Do Science Fairs Benefit Students Equally? Demographic Differences in Student Participation and Benefits

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: Trends and Issues in Science Education

Abstract

Science and Engineering Fairs are a common instructional method intended to provide students with authentic, student-centered experiences with inquiry and engineering design. However, projects are often optional and dependent on home resources. This paper explores quasi-experimental methods of quantifying the effects of fair participation on students’ science interest, self-efficacy, and value. We found that students’ gender, race/ethnicity, and parent education level were not associated with completing a project, but were sometimes related to advancing to a regional fair and to the impacts of the fair on student science attitudes. We explore the implications for promoting this type of curricular activity.

Authors

• Joni M. Lakin, University of Alabama

• Emily Hardy, Auburn University

• Mary Lou Ewald, Auburn University

• Virginia Davis, Auburn University