2023-02-07 Louise Archer
Please note that this seminar is on a Tuesday, 12.00 - 13.00, on Zoom
What shapes young people's STEM trajectories - and how can schools and HE better support these?
In this talk I discuss mixed methods findings from the 13 year ASPIRES research study, which tracked the trajectories of young people in England from age 10-22 through over surveys conducted with over 48,000 young people and over 700 longitudinal interviews with a sample of 50 young people and their parents over this time period. The talk focuses on the importance of capital, identity and inequalities in shaping young people's trajectories both towards and away from STEM. The talk concludes by considering how schools/ teachers and higher education professionals might better support young people's STEM trajectories, drawing on insights and resources co-produced by researchers and practitioners on related projects.
Preparatory reading:
, , , , , , & (2022). Reasons for not/choosing chemistry: Why advanced level chemistry students in England do/not pursue chemistry undergraduate degrees. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1– 36. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21822
Archer, L., Moote, J., Francis, B., DeWitt, J., & Yeomans, L. (2017). The “Exceptional” Physics Girl: A Sociological Analysis of Multimethod Data From Young Women Aged 10–16 to Explore Gendered Patterns of Post-16 Participation. American Educational Research Journal, 54(1), 88–126. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216678379