Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Science-Day Programs at University-Based Science Outreach Centers

Abstract

University-based science youth centers offer science-day activities for students that include lectures and sometimes a laboratory experience. This phenomenological study explores stakeholders’ views of science-day programs at 3 different university-based science outreach centers. The study describes the characteristics, the goals, the pedagogy, and the challenges of science days as voiced by the different informants. We found that the main goal was exposing students to science and “showing STEM is fun." Some teachers sought added value of learning in out-of-school environments and pointed to the importance of hands-on activities. The centers’ staff did not address pedagogy and viewed teachers’ role as being chaperons. Teachers felt patronized by the young guides who did not acknowledge their experience and expertise. Some differences in approaches of junior and senior teachers are discussed. In conclusion, we recommend mutual discussion of goals, and finding ways for teachers and centers' staff to collaborate in planning and enactment of science days.

Compliance with ethical standards

No funding was granted for this research. The study was granted university and Ministry of Education IRB approval.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

Both authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Efrat Nativ Ronen

Efrat Nativ-Ronen is Head of the Technion's Registration and Admissions Department. In her job, Efrat strives to conduct outreach activities and open-day sessions to encourage excellent candidates from different backgrounds to participate in the academic world of undergraduate studies. Efrat is also a PhD student at the Technion's Faculty of Education in Science and Technology. Her thesis investigates the impact of high school student visits to universities on their choice of undergraduate field of study. Address correspondence to: Efrat Nativ-Ronen, Education in Science and Technology, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. E-mail: [email protected]

Tali Tal

Tali Tal, PhD, is a professor of science and environmental education at the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology of the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. She is the current president of NARST, A Worldwide Organization for Promoting Science Education through Research. Her research focuses on learning science in informal settings, inquiry-based learning, environmental education and learning with socioscientific issues. Tal has published over 60 papers in prestigious research journals such as The Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, Environmental Education Research and the International Journal of Science Education, and numerous book chapters that deal with her topics of interest. She served as an associate editor and as editorial board member of few peer-review journals.