1. Researching a longitudinal chemistry enhancement programme
Shirley Simon, UCL Institute of Education
Michael Reiss and Tamjid Mujtaba, UCL Institute of Education;
Chemistry for all team, Liverpool John Moores University.
Michael is doing another presentation of the early survey results

2. Background and rationale
Across numerous research studies, students’ attitudes towards science, such as their interest in science and perceived utility of science, and their motivational beliefs, such as their confidence in their own abilities, have closely associated with their intentions and choices (Bøe & Henriksen, 2015).
Teaching approaches and classroom experiences in secondary school have also been found to influence students’ interest in science and their other attitudes, but any direct associations with students’ choices remain somewhat unclear (Hampden-Thompson & Bennett, 2013).

3. Chemistry for All Funded by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Aim: to widen student participation in chemistry by providing interventions for students aged over a five year period.
Intervention locations: 4 UK cities, including Liverpool (Liverpool John Moores University)
Longitudinal research undertaken by UCL IOE
Focus of talk –student experience of LJMU interventions

4. Chemistry for all Interventions
Interventions include in-school and out-of-school activities that are designed to stimulate students’ interest and engagement in chemistry.
Cohorts: 30 students from 6 local schools in two year groups beginning in years 7 and 8.
Schools where the student population has below average attainment, and where there are high numbers of disadvantaged students.
Each university selects schools based on certain criteria (next slide for LJMU) and willingness to participate

5. Chemistry for all: Liverpool John Moores interventions in school and out of school
Drama events in school – performed by drama students
STEM ambassador visits by student advocates
School-based chemistry activities (kinetics, polymerisation)
University based chemistry days
performed by university drama students
emphasise the importance of Chemistry in everyday life and attempt to show students that knowledge of Chemistry is important to a range of occupations
delivers a positive message that taking an interest in studying in Chemistry will be beneficial in life
A play lasts about 15 minutes and features songs and jokes to entertain and engage students

6. LJMU school-based activities
Undertaken in chemistry classes these are a mixture of “attention grabbing” demonstrations and practical work designed to give the students a chance to question, investigate and draw conclusions based on key scientific ideas.
Examples: Year 9 polymerisation, Year 10 alkanes and alkenes
These are ones observed by me (UCL IOE), there have been others

7. Polymerisation activity (age13-14 years)

8. Modelling molecules and polymerisation
these (you can see the H) represented molecules and rulers joining students together were bonds, they role played polymerisation

9. Using Molymod (age 14-15 years)
The molymod kits were provided by LJMU (for this session only) and the one student I interviewed who took part in this really enjoyed making the models and learnt from them

10. LJMU university based event
Chemistry in Your Life (12-13 years)
making an ointment and investigating emulsions.
These experiments required calculations by the students, weighing of materials, safe use of Bunsen burners, the use of a microscope, handling hot equipment and observation.
high ratio of staff to school students used in the laboratory for these sessions, particularly through the use of university student advocates and student interns.
This was necessary to ensure the quality of the experience as the students were carrying out new tasks in unfamiliar surroundings.

11. LJMU university event: Chemistry at the Crime Scene (13-14 years)
Forensic Science staff at LJMU supported by laboratory technicians, university student interns, students advocates and also students from the Forensic Science programme.
The procedures included white powder analysis, fingerprint analysis, tool cast analysis, hair and fibre analysis, flame testing and analysis of blood samples.
This event was memorable even months later for all those I interviewed who had attended the event

12. Analysing crime scene samples

13. Collaborative working with evidence
After the lab work students went to another room and worked in groups t present their results. All liked this and most said they learnt from working together with their evidence

15. LJMU evaluation
73% of the learners expressed the top level of enjoyment.
37% of pupils thought they learned a lot and 85% learned something or a lot.
As the cohort moved into Year 9 (age 13-14) from Year 8 (age 12-13) the responses to the questions about enjoying and learning something from the activities remained overwhelmingly positive.
Taken from last year’s report, data collected by LJMU team using cards at the end of the day

16. Chemistry for all research: UCL IOE Michael Reiss, Tamjid Mujtaba
Does an intervention programme increase participation in chemistry post-16 ?
To what extent do effective interventions have differential effects on particular student groups (e.g. by ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status)?
How, if at all, do these interventions depend on teacher and school characteristics and on the ages of students?
Longitudinal study including student surveys, teacher and student interviews, observations of interventions.
Many of these questions are addressed through the survey

17. What do we know about influences on choice?
Students receiving encouragement by key people in their lives (parents, teachers).
Students believing they will gain something from studying science, either from job satisfaction or through material benefit.
Students having confidence in their knowledge.
Students being inspired by good teaching.
How do we measure the impact

18. UCL IOE research Survey, once a year for 5 years
Student interviews (6 students from each of 2 schools in each region – 3 Year 7, 3 Year 8) once a year for 5 years
Teacher interviews
Observations of events

19. Chemistry for all survey
The role of science in your life
Your future plans involving science and chemistry
Science in your current school
Your science lessons and views of science
Your science teacher
Your views about what those with science qualifications do
How you feel about your science attainment and effort
How you feel about yourself in school
Thinking about the encouragement and support you receive in science
Your views on the relevance of science

20. Student interviews Do you think science is important?
Do you like science at school?
What sort of things do you do in science?
How do you get on in science?
Do you find science easy/difficult?
Do you think science will be a useful subject for you in the future?
What do you do to succeed in science?
Does anyone in your family take an interest in science?
Do you ever ‘do’ science or find out about it outside of school?
Will you carry on doing science when you have to choose? Would you be interested in working in science?
I will talk to these questions – as the data have not been fully analysed yet. Essentially they like science and think it is important, but many say not as important as maths. They don’t mind the challenge, but find the language of chemistry difficult. There is some consistency in their interview answers to these questions over the first three years (but not for all). Very little science goes on outside school. Not many will work in science.

21. Experience of interventions
When interviewed, students are also asked about Chemistry for All events.
They remember some but not all interventions they have experienced (and not all the interview cohort attend all the events, there are absences)
Memorable are - the researcher presentation skills, practical activities they would not have done otherwise, the University days.

22. Issues for the research
Our UCL IOE research is a large survey, however attendance at events by individual students needs to be logged.
The choice of interventions is critical, and is determined by the best experience of the LJMU (and other university) outreach teams.
The main aims of interventions are enjoyment and relevance, in terms of chemistry learning and students’ everyday lives.

23. Issues of sustainability
As the interventions are designed and led by the university teams:
What would be the sustainability beyond the project without associated teacher professional development and availability of resources?
I would hope to discuss the limitations of what the research might show, as well as the positive impact of well-designed intervention activities (which are best gleaned from University’s own evaluations)

24. Thank you

25. Key articles on choice
Bøe, M. V., Henriksen, E. K., Lyons, T. & Schreiner, C. (2011). Participation in science and technology: young people’s achievement-related choices in late-modern societies. Studies in Science Education, 47(1),
Cleaves, A. (2005). The formation of science choices in secondary school. International Journal of Science education, 27(4),
Holmegaard, H. T., Madsen, L. M., & Ulriksen, L. (2012). To choose or not to choose science: Constructions of desirable identities among young people considering a STEM higher education programme. International Journal of Science Education, 36(2),
Korpershoek, H., Kuyper, H., Bosker, R. & van der Werf, G. (2012) Students leaving the STEM pipeline: an investigation of their attitudes and the influence on significant others on their study choice. Research papers in Education, 28(4),
Sjaastad, J. (2012) Sources of inspiration: the role of ‘significant persons’ in young people’s choice of science in higher education. International Journal of Science Education, 34(10),
Tan, E., Calabrese Barton, A., Kang, H. & O’Neill, T. (2013) Desiring a career in STEM-related fields: how middle school girls articulate and negotiate identities-in-practice in science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 50(10),