Interested in STEM but Not Served by Informal STEM Education?

• In Event: Informal Science Institutions and Equity: Future-Oriented Historiography of Research and Practice

Abstract

Informal STEM education (ISE) has been proposed as a potential ‘on ramp’ to support wider and increased participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) (Falk & Dierking, 2010). To date, however, participation in ISE is predominantly undertaken by those from more socially advantaged backgrounds. One of the commonly assumed reasons for low ISE participation is a lack of interest in science/STEM (Ipsos MORI, 2014; Irwin & Wynne, 2009) – but is an interest in science really the problem?

We draw on mixed methods data—a survey of 1,873 and ethnography of 36 minoritized young people aged 11 to 14 from London and Bristol, UK—to shed new light on the complexity of youth participation in ISE. We report the results of a latent class analysis, which generated six classes within our quantitative dataset: (i) three groups of infrequent designed and community ISE participants, who were statistically more likely to be from minoritized communities (Underserved Digivores, Creatives and Scientists); (ii) one group of Partly Served Animal Lovers; and (iii) two groups of frequent ISE participants who were more likely to be from privileged (white, middle-class) communities (Served Cultural Omnivores and STEMnivores). We explore each group’s characteristics by employing theories of cultural consumption (Bourdieu, 1984; Bennett et al., 2009b) and science capital (Author, 2015).

We found that young people who rarely participated in ISE were more likely Black and minority ethnic and had low science and cultural capital. These young people, however, were not disinterested in STEM – they engaged with STEM-related activities in their homes and had aspirations to study and work in science-related fields. For instance, 32.6% of Underserved Scientists aspired to study a science subject at university (most of all groups), yet only 28.5% visited a science museum, centre or planetaria within the past year, compared to 38.6% cohort average.

Young people from White and more socio-economically privileged, on the other hand, reported high participation in ISE settings, even when having little interest and aspiration towards science. Served Cultural Omnivores, for example, expressed an average interest in STEM (i.e., comparable with the cohort overall), yet were frequent participants in designed and community ISE (e.g., 69.1% visited science centres, science museums and planetaria).

We suggest that ISE participation might not be an equal ‘choice’ for all and might entail greater costs and risks for young people from less privileged backgrounds. As a result, we argue that an interest in science may not be as important a factor in participation in informal STEM education as structural inequalities and social advantages. Our findings suggest that ISE settings exclude or fail to serve young people from lower socioeconomic and minority ethnic backgrounds, and that more needs to be done to change the field of ISE to become more equitable for minoritized young people. The poster will discuss implications for policy and practice.

Authors

• Spela Godec, UCL Institute of Education

• Louise Archer, University College London

• Emily Dawson, University College, London