Researching a longitudinal chemistry enhancement programme

1. Researching a longitudinal chemistry enhancement programme Shirley Simon, UCL Institute of Education Michael Reiss and TamjidMujtaba, UCL Institute of Education; Chemistry for all team, Liverpool John MooresUniversity.

2. Background and rationale • Across numerous research studies, students’ attitudes towards science, such as their interest in science and perceived utility of science, and their motivational beliefs, such as their confidence in their own abilities, have closely associated with their intentions and choices (Bøe & Henriksen, 2015). • Teaching approaches and classroom experiences in secondary school have also been found to influence students’ interest in science and their other attitudes, but any direct associations with students’ choices remain somewhat unclear (Hampden-Thompson & Bennett, 2013).

3. Chemistry for All • Funded by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) • Aim: to widen student participation in chemistry by providing interventions for students aged 12-16 over a five year period. • Intervention locations: 4 UK cities, including Liverpool (Liverpool John Moores University) • Longitudinal research undertaken by UCL IOE • Focus of talk –student experience of LJMU interventions

4. Chemistry for all Interventions • Interventions include in-school and out-of-school activities that are designed to stimulate students’ interest and engagement in chemistry. • Cohorts: 30 students from 6 local schools in two year groups beginning in years 7 and 8. • Schools where the student population has below average attainment, and where there are high numbers of disadvantaged students.

5. Chemistry for all:Liverpool John Moores interventions in school and out of school • Drama events in school – performed by drama students • STEM ambassador visits by student advocates • School-based chemistry activities (kinetics, polymerisation) • University based chemistry days • www.ljmu.chemistryforall.co.uk

6. LJMU school-based activities • Undertaken in chemistry classes these are a mixture of “attention grabbing” demonstrations and practical work designed to give the students a chance to question, investigate and draw conclusions based on key scientific ideas. • Examples: Year 9 polymerisation, Year 10 alkanes and alkenes

7. Polymerisation activity (age13-14 years)

8. Modelling molecules and polymerisation

9. Using Molymod (age 14-15 years)

10. LJMU university based event • Chemistry in Your Life (12-13 years) • making an ointment and investigating emulsions. • These experiments required calculations by the students, weighing of materials, safe use of Bunsen burners, the use of a microscope, handling hot equipment and observation.

11. LJMU university event: Chemistry at the Crime Scene (13-14 years) • Forensic Science staff at LJMU supported by laboratory technicians, university student interns, students advocates and also students from the Forensic Science programme. • The procedures included white powder analysis, fingerprint analysis, tool cast analysis, hair and fibre analysis, flame testing and analysis of blood samples.

12. Analysing crime scene samples

13. Collaborative working with evidence

15. LJMU evaluation • 73% of the learners expressed the top level of enjoyment. • 37% of pupils thought they learned a lot and 85% learned something or a lot. • As the cohort moved into Year 9 (age 13-14) from Year 8 (age 12-13) the responses to the questions about enjoying and learning something from the activities remained overwhelmingly positive.

16. Chemistry for all research: UCL IOE Michael Reiss, TamjidMujtaba • Does an intervention programme increase participation in chemistry post-16 ? • To what extent do effective interventions have differential effects on particular student groups (e.g. by ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status)? • How, if at all, do these interventions depend on teacher and school characteristics and on the ages of students? • Longitudinal study including student surveys, teacher and student interviews, observations of interventions.

17. What do we know about influences on choice? • Students receiving encouragement by key people in their lives (parents, teachers). • Students believing they will gain something from studying science, either from job satisfaction or through material benefit. • Students having confidence in their knowledge. • Students being inspired by good teaching.

18. UCL IOE research • Survey, once a year for 5 years • Student interviews (6 students from each of 2 schools in each region – 3 Year 7, 3 Year 8) once a year for 5 years • Teacher interviews • Observations of events

19. Chemistry for all survey • The role of science in your life • Your future plans involving science and chemistry • Science in your current school • Your science lessons and views of science • Your science teacher • Your views about what those with science qualifications do • How you feel about your science attainment and effort • How you feel about yourself in school • Thinking about the encouragement and support you receive in science • Your views on the relevance of science

20. Student interviews • Do you think science is important? • Do you like science at school? • What sort of things do you do in science? • How do you get on in science? • Do you find science easy/difficult? • Do you think science will be a useful subject for you in the future? • What do you do to succeed in science? • Does anyone in your family take an interest in science? • Do you ever ‘do’ science or find out about it outside of school? • Will you carry on doing science when you have to choose? Would you be interested in working in science?

21. Experience of interventions • When interviewed, students are also asked about Chemistry for All events. • They remember some but not all interventions they have experienced (and not all the interview cohort attend all the events, there are absences) • Memorable are - the researcher presentation skills, practical activities they would not have done otherwise, the University days.

22. Issues for the research • Our UCL IOE research is a large survey, however attendance at events by individual students needs to be logged. • The choice of interventions is critical, and is determined by the best experience of the LJMU (and other university) outreach teams. • The main aims of interventions are enjoyment and relevance, in terms of chemistry learning and students’ everyday lives.

23. Issues of sustainability • As the interventions are designed and led by the university teams: • What would be the sustainability beyond the project without associated teacher professional development and availability of resources?

24. Thank you • shirley.simon@ucl.ac.uk

25. Key articles on choice • Bøe, M. V., Henriksen, E. K., Lyons, T. & Schreiner, C. (2011). Participation in science and technology: young people’s achievement-related choices in late-modern societies. Studies in Science Education, 47(1), 37-72. • Cleaves, A. (2005). The formation of science choices in secondary school. International Journal of Science education, 27(4), 471-486. • Holmegaard, H. T., Madsen, L. M., & Ulriksen, L. (2012). To choose or not to choose science: Constructions of desirable identities among young people considering a STEM higher education programme. International Journal of Science Education, 36(2), 186-215. • Korpershoek, H., Kuyper, H., Bosker, R. & van der Werf, G. (2012) Students leaving the STEM pipeline: an investigation of their attitudes and the influence on significant others on their study choice. Research papers in Education, 28(4), 403-505. • Sjaastad, J. (2012) Sources of inspiration: the role of ‘significant persons’ in young people’s choice of science in higher education. International Journal of Science Education, 34(10), 1615-1636. • Tan, E., Calabrese Barton, A., Kang, H. & O’Neill, T. (2013) Desiring a career in STEM-related fields: how middle school girls articulate and negotiate identities-in-practice in science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 50(10), 1143-1179.