Scientific Research in Schools - An Overview

The Vision
Creative Partnerships: Some Outcomes of Experience
Within or Outside the Curriculum
Challenges
Where Next?

The Vision

The contributors to this Compendium share the vision that at the centre of the encounter a young person has with science in school should be something of the experience of "science for real", of science as it is pursued by real people in the real world. As the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, William Waldegrave, said when opening the 1993 Wellcome Trust/Clifton Scientific Trust "Pupils as Scientists" Conference from which this Compendium originated,

"It is crucial for schools to make science mean something; to build up links with the outside world, the world of work and specifically the world of real science. Young people need to know that science is real and exciting. Only real partnerships between schools, industry and research establishments can do this."

Our contributors know from their own experience that such encounters can transform attitudes and understanding and bring motivation and meaning to science in the classroom, and here we make little distinction between science and its partnership with such areas as engineering and technology. Knowing science from within, "owning" science, is very different from knowing it from afar, from outside, from textbooks. It is also something different again from the hierarchically structured view of exploring and investigating science currently portrayed in the National Curriculum for England and Wales.

In a complex, uncertain and fast-moving world, science and technology hold key positions. All young people need a meaningful encounter with science to equip them for such a world. Such an encounter often promotes not only understanding but also scientific self-confidence, both are needed by young people if they are to deal critically with the welter of scientific information which affects all aspects of life.

Beyond this, direct encounters enable a student to appreciate from the inside something of the immense inheritance of human creativity and imagination which science and technology represent and in which we can all share. This is a worthy part of our culture, which is all too often viewed with distrust borne of a lack of understanding.

Some young people are motivated to take a path into professional scientific careers, although many talented students now turn from science, seeing it as a cerebral and impersonal activity, rather than an intensely human pursuit. Judgements about careers will be based also upon the likely material rewards.

This Compendium explores how such encounters with real science are happening today in a wide variety of school situations. Encounters at this cutting edge rarely make headlines; often they are created by the quiet determination of individual enthusiasts. In our first Scientific Research in Schools Workshop at Clifton in 1988, teacher participants experienced a great sense of exhilaration knowing that they were not alone in their vision. They were also greatly encouraged to learn from the experience of each other, diverse as this experience was bound to be, for each school situation is different.

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Creative Partnerships: Some Outcomes of Experience

Through well-structured partnerships which transcend the world of school, young people are able to share in something of the experience of real exploration which is

at the heart of science. This is the case even though their world and the world of professional science may be very different, the time scales different, the objectives different, the levels of skill different. The key is partnership built on mutual respect between scientists, teachers and young people.

This applies to pupils of all ages and all abilities, even though the strategies for implementation are likely to be very different in different situations. The natural enthusiasm and inquisitiveness of primary school children is fostered by a cross-curricular approach with much investigative activity. Their attitudes to science often change for the worse when faced with the content-laden courses they encounter as they grow older. To leave the experience of research to undergraduate science students or even postgraduates is to leave it far too late; many students by then are already fixed in their views and many will have embarked on other paths through life, seeing science as narrow and dull. This experience is not the preserve of those who might be labelled as academically able, for "out of context" success is not the same as solving real problems in the real world.

Partnerships offer benefits to all involved in them.

FOR PUPILS, such partnerships

provide activities which draw on all their knowledge, whether gained within the slots in the timetable labelled "science" or not, and put it to work. There is therefore a great stimulus to learn more. These activities may involve solving real problems put forward by the partners.
give real value to the student's own ideas and creativity. This valuing of the student is itself of immense value in his/her personal esteem and development.
bring students together to act as a team in the search for solutions, each student contributing from his or her own strengths and learning from other team members. Teachers and professional scientists are also part of this team. Intellectual skills are clearly important, but so are many others, like the determination to complete a task and the imagination to see new possibilities, the ability to work with others, the ability to make things as well as to think clearly and the ability to debate and to discuss priorities and to listen.
open their minds to much wider horizons, where partnerships bring them into contact with higher education institutions, industry and research institutes.

FOR SCIENTISTS such partnerships

provide contact with the 'public of the future'.
provide contact with potential future scientists.
updates their knowledge about science as it is taught in schools.
provide contacts with lively young minds, unhampered with preconceived ideas and able to approach problems from new angles.
provide contacts with teachers who have valuable experience in communicating science.
make the work of their institution better known and understood.

FOR TEACHERS such partnerships

update their scientific knowledge and appreciation of current research.
provide them with new skills and even new qualifications.
broaden their experience of science in action.
place value on their expertise, which might include not only their expertise as teachers but also as scientists.

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Within or Outside the Curriculum

Much of the truly imaginative "pupils as scientists" work currently in progress takes place outside the formal curriculum, as do other really worthwhile school activities like drama, travel abroad, music and debating. If the project is very specialized in terms of equipment, techniques and timing, it is almost inevitable that it will take place outside the formal curriculum and with a restricted number of participants. As a result its impact may not be felt as widely within the school community as it should. However, such activities are often displayed by students and inform wider areas of the curriculum than might be apparent at first sight.

Many, but not all, of the activities which we describe in the case studies and which are described by the various contributing organisations are extra-curricular. Teachers involved in such activities are likely to fall into the category of 'science enthusiasts' - many scientists reflecting upon their life in school describe the profound influences that such enthusiastic teachers can have (Devlin and Williams, 1992, quoted in Woolnough, 1994). But it means also that if these enthusiasts are to be free to express their enthusiasm in this way, they must not be too hard pressed by the implementation of imposed initiatives in the curriculum, which can come from many directions. There is evidence that science clubs are suspended when the pressures of the changing curriculum become too great (Woolnough 1994, OFSTED 1994, personal observations of the editors).

There is clearly a need to introduce the flavour of genuine scientific enquiry into the curriculum if it is to be accessible to more than a minority of pupils. Attempts have been made within the evolving National Curriculum for Science to encapsulate 'what scientists do' but these became too closely tied to a narrow prescriptive model (Sc1), which attempted to define the nature of scientific investigations in an hierarchical fashion, closely linked with schemes of assessment. Many have wondered if it is possible to do justice to something as varied and ill defined as real exploration within the constraints of the formal curriculum. A practising scientist may be the last person to think of his/her profession in terms of formal rules. Attempts to describe to children how scientists work have been rooted too often in explorations of the presumed thought processes and actions of a few historical figures, e.g. Edward Jenner, revisited again and again.

Whatever the problems in the earlier versions (Donnelly et al, 1994) the current version of Sc1 is somewhat more realistic, flexible and generous in its interpretation of the nature of scientific investigation. The new National Curriculum Order for England (1995) does give more scope for all pupils to share the spirit of science within the curriculum and make even more apparent the need for professional scientists to establish contact with school teachers. The GNVQ (General National Vocational Qualifications) initiative also has its roots in giving young people an experience of science within the curriculum which is modelled on the way scientists actually solve problems; we describe direct contacts between GNVQ students and scientists on p75. Many A-level courses embody project work which is increasingly realistic in its approach, also involving in some cases contact with the outside world (pp48-52). CREST (Creativity in Science and Technology) further enhances the standing of pupil-led investigations within and outside the curriculum with its awards at Bronze, Silver, Gold and now Platinum levels for pupil achievement (pp66-67).

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Challenges

As the result of an informal survey of teacher-researchers conducted in 1988 and of a series of "Pupils as Scientist" workshops run in 1988 and 1990 under the auspices of what was to become Clifton Scientific Trust, and more recently in 1993 jointly with the Wellcome Centre for Medical Science, we are aware not only of the great contribution such partnerships can make to excellence in science education for all young people, but also of the substantial challenges they can create for the teacher who wishes to implement them. That these challenges can be overcome is evident from the case studies presented here.

Time

The principal challenge to any scheme is time. Time is the scarcest resource. School teachers commonly report that the pressures they are under just do not permit the time (or indeed the energy) for such things; certainly the turmoil which teachers have encountered in the past few years with all the changes in curriculum and school administration, the bureaucracy and the tight prescription, have not encouraged them to search for new challenges, or to find new ways to bring creativity to their teaching, as might have happened in less pressured times.

Such pressures are not restricted to teachers, but are the experience of many others in society, not least the professional scientists with whom they might wish to work in partnership. All are under increasing pressure to meet deadlines and to account meticulously for their use of resources. For all, time is at a premium.

A consequence of this is that work at the school-professional science interface must necessarily be given a genuine priority not only by schools, but also by professional scientists' own institutions if either teachers or scientists are to justify the time given to such work and bring the partnerships to fruition.

In some instances, schools can allocate time within the timetable, as for example through General Studies programmes for sixth formers, or by the adoption of appropriate syllabuses (pp48-52). Some very long-term research projects may require only occasional activity and, indeed, schools enjoy an advantage in this respect, because funding of small long term projects in mainstream research can be problematic.

Limited Expectations

To imagine that little can be achieved can itself be an important limitation. One reason for bringing together some of the current achievements in this Compendium is to show that great things can be achieved. Optimism is a valuable resource!

Resources

There are many sources of funding, equipment and advice to support scientific research in schools, including the Scientific Research in Schools Scheme (p64-65). It is not uncommon for schools to use resources and facilities in nearby industry, a research institute, university or other establishment to back up their own resources, as a number of the case studies show. Once organisations recognise a school-based group's seriousness of purpose, equipment loans or donations often follow.

Within the school itself, space is often at a premium. Where dedicated laboratory space is available, questions of access, safety and security arise. As with research projects in the world beyond school, there may be a need for access in holidays and at weekends. The impact of fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter had scant respect for timetabled lessons (p30-31)!

Expertise

Despite specialising in sciences at A Level and in higher education, very few secondary teachers have been actively involved in professional scientific research. It could be as unfamiliar a process to them as it is to the population at large. It is certainly beyond the experience of all but a few primary school teachers. Most teachers will have limited experience of science as an institution; of the way in which research is organised; of the work of Research Councils and funding agencies, including charities; of the basic research that goes on in industry; of the dazzling array of equipment and techniques available; of the systems of communication in science... however familiar they may be with their area of science content and a range of basic experimental techniques.

School staff and students may lack specific expertise but this need not be a limiting factor, for partnerships imply a sharing of knowledge and skill with an outside body. Although the most appropriate practical school link may be with a young member of the scientific staff (or a graduate student) at the outside body, it is essential that this is backed by the enthusiasm and commitment of senior scientists. It is the quality of their input which counts more than its quantity.

It is also worth looking to a school's own resources. Many of the schools described in the case studies have maintained links with ex-students involved in undergraduate/postgraduate research. Parents might also be able to offer direct support. Questions of expertise also arise with regard to the quality or availability of technician support. All science teachers will be aware of the vital role played by technicians within the curriculum. The involvement of an enthusiastic technician can also be a central component in forming successful partnerships. Some technicians have had research experience; some have higher degrees (ASE, 1994).

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Where Next?

The accounts in this compendium show the wide spectrum of 'Science for Real' initiatives which are underway and which could well be greatly expanded, inside the curriculum and outside it, inside and outside school, using facilities in universities, industry and research institutes, sometimes using expeditions as a medium, both local or international, and at virtually every level of education.

Many gaps remain. What of the many schools which do not participate in such activities? The Clifton Scientific Trust is supporting the establishment of a series of partnerships between professional scientists and a diverse range of maintained and independent primary and secondary schools in Bristol and surrounding areas. The aim is to explore how to structure partnerships most effectively and to develop some exemplars. There is certainly the need for new meeting points between professional science and young people and a case could be made for local School Science Research Centres (Field 1994), which are a development of the school-based Scientist in Residence scheme with which we have experimented.

One of the models of the wide-ranging science education partnership programme in California (Sussman, 1993) has been emulated in the Norfolk Teacher Scientist Network (p78), where 59 partnerships have been established with support from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. An important aspect of this approach is the mass 'blind date' between potential partners. It is easy to underestimate the challenge facing isolated interested individuals wishing to make a first step beyond their home institutions. The large scale approach adopted in Norfolk overcomes this. The project based at Sheffield Hallam University, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Councils (pp57-58), aims to reach many schools with activities of the type which inform this Compendium. The other Research Councils also have fast-developing programmes of interactions with schools (see pp54-55 and 60-63). For example the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council are not only working together to support primary school science teachers but also with an industrial partner, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. In Australia such activities have been supported for some time by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the sole national research organisation. One of the attractive features of the Australian experience has been the establishment of the Double Helix Science Club (see p79), with its associated magazine-cum-newsletter, through which research scientists have been able to organise nation-wide sampling programmes in direct support of their research.

The mid-1990s are marked by a coalition of interests, which include:

the desire of teachers to sustain curriculum innovation, despite the pressures of the last few years.
the desire of many within the wider science community to become involved with young people and their science teachers. This can be looked on as part of a clearly discernible trend. More scientists support improvements in the public understanding of science in the widest sense, encouraged by COPUS, and more, for a variety of reasons, are starting to fight their own corner and publicise their work.
the will and interest to support these activities, as exemplified by support from the Office of Science and Technology for the work of the British Association, for National Science Week, for the Clifton Scientific Trust and for CREST, and by support from many charities with an educational remit.

As a result we live in exciting times. There has probably never been a greater and more widespread desire to break down barriers and form partnerships between schools and scientists, providing young people with the chance of insights into the heart of science in action. For many these notions are embryonic - as with all young organisms, there is need to apply tender loving care and allow time for experimentation as they develop.