How can science activities be made engaging and relevant in primary education?

A study focussing on children’s perceptions of primary school science found that pupil interest in the topic generally decreases as the children get older. The study involved around 500 female pupils and 500 male pupils (aged 8-11 years old) answering questionnaires. Furthermore, the general response of these questionnaires was that science was ‘fun’ when experiments were involved, but ‘boring’ when the pupils were required to write. (Murphy & Beggs, 2003)

Although the 2003 study is now fifteen years old, the findings are further supported by a more recent study, which a similar methodology of questionnaires and around 1000 participating pupils. The children in this study expressed that they disliked the amount of time that teachers spent explaining and demonstrating in science lessons, as well as the amount of reading and writing that was expected from them. Furthermore, the pupils also spoke of how appealing and engaging they found the more ‘hands on’ aspects of primary school science. (Murphy, Varley, & Veale, 2012)

Despite pupils’ common opinions that aspects of primary science can be ‘boring’, it is a vital part of education today. This is due to the ever changing society we live in and, therefore, the need for the future generation of workers to be able to function alongside these changes (Reichardt, 2013). Because of these changes, primary science has now been incorporated into a bigger picture; STEM. STEM is a collaboration of primary science, technology, engineering, and maths (Traig, 2015).

It is important to ensure that primary school pupils are engaging with science lessons as much as they should be, as this will have a positive impact on their learning in the subject area. Furthermore, it has been argued that a child’s attitudes towards a subject are almost entirely developed in their first years of education, meaning that after this period it will be difficult to ‘change their minds’. Consequently, it is important for early years practitioners to enhance engagement from day one. (Newton & Newton, 2011)

A study based on 1801 students found that engagement levels in schools were based on what activities were planned for inside the classroom. This study was based in an Australian secondary school, so it must be noted that results from this setting may differ from those in a primary school in the United Kingdom. (Martin & Marsh, 2005) However, it is still vital for practitioners to work towards making subject areas engaging when planning their lessons, no matter where in the world the school is (Mestre, 2005).

Teacher participants in a 2011 study discussed how valuable ‘fun’ is when creating engaging learning situations for pupils, especially in science lessons (Newton & Newton, 2011). In recent sessions at university, we have practiced some simple yet fun science based experiments that can be put into practice with primary school pupils. I have summarized some of these experiments below.

Experiment One – The Mentos and Coke Experiment

            This experiment involves adding Mentos sweets to a bottle of Coca-Cola. Doing this causes a physical reaction involving nucleation of carbon dioxide, which consequents in the liquid erupting from the bottle. Below is a full example of the experiment.

            This experiment is fun and engaging for children as it uses everyday materials which therefore increases the relevance, as it is something that they would be able to recreate outside of school. Repeating the experiment in this way, for example at home, would demonstrate a child’s understanding of the lesson.

Experiment Two – Milk, Food Colouring and Soap Experiment

            This experiment involves pouring milk into a dish, and then adding drops of different food colourings. After this, a washing up liquid coated cotton swab is dipped into the middle of the colours. This results in the colours combing and creating patterns. This happens because the chemicals in the soap and the fat in the milk are working to combine, which is made visible when food colouring is introduced. Below is an example of the experiment taking place.

            This experiment is firstly beneficial for younger children as it can be an interactive and cross-curricular way of practising colours and learning about how different colours can be made when mixing primary colours. It is also engaging for older children as they will think of the results as ‘magic’ and therefore be eager to discover what causes the reaction.

References

Martin, A. J. & Marsh, H. W. (2005). Student motivation and engagement in mathematics, science, and English: Multilevel modelling. Retrieved May 20th, 2010 from http://www.aare.edu.au/05pap/mar05402.pdf.

Mestre, J. P. (2005). Facts and myths about pedagogies of engagement in science learning. Peer Review, 7, 24–27 (Winter).

Murphy, C., & Beggs, J. (2003). Children's perceptions of school science. School Science Review, 84, 109-116.

Murphy, C., Varley, J., & Veale, Ó. (2012). I’d rather they did Experiments with us…. Than just Talking: Irish Children’s Views of Primary School Science. Research in Science Education, 42(3), 415-438.

Newton, D., & Newton, L. (2011). Engaging Science: Pre-Service Primary School Teachers' Notions of Engaging Science Lessons. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9(2), 327-345.

Reichardt, O. (2013). 3-2-1 Ignition*: Making Science Creative, Accessible and Fun. Education in Science, 254, 19.

Traig, J. (2015). STEM to story : Enthralling and effective lesson plans for grades 5-8.