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Student Involvement in STEM Activities

Student Involvement in STEM Activities. Is it a good idea, what works and how can we make it better?. Research Findings. Data collection methods: Electronic questionnaires distributed before (n 1 =40) and after (n 2 =31) being involved in the STEM communication activities

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Student Involvement in STEM Activities

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  1. Student Involvement in STEM Activities Is it a good idea, what works and how can we make it better?

  2. Research Findings Data collection methods: • Electronic questionnaires distributed before (n1=40) and after (n2=31) being involved in the STEM communication activities • Short audio recorded interviews (n3=21)  • Informal debrief discussion

  3. Research Findings Demographics: • 60 student STEM ambassadors (29M, 31F) • Majority of respondents were female (n1=62.5%, n2=59.3%, n3=61.9%) • Relatively inexperienced: 2/3 were new to STEM communication; only 2 had participated in more than 3 events. • Vast majority were under 25 years of age (n1=87.5%; n2=92.6%)

  4. Motivations

  5. Motivations

  6. Motivations

  7. Motivations

  8. Motivations

  9. Research Findings What they hoped to gain: • 51 ‘internal’ factors: • skills development (n1=16) • experience (n1=9) • enjoyment (n1=7) • confidence (n1=5) • knowledge (n1=4) • contacts (n1=3) • 6 factors relating to their career e.g. ‘To enrich my skills and give me a headstart in my teaching career’ or ‘Experience to put on my CV’. • 23 ‘external’ e.g. ‘getting children involved in and interested in science’ • Three comments recognised bi-directional learning between the demonstrator and the audience

  10. Research Findings Recognised barriers: • By far the most common barrier identified was time (n1=27) • Other commitments (n1=16) e.g. ‘Pressure of pretty much always feeling like I should be working on PhD stuff directly...’ • Lack of confidence (n1=7) • Transport problems and distant locations (n1=5) • Financial factors e.g. travel costs (n1=4) • Time required to plan such activities if unsupported costs (n1=3) • Proximity of multiple events in NSEW (project team)

  11. Pre-event emotions: Post-event emotions: Reported emotions

  12. Comparison of reported emotions

  13. ResearchConclusions • There is no ‘one’ model for student involvement in STEM communication activities • Both internal and external motivations should be emphasised when recruiting participants • Students report overwhelmingly positive outcomes and reduction of negative emotions • Student involvement can be supported through: • Pre-organised events which reduce time commitment • Training to support skills and confidence development • Covering travel expenses and/or arranging transport

  14. Next Steps The qualitative data explains some of the deeper reasons behind these issues Longitudinal follow-up is planned… what should we ask? Preparation of a Guide summarisingadvice on setting up a STEM ambassador scheme… what else would you include?

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