Levinson, Ralph;
Price, Stephen;
Davies, Paul;
Gandolfi, Haira;
Korfiatis, Kostas;
Markoulides, Olga;
Wheeldon, Ruth;
(2023)
How do 16-17 year old school students engage with scientific research?
In: Galamba, Arthur and Gandolfi, Haira, (eds.)
Critical Pedagogies in STEM Education: Ideas and experiences from Brazil and the UK.
(pp. 112-127).
Kings College London: London, UK.
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Abstract
Our article explores how 16-17 year old school students discuss contemporary scientific research and how they use their current school science knowledge in thinking through open research problems in biomedical science. Contemporary research problems (somewhat simplified) were presented to school groups of six participants who were tasked with discussing possible solutions. More specifically, they were asked to devise testable hypotheses and experiments to account for cell movements that form the embryonic spinal cord. An experienced researcher presented the problem and was available to answer student questions and to prompt them when they became stuck. Our analysis shows that fruitful discussions have the following three features: authoritative scaffolding encouraging elaboration, explanation, and use of pupil knowledge; willingness of participants to problematise and revise suggestions; and collective elaboration of ideas sufficient to stimulate new questions. Students drew on knowledge through dialogue which problematised their school knowledge and opened-up its difficulties in application to a research task. We suggest that an openness to new ways of thinking and uncertainty in learning science rather than the STEM ‘pipeline’ might attract more young people from minority groups into studying science at university and open up new pedagogic possibilities in addressing science research in schools.
| Type: | Book chapter |
|---|---|
| Title: | How do 16-17 year old school students engage with scientific research? |
| ISBN-13: | 978-85-518-5090-9 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Publisher version: | https://www.stemeducationhub.co.uk/wp-content/uplo... |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Cell and Developmental Biology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10171124 |
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