Educating students on the importance of science Science teachers discussing about good practice of using scenarios.
A scientific qualification can be the passport to an interesting and well-paid career, yet only a relatively small proportion of young people choose science studies after leaving secondary school. The MultiCO project aimed to heighten awareness of scientific careers through the introduction of career-based scenarios in lessons, as Professor Tuula Keinonen explains. The employment market increasingly places a premium on technical knowledge, and scientific skills are essential to addressing major contemporary social challenges, including climate change, food security and water sustainability. Despite this wider importance, only a relatively small proportion of young people study scientific subjects after leaving secondary school, an issue at the heart of the MultiCO project. “We aim to change this situation, we want to make young people more aware of scientific careers,” says Professor Tuula Keinonen, the project’s Principal Investigator. A key part of this is understanding why higher numbers of students aren’t studying scientific subjects in the first place, whether it’s because they view them as too hard, too abstract, or they aren’t aware of the opportunities that a science qualification could open up to them in future. “It might be that some students find science not as interesting as other subjects,” continues Professor Keinonen.
MultiCO project These are perceptions that the MultiCO project aims to change by investigating a new approach to teaching scientific subjects, including physics, chemistry, biology and geography, and evaluating its effectiveness. The aim is to introduce specific scenarios
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to teaching, which are designed to enhance awareness of the wider opportunities open to those with a scientific background and technical knowledge. “Our scenarios are career-based, so students are more aware of what different career opportunities are available to people with scientific skills,” explains Professor Keinonen. Researchers are
over three years, and look at their attitudes towards science,” says Professor Keinonen. The wider goal here is to engage students’ interest in science more generally and highlight the importance of technical knowledge in the employment market, whether that’s in engineering, finance, academia or any other area. Science teaching will by necessity always
Many secondary school students are starting to think about their future careers, and that’s often an important factor in an individual’s decision on what to study, but a simple curiosity in the subject is also essential. The project is therefore not just about publicising future career opportunities and potential financial rewards, but also stimulating students’ individual interest in the topic and instilling a spirit of inquiry. “The primary aim in the project is to engage students’ interest in science,” says Professor Keinonen. Teachers of course are responsible for teaching, so they have played a central role in deciding on the content of lessons, and how the scenarios should be set up, while the students have also been involved. “Teachers have been considering scenarios and working on interventions, setting up problem for students to solve. In some cases, we have had input from companies who have presented specific technical problems,” outlines Professor Keinonen. “The hope is that the students are more deeply invested in this work, as they have a problem to resolve.” A high degree of collaboration is required to address demanding technical tasks and major contemporary challenges. Addressing issues around climate change isn’t just about technical knowledge for example, but also the ability to work collaboratively in a team, share knowledge, and identify the right approach; Professor Keinonen says this is reflected
In Botanical Garden Tartu after project meeting session.
in the project. “Social skills, creativity, collaboration and reasoning are seen as important,” she stresses. This runs contrary to the common perception of scientific research as quite a solitary activity, demanding intense concentration and personal seclusion, so alongside developing their technical knowledge, the project aims to encourage students to work together effectively. “The students work in close collaboration in making inquiries. Different scenarios require different kinds of collaboration,” continues Professor Keinonen. “For example, in one scenario students were asked to contact people in a company and interview them.” This approach also places new demands on teachers, who may have become used to a particular methodology, and may now have to adapt to a new approach. While this may be
disruptive to some degree, education always needs to evolve in line with wider social change, and Professor Keinonen believes many teachers are open to adopting new approaches. “There are many teachers who want to diversify their teaching,” she outlines. Secondary school students are approaching the end of their time in compulsory education, so while a teacher’s primary responsibility is of course to teach, it may be helpful if the curriculum also gives them the flexibility to play a role in advising students about possible career options, together with careers advisers. “We looked at this issue in the project and it is important to provide students with balanced advice, to guide them towards careers that suit their skills and personal strengths,” says Professor Keinonen.
Impact of interventions The project has only recently concluded and while it’s too early to draw definitive conclusions the results so far are positive, with researchers finding that these interventions helped to engage students’ interest. Researchers found that students who experienced the interventions showed more interest in science – or at least their interest did not decrease – during their time in secondary school. “We asked students about their plans for their future careers, and saw a significant increase in interest in sciencerelated careers,” outlines Professor Keinonen.
Our scenarios are career-based, so students are more aware of what different career opportunities are available to people with scientific skills looking to assess the impact of this approach on the attitudes of secondary school students between the ages of 13-15 in five European countries; the UK, Finland, Estonia, Germany and Cyprus. “We are doing longitudinal studies – so we follow the students in each country The MultiCO consortium during a brief break in the project meeting in Cyprus .
involve introducing abstract concepts and ideas; however, relating them to contemporary issues and possible career opportunities could help engage students more effectively, believes Professor Keinonen. “It’s important to present information and ideas to students in context, in a way that engages their interest,” she stresses. More than 50 scenarios have been developed in consultation with industry, companies, communities, and other stakeholders as well as with teachers and students, now researchers are looking to assess their effectiveness in terms of the project’s wider goals, comparing them to a group of students who didn’t experience these scenarios. “Different career opportunities are represented in our scenarios,” continues Professor Keinonen.
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Discussions about possible scenarios in the Tartu project meeting.
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MULTICO Promoting Youth Scientific Career Awareness and it Attractiveness through Multi-stakeholder Co-operation
Project Objectives
The project aimed to identify modern scientists’ work/career stories; determine and analyse perceptions, related to scientific careers, among different stakeholders and students’ perceptions of careers and working life skills; design a collection of scientific career-related scenarios and determine students’ views related to the value of these scenarios in promoting science education; obtain evidence on students’ interests and experiences gained and career choices.
Project Funding
The MultiCO project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 665100. • Overall budget: € 1 393 750
Project Partners
• http://www.multico-project.eu/consortium1
Contact Details
Tuula Keinonen University of Eastern Finland Joensuu Campus The School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education PO Box 111, 80101 Joensuu T: +358 50 528 8818 E: tuula.keinonen@uef.fi W: www.multico-project.eu
Professor Tuula Keinonen
The MultiCO consortium in a break at the Botanical Garden during the Bonn project meeting.
There were some significant variations within this however, with differing levels of interest in different subjects; biology was the most popular subject in Finland and Germany for example, while students in the UK showed a high level of interest in scientific careers. “Interest in science increased most in Finland – but it also increased in the other countries. We found a high number of students in the UK were considering studying scientific subjects,” continues Professor Keinonen. These findings do not point conclusively towards a need to change the way science is taught in schools, but it remains important to consider how to stimulate the interest of students in science, particularly given its importance to the wider economy and major social challenges. While this is a complex area, and there is no onesize fits all solution, Professor Keinonen says the project’s research could inform teaching methodologies. “We will make
some recommendations about what can be drawn from each scenario to help stimulate students,” she outlines. Further research is required to build a more complete picture, so Professor Keinonen is keen to gather more information on the students’ attitude towards science. “We would like to follow the students after a year, and assess the extent to which their attitudes have changed,” she says. “Our goals are evolving.” There are also other possible avenues of research arising out of the project’s work, and Professor Keinonen is looking to explore the possibility of establishing a successor initiative to build on what has been achieved so far. The wider picture in this is an awareness of the economic and social importance of a strong science and research base, which is reflected by the strong level of commercial interest in the project. “Many companies are interested in promoting scientific education,” stresses Professor Keinonen.
Coordinator Tuula Keinonen is Professor in Education at the University of Eastern Finland and the head of the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education. Her research focuses on teaching and learning approaches which promote students’ interest towards science and science careers as well as on education for sustainability.
One of the MultiCO project meetings was held in the Tartu University.
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