacency sets in, the risk is actually greater because you are less alert and can fail to take the necessary safety measures. Because of this, it was recognised that an activity that is perceived as dangerous may actually be safer than one that is performed with little thought of possible consequences.

R12.3 Safety was seen in essence about being in control, about being able to foresee possible events and to cater for them as far as possible. It was in unfamiliar environments, where it is difficult to predict what will happen, where people often felt least safe.

R12.4 School was seen as a safe environment. Teachers encourage children to think of it as such, provide close supervision and try to minimise free access to potential hazards.

R12.5 This emphasis on safety in school was felt by teachers to have increased over recent years, for the best of reasons, but to have reached the point now where some felt that children are no longer having the opportunity to learn to deal with risk. They are over-protected and are not being sufficiently prepared for the outside world where such protection does not exist.

R12.6 Within school, the playground, the gym, and the sports field were considered the places where injury is most likely to occur. In secondary schools, DT, most notably, the lathes, sanders, drills, etc used in woodwork and metalwork, caused some concern. It was easy to see how accidents could occur despite the safety precautions simply by a moment's lack of concentration and stories of people with 'missing fingers' abounded.

R12.7 Few felt any concern over science lessons. Practicals were seen as both interesting and enjoyable, a good way to learn and for the subject to come to life. Whilst a degree of risk was recognised, the strict implementation of safety rules together with a belief that teachers would not let the students do anything really dangerous allayed most worries. They took the view that as long as you were careful and abided by the safety instructions and methodology nothing too bad could happen.

That having been said, most respondents were aware that not all their classmates behaved so responsibly. The real risk in science lessons was seen to derive not from the experiments themselves but from the stupid behaviour of a minority who pay little adherence to basic, common sense, safety measures.

R12.8 Attitudes towards the risks involved in science in the 'real world' reflected their rational view that risk can be reduced by the strict implementation of safety standards. Although potentially very dangerous, it was generally felt that, in this country at least, science is so tightly controlled that it is probably safer than other activities where there may be a tendency towards complacency.

Some risk is of course inevitable. Even the sceptical Primary Teachers, who often demonstrated a greater distrust of government and of industry and who thought it likely that the risks are probably greater than we think (we are simply not told about things), recognised that science and progression through science is essential in today's world and that the risks are worth taking.

R12.9 The above seems very rational and sensible. However, in reality it was recognised that people are not always like this, and that risk awareness, assessment and response are influenced by a myriad of factors, many of which are subjective and operate at an emotional rather than a rational level. Perception is everything.

It was felt that major news stories highlighting a particular danger can generate a response out of all proportion to the risk involved. They work at an emotional level, shocking people out of complacency and playing on inner fears. Only when the press spotlight has moved on do the public become responsive to the rational, fuller picture that puts the actual danger in perspective so that more balanced judgements are taken.

R12.10 This small scale preliminary research study provides the reassurance that most students interviewed knew how to respond to risk in a rational, constructive manner, even if they did not always do so. Science and DT lessons were seen to teach children that potentially hazardous materials can be handled safely, and that safety procedures, control and alertness are key to risk minimisation. This knowledge, whilst not necessarily being seen as having an obvious direct application to everyday life outside the lab or workshop, was felt to equip the individual with an approach to potential hazards which is indeed valuable.