Using action research to design and evaluate sustained and inclusive engagement to improve children’s knowledge and perception of STEM careers

Previous research suggests that early experience of and exposure to the world of work is an important predictor of a child’s future involvement in a STEM career. Many interventions have focused on those in secondary education age 11 years and above. Far fewer interventions have explored the impact of STEM outreach engagements among younger age groups. This study investigates the impact of a project that delivered career-driven STEM interventions on young children’s (7–10 years old) career knowledge and perceptions over time. Using an action research approach, this study outlines 10 distinct features for designing child-centred STEM interventions. These were delivered in 6 primary schools across North-East England over a 2-year period. A STEM Career Knowledge and Aspirations Tool was used to collect data to evaluate the impact of these interventions. Children sorted 30 job cards (mix of STEM and non-STEM) into jobs they knew, and also into jobs they would like to do. Baseline data and follow up data were collected in 2015 (n = 352) and 2017 (n = 356). Data analysis suggests the sustained interventions had a particularly positive effect on girls. In 2015 prior to the interventions, girls were significantly less likely than boys to know the following STEM jobs: surveyor, technician and game tester. In 2017, following the sustained intervention, there was no significant difference between boys and girls. Furthermore, one of the STEM jobs, Engineer, showed the greatest increase in the percentage of boys and girls that wanted to do it in 2017 compared to 2015

The NUSTEM Approach: Tackling the Engineering and Gender Challenge Together from Early Years to Sixth Form and beyond

Despite significant investment in initiatives to increase participation and diversity in physical and computer sciences, technology and engineering, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of young people choosing these subjects, and a strong gender imbalance remains. NUSTEM, a collaborative widening participation and outreach initiative at Northumbria University, believes a radical rethink is necessary to solve this engineering challenge. NUSTEM is investing in the next generation by working extensively with young people and their key influencers: parents, carers and teachers, from primary school to sixth form and beyond. Building on their own original research and experience combined with previous research and recommendation from others, NUSTEM has developed an innovative model of practice and theory of change. This paper identifies the evidence that has informed the development of the approach and outlines three key requirements for increasing the uptake of physical and computer sciences, technology and engineering by young people from under-represented groups

Encouraging Diversity in Computer Science among Young People: Using a Games Design Intervention based on an Integrated Pedagogical Framework

This research to practice full paper presents the results from using a games design intervention to encourage diversity in the uptake of computer science by young people, explore stereotypes with them and increase their awareness of careers in the sector. The intervention is based on an integrated pedagogical framework appropriate for use with primary age school children (age 7 - 11 years). Despite the increasing use of technology, the percentage of young people taking up a computer science education-career path remains stubbornly low in the UK and across a number of other countries, particularly for females and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Previous research suggests that games can be used to generate interest and engage young people with computer science. Other studies advocate targeting young people at an earlier age (7 years or below) and sustaining engagement throughout their education to widen participation in a particular sector. In this intervention, young people designed and developed individual games through a three stage process: design and story development; game building; testing and evaluation. This research adopts elements from two pedagogical learning theories Direct Instruction and Cognitive Constructivism to create an integrated pedagogical framework to support the game creation process and enable effective learning. This provides an approach that can cater for a range of participants' abilities along the novice-expert spectrum and provide an engaging and age appropriate educational experience.The intervention was completed in two cycles: cycle 1 consisted of a series of workshop sessions with 20 young people aged 9-10 years over a period of 5 weeks; and cycle 2 was a single session with 19 young people aged 7-11 years. A quasi-experimental approach was adopted for evaluating the intervention using the following instruments; pre and post questionnaires, planning sheets, the games created by the participants and a set of already developed engagement factors. Results show an increase from 5% to 25% in participants' aspiration towards a computer science career. 45% of the young people also knew more careers in the game industry post-intervention. Girls chose a variety of diversity in their lead characters while boys chose mainly male human lead characters in the games that they designed. Participants' evaluation of each other's games using the engagement factors showed girls were more interested in receiving feedback than boys. This paper highlights the effectiveness of combining different learning approaches to provide an age appropriate intervention. It also presents evidence on the positive effect of using games in the classroom to explore stereotypes, and learn about, and encourage career choices in computer science

Tackling the digital and engineering skills shortage: Understanding young people and their career aspirations

Machines, algorithms and people are coming together in new and exciting ways. This is changing the world of work with new jobs previously unimagined. It is crucial that we prepare our young people for this world, yet many of them do not aspire to, and are not choosing, careers in digital technology or engineering, particularly girls and those from socially-disadvantaged backgrounds. Furthermore, while much of the work in this area has focused on the aspirations of older children there is evidence that children’s aspirations are formed at an early age. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that influence younger children’s reported aspirations to jobs, and in particular STEM jobs. Data was gathered from children aged 7-11 (n= 622) across areas of deprivation in North East England. Children were asked about their career aspirations and the motivations behind these. Analysis of this data showed that the majority of children were aspirational in their career choices, with many reporting higher aspirations than their parents’ current jobs. A gender difference was evident across both aspirations and motivations, with many girls choosing STEM careers that help others. Very few of the children aspired to jobs in the digital and engineering sectors. These results demonstrate the criticality of early education stages are for children’s developing aspirations and the urgent need to adapt education so that all children, irrespective of gender or background, can be supported to grasp the opportunities presented by an ever-changing world

Should pregnant women know their individual risk of future pelvic floor dysfunction? A qualitative study

Background The study aimed to explore: • pregnant women’s and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on provision of individual risk scores for future Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD), • the feasibility of providing this during routine maternity care, • actions women might take as a result of knowing their PFD risk. Methods Qualitative study. Setting: UK NHS Health Board. Participants: Pregnant women (n = 14), obstetricians (n = 6), midwives (n = 8) and physiotherapists (n = 3). A purposive sample of pregnant women and obstetric healthcare professionals were introduced to the UR-CHOICE calculator, which estimates a woman’s PFD risk, and were shown examples of low, medium and high-risk women. Data were collected in 2019 by semi-structured interview and focus group and analysed using the Framework Approach. Results Women’s PFD knowledge was limited, meaning they were unlikely to raise PFD risk with healthcare professionals. Women believed it was important to know their individual PFD risk and that knowledge would motivate them to undertake preventative activities. Healthcare professionals believed it was important to discuss PFD risk, however limited time and concerns over increased caesarean section rates prevented this in all but high-risk women or those that expressed concerns. Conclusion Women want to know their PFD risk. As part of an intervention based within a pregnant woman/ maternity healthcare professional consultation, the UR-CHOICE calculator could support discussion to consider preventative PFD activities and to enable women to be more prepared should PFD occur. A randomised controlled trial is needed to test the effectiveness of an intervention which includes the UR-CHOICE calculator in reducing PFD

Scientist of the week: evaluating effects of a teacher-led STEM intervention to reduce stereotypical views of scientists in young children

Background: Previous research into children’s perceptions of science shows that children like science but often hold stereotypical views of scientists and commonly do not see themselves with a career as a scientist.Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine if a carefully designed medium-term, teacher-led STEM intervention, ‘Scientist of the Week’ which showcased a diverse range of working scientists and the skills they need, can lead to a positive change in the perception of scientists among young people.Sample Design and Methods: Using a case-control approach, this research used a tracked sample of 118 young people from aged 7 to 11 in a primary school in the North East of England. Words associated with scientists were collected before and after (directly, one month, one year) the intervention from the tracked sample and analysed to assess changes in stereotypical perceptions and any difference in responses between male and female participants.Results: Before the intervention, young children held many of the common stereotypes associated with scientists. Shortly afterwards, and one year following the intervention, the use of common stereotypes had fallen significantly across all children, with particular improvements in counter-stereotypical word usage for males. It also found that stereotypical images of scientists as highly intelligent were more difficult to counteract and that many of the positive changes in this view seen in the short term (weeks and months) diminished in the long term (one year later).Conclusions: This research has shown that with minimal expense and effort from teachers, negative stereotypes of scientists can be reduced through an intervention that does not require bringing scientists into the classroom. Some of the observed changes persisted in the longer-term, suggesting a lasting alteration in children’s perceptions of scientists following the interventio

A Theory of Change for Improving Children’s Perceptions, Aspirations and Uptake of STEM Careers

There is concern about the low numbers and diversity of young people choosing careers and study subjects in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at university and beyond. Many interventions aimed at addressing this issue have focused on young people aged 14+ years old. However, these interventions have resulted in little improvement in the numbers and diversity of young people progressing into STEM careers. The aim of this study is to ask “What are the affordances of a Theory of Change (ToC) for increasing the diversity and number of young people choosing a career in STEM post-18?” An innovative ToC is introduced which provides the theoretical underpinnings and context for the complex mix of interventions necessary to lead to a significant change in the number and diversity of those choosing STEM careers. Case studies of interventions developed using the ToC are presented. This approach, and associated ToC, is widely applicable across STEM, education and public engagement fields

Open Science via HUBzero: Exploring Five Science Gateways Supporting and Growing their Open Science Communities

The research landscape applying computational methods has become increasingly interdisciplinary and complex regarding the research computing ecosystem with novel hardware, software, data, and lab instruments. Reproducibility of research results, the usability of tools, and sharing of methods are all crucial for timely collaboration for research and teaching. HUBzero is a widely used science gateway framework designed to support online communities with efficient sharing and publication processes. The paper discusses the growth of communities for the five science gateways nanoHUB, MyGeoHub, QUBEShub & SCORE, CUE4CHNG, and HubICL using the HUBzero Platform to foster open science and tackling education with a diverse set of approaches and target communities. The presented methods and magnitude of the communities elucidate successful means for science gateways for fostering open science and open education

Minimum Unit Pricing: Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Homeless Drinkers, Street Drinkers and Service Providers

Aims: Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) was introduced in Scotland in May 2018. Existing evidence suggests MUP can reduce drinking in the general population, but there is little evidence regarding its impact on vulnerable groups. This qualitative study aimed to capture the experiences of MUP among homeless drinkers, street drinkers, and the support services that work with them