Children's attitudes to science & scientists:

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An important part of our research is to understand the impact that participation in the Fantastic DNA session has on children's perceptions of science and scientists.  In addition to our evaluation research on the Fantastic DNA session, we are also starting to further investigate children’s attitudes to science and scientists through empirical studies.

 

Children's Perception of Scientists - led by Dr Tereza Brumovska (project completed):

This explorative qualitative study was conducted by employing an interpretive research paradigm through a constructivist view. In other words, the study built an understanding of children’s attitude to science/scientists from the study of their subjective experience based on their personal and/or social experiences. 

 

More specifically, we explored in-depth participating children´s attitudes to science with the aim to give children the voice and space to express their experiences (Lundy, 2007) both in their own language and non-verbally. Explorative qualitative methods involved child-centred interviews and arts-based participatory research method in line with and often used in the interpretive ontological paradigm (Kuhn, 1967). 

 

Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with children (11-12 year olds) before and after participation in Fantastic DNA. Children were asked to narrate their experiences with science both in and out of school, their interest in science and their perception of scientists. Emergent themes from the pre- and post- interviews were to be compared to identify any changes after participation in Fantastic DNA. To triangulate this and to further contextualise data, post-session interviews were also conducted with children’s teachers and parents, to add their perceptions on any changes in children’s attitudes to science and scientists. Unfortunately COVid-19 pandemic interupted the data collection post-session. Howeever we were able to collect data before engagement.

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A first publication reports that children describe 5 categories of scientists. You can read it here: T.J. Brumovska, S. Carroll, M. Javornicky and M. Grenon (2022). Brainy, Crazy, Supernatural, Clumsy and Normal: Five profiles of children's stereotypical and non-stereotypical perceptions of scientists in the Draw-A-Scientist-Test. International Journal of Educational Research Open.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100180 

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Effect of the ‘Science Capital Teaching Approach’ (SCTA) implemented in an informal science classroom intervention on children’s science capital - Led by Shannon Stubbs (ongoing project)

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The aim of the project is to explore the effect of the ‘Fantastic DNA’ workshop, employing SCTA techniques and specific facilitators training, on children’s science capital.This research will be underpinned by best practice in informal science education. Specifically, the theoretical framework associated with the construct termed as ‘Science Capital’ [1] will be used for this work. Science capital is a methodological and empirical construct that encapsulates all the science-related knowledge, attitudes, experiences and social contacts that a person may have [1, 2]. The more science capital a person has, the more likely it is that they will pursue engaging in science-related activities, and aspire towards a career in science [1, 3].

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Employing the Science Capital Teaching approach (a set of teachers’ recommendations to positively impact students’ science capital [2]) in the formal classroom helps to improve student engagement, leads to participation by more diverse audiences and positively contributes towards participants’ science capital [4]. However, little is yet known on how this approach can be adapted to the informal science context, and what effect it may have on participants’ science capital. This work aims to investigate how SCTA pedagogical techniques, implemented in an informal science education workshop, support participants’ science capital. This project also builds up upon work done by the Cell Explorers informal science research group on perceptions of science/scientists [5] children science self-efficacy [6], and action research.

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The project will involve 3 stages:

• Stage 1: Development of a Fantastic DNA intervention that includes pedagogical techniques aligned to the SCTA.

• Stage 2: Study of the facilitator training efficiency ie. the ability of the facilitators to deliver the intervention according to SCTA

• Stage 3: Children's perceived science capital, as well as perception of the intervention and its impact will be assessed before and after intervention using questionnaires and interviews of children, teacher and parents.

 

This work contributes towards formulating best practice for informal science practitioners wishing to support children science capital, which widen participation of children who might not have an interest in science.

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1]         L. Archer et al “‘Science capital’: A conceptual, methodological, and empirical argument for extending bourdieusian notions of capital beyond the arts,” J. Res. Sci. Teach., 2015, doi: 10.1002/tea.21227.

[2]        S. Godec, H. King, and L. Archer, “The Science Capital Teaching Approach: engaging students with science, promoting social justice.,” London, 2017.

[3]        L.  Archer et al “Science capital made clear,” King’s Res. Portal, 2016.

[4]        L. Archer et al., “Using Bourdieu in practice? Urban secondary teachers’ and students’ experiences of a Bourdieusian-inspired pedagogical approach,” Br. J. Sociol. Educ., vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 283–298, 2018, doi: 10.1080/01425692.2017.1335591.

[5]    T. Brumovská, M. Grenon, "Impact of the Fantastic DNA science education intervention on children's attitudes to science & scientists: a qualitative exploraty pilot study", 2020. Confidential report to Science Foundational Ireland.

[6]     S. Carroll, "Science self-efficacy beliefs of upper primary students & the effect of a short-term scientist-faciltiated informal workshop", PhD thesis, 2020.

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