Declining student enrolment in post-compulsory science has
prompted increasing use of non-formal science education programs
to help motivate students to continue with post-compulsory STEM
study. Non-formal programs are well acknowledged to have
potential for engaging students in ways that schools cannot but
there is a scarcity of data demonstrating this, particularly in
Australia. As non-formal programs become more commonly used in
schools it is important to understand the roles that they can
have in schools and the opportunities within these roles for
encouraging students to continue with post-compulsory STEM
education. This research explores the perspectives of
stakeholders regarding the ongoing implementation of a non-formal
science education program in a specific local partnership. Over a
year, non-formal staff, year seven and eight students and their
teachers from two secondary schools were interviewed and observed
during biannual visits to the centre. Students also completed a
reflective survey at the year’s end. Results indicate that
there is considerable potential for a non-formal program to help
students develop post-compulsory STEM trajectories by providing a
flexible, well-resourced and engaging learning environment. This
environment was observed to support student participation and
offered potential to extend students’ learning and increase
their awareness and interest in STEM careers. Through these roles
many students became more interested and confident in doing
science and several developed interest in science careers. The
program also affected teachers, prompting science teachers to
reflect on their pedagogy and enthusing non-science teachers who
attended as helpers. However full realisation of the potential of
the non-formal programs was limited by students’ unrealistic
expectations of the experience and a lack of efficient
incorporation into their school learning. Most students were
unaffected by their non-formal experiences as they were brief and
scheduling limitations meant that they were not effectively
linked to what students were learning at school. Often the
non-formal program was seen as a day off school and students’
expectations centred around personal enjoyment and not learning.
Difficulties in collaboration also occasionally disrupted
students’ experiences which further diminished student
expectations for their visits. As a result, some students
developed a perception of the non-formal program as irrelevant to
them or only worthwhile for people already interested in science
which made it difficult for teachers to maintain student
enthusiasm in the non-formal programs. This perception was
exacerbated over time and amongst students who had poor
pre-existing attitudes to science and who perceived limited
support for their science learning. A further challenge to
realising the potential roles of the non-formal programs lay in
the collaboration between the centre and the schools which were
each different communities with different agendas. Over time
however, teachers and non-formal educators were able to develop
relationships and it was their collaboration that was the key to
resolving issues and refining the programs. Going forward,
realising the potential of ongoing non-formal programs in
secondary science education requires attention to the challenges
in stakeholder collaboration, maintaining student enthusiasm over
time and incorporating students’ experience into their school
learning
