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Impact of Children Challenging Industry

CIEC Promoting Science

University of York

Joy Parvin

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Programme Aims

• To enthuse children and their teachers about science.

• To improve primary school children’s and their teachers’ perception of the science-based manufacturing industry and its relationship with science.

• To improve teachers’ knowledge and confidence in teaching science, and the National Curriculum for science.

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… but what is ‘industry’?

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A potted history of CCI• 1994 MORI poll initiated discussions between

CIEC and Durham-based chemical company owner

• 1996-98 Pilot programme in County Durham• 2000 CCI launched in Liverpool, Teesside and

Humber• 2001 Expansion across the North West, North

East and West Yorkshire

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CCI film

.

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Science in context

Industrial story: water is transported by pipeline from a reservoir to an industrial site, used as cooling water and returned to the river.

Science: scientific enquiry, materials (for a water pipeline and sealants), filtration and heat exchange.

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Classroom organisation

• Personnel manager• Health & safety officer• Resources manager• Communications

manager

They are all scientists

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Numbers involved

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Professional development

• Advisory teacher in classroom

• Whole staff CPD• Extensive websites• CCI folder• Teaching and learning

materials

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• In-depth interviews• Detailed questionnaires• Drawings• Structured questionnaires

Research

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Drawings

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10 years later ...

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Short term impact on children’s and attitudes: Methods

• Baseline data was collected from 264 children from 44 schools 2006-8

• Follow up data was collected from 978 children from 163 schools

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Examples of positive attitudes

• I like science• I’d like to be a scientist• Science is my favourite

subject• Industry is useful• Industry is safe• Our lives would be worse

off without industry• Scientists are important

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Examples of negative attitudes

Saying yes to:• Industry is dangerous• Industry causes pollutionSaying no to:• Scientists are important• Scientists are important in

industry• I could work in industry

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Short term impact on children’s enjoyment: Results 1

• >90% of children stated that they enjoyed the challenges in the classroom and enjoyed learning about industry

• 82% of children said that they enjoyed science more after the CCI project

“I enjoyed your lessons; you never knew what would come next. You made me like science more, as I never knew it was this exciting”

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Short term impact on children’s attitudes: Results 2

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Medium term impact on children’s enjoyment & attitudes: Methods

• Data was collected from children from 44 primary schools in 1996-8

• 5 years on in 2002, data was collected from 90 pupils now aged 12 to 16 years

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Medium term impact on children’s attitudes to science & industry: Results 1

• 70% of children remembered the site visit 5 years later

• Nearly all children said CCI was enjoyable

• Half of children stated that the CCI lessons had helped them in secondary school

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Medium term impact on children’s attitudes to science careers: Results 2• A third of pupils said they

wanted to be a scientist• Pupils that remembered the site

visit were nearly twice as likely to want a science career in the future(46% compared to 21%)

“We have never done anything quite as fun before as I think if you make children enjoy science they will remember it more”

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Potential long term impact on children’s attitudes

These improved perceptions have the potential to lead to changes in behaviour in the future.• As a result of CCI, both girls and boys were more likely to say they would consider a career in industry•More girls said they would like to be a scientist as a result of CCI.

“I like it because I didn’t know a lot about science but now I know

a lot more I love it!”

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Impact on teachers’ perceptions

Half the teachers were still using the CCI materials 5 years later•Positive effect on teaching methods•Increased children’s enthusiasm for science •Improved investigative skills•Relevant to the science curriculum•Interesting and useful.

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Conclusions

• The Children Challenging Industry project has a proven long lasting positive impact on children’s views of science and industry

• There is some evidence that CCI improves children’s knowledge of science and industry