Physics endangered subject in Britain

LONDON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A British study blames a shortage of qualified teachers for a sharp drop in the number of students taking physics.

Especially at state schools, more and more students are taking combined science, usually taught by someone with little training in physics, The Telegraph reported.

"Non-specialists convey the impression that the subject is difficult because of their own unfamiliarity with it," one teacher said. "This instills prejudice and creates problems that can often not be rectified later."

The study was conducted by Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson of Buckingham University. They found the number of students taking physics while preparing for their advanced (A level) examinations has dropped 38 percent.

While most physics teachers are older men, younger science teachers tend to be women who have studied biology, the survey said. About half of those teaching physics have not studied it at the university level, Robinson and Smithers said.