‘I liked the experiment because there aren’t too many people who come into school to burn money’: promoting participation in the sciences with chemical magic

Abstract

This article reports on students' perspectives of an in-school promotional intervention aimed at challenging traditional methods of teaching science in schools in an effort to inspire interest in school science and increase enrolments. First, the context for the research is discussed before briefly describing the intervention strategy employed and finally, exploring the potential of this innovative pedagogy as a vehicle for addressing participation in science at the classroom level. It is argued that participation depends on engagement with a subject, and the author posits that providing innovative, motivating and fun approaches to learning within the classroom that interest and engage pupils will lead to better connections with school science and to science in society. This article gives some insights into the use of a chemical magic show through the qualitatively different views and attitudes towards the chemical magic show of a sample of Irish students (n = 328). Implications for participation and inclusive and motivational classroom pedagogy are discussed.

Dialectical dividends: fostering hybridity of new pedagogical practices and partnerships in science education and outreach

“…Thirdly, the reports recognize that more needs to be done to encourage students to pursue science careers. These arguments illustrate a global trend with respect to science education, extensively reported in the literature (Osborne and Dillon, 2008;Regan, 2009;Regan and De Witt, 2015;Stocklmayer, et al, 2010). Smith and Gorard, (2011, p.159 ) disapprove of the "pressure to retain or even increase the number of scientists in the UK and other developed countries".…”

“…Strands one and six are considered particularly relevant to informal learning (Bell et al, 2009). It is argued that informal science education can help to increase the interest of students in science, which is lacking (Regan, 2009;Stocklmayer et al, 2010) However, the role of informal science education suffers from ambiguity. According to Bell et al, (2009, p. 18), "with the growth of interest in informal science education, the diversification of venues, practitioners, and researchers, the literature has developed in a fractured and uneven manner".…”

“…In the classroom, they develop hands on/inquiry based activities. Once again different types were found:  One-off initiatives such as chemistry demonstrations carried out by graduate students of the Midwestern state University Outreach programme (Voegel et al, 2004) or the extensive chemical magic show Promotion of Chemistry in Schools Project that reached directly 8500 students in 67 schools with a total of 192 shows in Ireland (Regan, 2009);  After school enrichment programs that follow the same set of students for the four years of their post-primary education. One example is the Computer Sciences programme from the Harvey Mudd College (Dodds and Karp, 2006).…”

“…In Ireland, promoting science in education and society is a key concern of the government and educational institutions (Davison et al, 2008;DETI, 2009;Regan, 2009). The concern of Irish policymakers is shared by governments worldwide.…”

“…Improving science education is a concern of Irish and other European governments. Due to the economic relevance of science, policy makers aim to increase student engagement in Science (Davison et al, 2008;Regan, 2009). Moreover, governments seek to encourage students to pursue science degrees (DETI, 2009;European Commission, 2007;.…”