Using 6 years of evaluation data, we assess the medium- and long-term impacts upon a diverse range of students, teachers, and schools from participating in a programme of protracted university-mentored projects based on cutting-edge space science, astronomy, and particle physics research. After having completed their 6-month-long projects, the 14–18-year-old school students report having substantially increased in confidence relating to relevant scientific topics and methods as well as having developed numerous skills, outcomes which are corroborated by teachers. There is evidence that the projects helped increase students' aspirations towards physics, whereas science aspirations (generally high to begin with) were typically maintained or confirmed through their involvement. Longitudinal evaluation 3 years later has revealed that these projects have been lasting experiences for students which they have benefited from and drawn upon in their subsequent university education. Data on students' destinations suggest that their involvement in research projects has made them more likely to undertake physics and STEM degrees than would otherwise be expected. Cases of co-created novel physics research resulting from Physics Research in School Environments (PRiSE) has also seemed to have a powerful effect, not only on the student co-authors, but also participating students from other schools. Teachers have also been positively affected through participating, with the programme having influenced their own knowledge, skills, and pedagogy, as well as having advantageous effects felt across their wider schools. These impacts suggest that similar “research in schools” initiatives may have a role to play in aiding the increased uptake and diversity of physics and/or STEM in higher education as well as meaningfully enhancing the STEM environment within schools.
Independent research projects provide extended opportunities for school
students to lead and tackle open-ended scientific investigations,
with so-called “research in schools” programmes, which have been emerging
in recent years, being a subset of these linked to current academic
(STEM) research
While some studies into independent research projects use views from
teachers, these tend to little explore the impact on the teachers
themselves from their own participation in projects
In general, however,
PRiSE is a scalable framework for independent research projects based on current physics research that are mentored by active researchers
PRiSE was developed at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in 2014,
where the four projects summarised in Table
A summary of the existing PRiSE projects at QMUL.
The evaluation of PRiSE's pilot, which ran from 2014 to 2016 and involved six schools, suggested that students' awareness of current scientific
research, understanding of the scientific method, and skills were
enhanced by the programme and that teachers benefited through reconnecting
with their subject at an academic level, being challenged, and being
supported in their professional development
To evaluate the impact of the PRiSE programme, questionnaires were
distributed to students and their teachers at each year's student
conference held approximately 6 months after they started their PRiSE
projects. We were also able to contact a subset of individuals 3 years after their participation. No control groups were established
due to ethical considerations, further explored in
Paper questionnaires were handed out to students and teachers at our
student conferences each year (apart from 2020, when this was done online due to the COVID-19 pandemic), which assessed the impact on
students and teachers at this 6-month stage. There were two questionnaires
for students. One of these was project-specific, relating to students'
confidence in scientific topics/practices relevant to their specific
project, i.e. those in Table
These instruments were chosen in order to collect data from as wide
a range of students and teachers as possible as well as to respect the limited time/resources of all involved (both on the school and
university sides). All data gathered were anonymous, with students and teachers only indicating their school and which project they were
involved with. We have further anonymised the data by using pseudonyms
for the schools. More detailed information about the schools involved
can be found in
For longer-term evaluation, students were also asked on a separate paper form at our conference to share their personal email addresses
so that we could follow up with them a few years later, in order to
explore potential lasting impacts of the programme. As with the main
questionnaires, this was presented as optional with an ethics statement
and description of how their data would be used clearly presented. It was decided to contact cohorts of PRiSE students 3 years after
they started the project for this follow-up, so that students would
either be studying at university or at least (in the case of the youngest
PRiSE students) making university applications, hence giving us insight
into university destinations/plans. The students were emailed and
asked to fill out an online form, detailed in Appendix
Data were collected from 153 students (aged 14–18) and 45 teachers across 37 London schools. A breakdown of the number of responses per
year and how many schools these responses came from is given in Table
Response rates to questionnaires at PRiSE student conferences.
Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were utilised in data analysis, as the open- and closed-ended questions in the surveys generated different types of data.
For all quantitative (numerical) data, uncertainties presented represent
standard (i.e. 68 %) confidence intervals. For proportions/probabilities
these are determined through the
Thematic analysis Familiarisation. Responses are read and initial thoughts noted. Induction. Initial codes are generated based on review of the data. Thematic review. Codes are used to generate broad themes (which we refer to as dimensions) and identify associated data. Application. Codes are reviewed through application to the full dataset. Reliability. Codes are applied to a subset of data by a second coder to check reliability. Final coding. Final codes are applied to the data. Analysis. A thematic overview of the data is confirmed, with examples chosen from the data to illustrate the themes (dimensions).
Overall there was
This first section of the findings examines the impact of PRiSE on students at the 6-month (captured at our student conferences) and 3-year (captured online) stages. Impact on students through the co-production of research is also briefly discussed.
We assess the impact on students in three broad areas related to the aims of the programme: their confidence in scientific topics and methods; their skill sets; and their aspirations towards pursuing physics or STEM.
At our conferences from 2016 to 2019 students (
The scientific topics and practices used in assessing students' confidence.
We test the paired before and after data for each topic and practice,
omitting any where students listed either as unsure, using a Wilcoxon
signed-rank test. The results show statistically significant increases
for all the topics and practices, with the range of two-tailed They
have become more confident in communicating their ideas and realised
that they are not too young to do research. (Teacher 1, Hogwarts,
SCREAM 2015) This has been a challenging experience for the students
taking part. Students have gained a better appreciation of real science
and built confidence. (Teacher 3, Xavier's Institute for Higher
Learning, MUSICS 2016)
Overall student confidence in relevant scientific topics/methods before
and after taking part in PRiSE (
From 2016 onwards we asked students ( They have developed
presenting skills, they do get that [at school] but not
for academic poster sessions. The unique skills from the project were
the exposure to the physics, analysis, independence; it has allowed
them to access the world. (Teacher 1, Hogwarts, SCREAM 2015) Challenging opportunity [for students] to
broaden skills and experience. (Teacher 23, Smeltings, ATLAS
2019) Great for developing pupil research skills and getting
confident in cross referencing scientific articles, a very important
skill for them in post-college education. (Teacher 42, Hill Valley
High School, ATLAS 2020)
Word cloud of skills developed by students. Colours indicate words identified by students (blue), teachers (green), or both (cyan). Students and teachers have been given equal total weight.
To assess whether students' aspirations were affected at the 6-month
stage, we first undertook a qualitative analysis in 2018–2019 asking
in an open question how students' thoughts about future subject choices
or careers might have been affected through doing the project. A thematic
analysis of the 63 responses revealed three distinct dimensions, each
with their own set of underlying codes. The first of these concerned
how much the students felt that they had wanted to study either physics or a STEM subject before even undertaking the project (
We show the dimensions and codes in Table
Qualitative coding of students' responses concerning their future
aspirations along with counts (
Instead, informed by these promising preliminary results, we implemented
in 2020 a quantitative approach to assessing how PRiSE may have affected
students' aspirations. In a similar manner and with similar justification
to our evaluation of students' confidence, we asked students (
When considering physics aspirations, there was no clear positive
bias towards the subject beforehand (see horizontal distribution in
Fig.
Students' STEM aspirations, unlike physics, were already incredibly
high before the projects as shown in Fig.
Likelihood before and after of PRiSE students continuing with
Ideally one would benchmark the likelihoods before PRiSE against larger
surveys of similarly aged students' aspirations to test whether PRiSE students were more likely to continue with physics/STEM anyway. Unfortunately,
direct comparisons are not possible due to the differing ways the
relevant questions have been structured across national surveys. However,
such research has shown that STEM degree aspirations amongst all students
remain similar to the makeup of STEM vs. non-STEM A-Level subject choices, implying that almost all students studying at least one STEM
A-Level likely aspire towards a STEM degree
The follow-up qualitative question, asking students to explain how or why their thoughts about subject choices had been affected by the
project, typically mentioned how their interest, enjoyment, or understanding had been enhanced, e.g.: Before working on
Planet Hunting With Python, I was already quite focused on studying
in a STEM field, and the main reason I signed up for the project was
because of my interest in physics. After the project, I felt as though
my decision to pursue such an area was only further cemented.
(Student 120, Octavian Country Day School, PHwP 2020) I
already had my mind set on doing STEM subjects at university, but
now I am less interested in physics as I have come to see how some
areas are more challenging than others and I wouldn't want to specialise
in those areas. (Student 136, Jedi Academy, ATLAS 2020) I never really saw Physics as a choice for me, as I did not want to
do it, and the project hasn't changed my mind about this. (Student 133,
Imperial Academy, ATLAS 2020) I am not very great at physics but this project made me
more interested and invested. (Student 135, Xavier's Institute
for Higher Learning, SCREAM 2020) Because I've always wanted to go into research and this project showed me that I enjoy
it. (Student 138, Jedi Academy, ATLAS 2020) I've always assumed that I would work towards studying
physics since GCSE; this project was very useful in seeing what research
may be like if I took that path after education. (Student 143,
Sunnydale High School, MUSICS 2020) I was always interested in maths and physics, especially
maths. However this project showed me what we do not do in physics
lessons, the research. For me this is one of the most important things
in physics. (Student 145, Sunnydale High School, MUSICS 2020)
Students' aspirations have been found to be extremely resilient and
very difficult to change, with most (even protracted series of) interventions
yielding no statistically significant overall effects
To date we have undertaken long-term evaluation for three cohorts
of PRiSE students who had participated in the academic years 2015/16
(cohort 1), 2016/17 (cohort 2), and 2017/18 (cohort 3). At our
student conferences 72 students from these three cohorts left contact
details with us for this purpose, which were well spread across the
different schools involved. Across the three cohorts, the bounce rate
was
Most of the 14 PRiSE students who responded were aged 16–17 when
they undertook their projects, with two students aged 15–16 and one student each in the ranges 14–15 and 17–18. All of them remembered
undertaking a physics research project with the university. When asked
what experiences they remembered from the project, the 11 open responses
provided (three students did not answer this or the following question) could be categorised as concerning the underlying science. [It] helped us to really solidify our understanding
of harmonics. (Student 2, cohort 1) Learning about how the magnetosphere works and its importance.
(Student 8, cohort 2) [I] learned about exoplanets. (Student 14, cohort 3) It was very intriguing to have played with actual data
and have an attempt at analysing the sound wave forms that we were
given. (Student 2, cohort 1) Setting up the experiments and working through problems
as they arose. (Student 7, cohort 2) Working with other students on a project we did not know
much about before and presenting it in front of a lot of people.
(Student 11, cohort 3) Creating a formula to use in order to calculate [the]
surface area of a scintillator which is hit directly by muons, [and]
observing building schematics to find how much matter muons pass through
during travel into [the] building. (Student 12,
cohort 3) I remember getting to experience some more advanced practical
physics that was more reminiscent of university lab work than school
lab work. (Student 13, cohort 3) [I]
learned how to analyse sound in audacity. (Student 5, cohort 2) I built good teamworking and project management skills
(Student 11, cohort 3) Learning to code in Python. (Student 14, cohort 3) having
a great time and meeting some lovely people (Student 13, cohort 3) [It] really
helped to develop our teamwork skills, which I have used frequently
in most things that I do in my academic education. Also there is a
huge element problem-solving and how to undertake the project/study
is fundamental in my Engineering degree for electronics, I have used
it a lot. (Student 2, cohort 1) Now I [have] used python in my computational
physics module at university. (Student 3, cohort 1) I am currently at university doing many group projects.
Taking part in the Queen Mary magnetosphere project has helped me
improve my team building and communication skills. (Student 8,
cohort 2) The presentation helped me improve my public speaking and
speaking confidence. (Student 13, cohort 3) It was
a good introduction to conducting experiments. I carried out a CREST
gold research project after this experience. (Student 7, cohort 2) I've tried to be confident to defend a project in front
of people and to show an inquisitive attitude. (Student 11, cohort 3) I now study architecture, so the observing building schematics
and 3D mathematics were both useful experiences. (Student 12,
cohort 3) The lab work was useful as it gave me an idea of how to
work in a uni lab, which is particularly helpful now that I am at
uni. (Student 13, cohort 3)
All the PRiSE students reported that they were studying at university
when the survey was conducted, apart from one who due to their age
(they were 14–15 when involved in PRiSE) intended to. We asked the
students what subject they were studying at university (or planned
to study in the case of the one student), giving the options of physics (or a combination including physics), another STEM subject, or a non-STEM
degree. The results of this are shown in blue in Fig.
Degree destinations of PRiSE students (blue) compared to UK national
statistics of A-Level physics students (orange). Error bars denote
the standard (1
The students' reasons behind choosing their degree subjects and what
influenced them varied. We note that 1 student out of the 12 that responded to these questions referenced the research project (which
was not prompted in the question). I did the sounds of space project that you organised a couple of years ago and
am now pursuing a physics degree from Cambridge. Thanks for helping
me find my enthusiasm for physics! (Student 4, cohort 1)
Co-producing publishable physics research between researchers and
school students is not an explicit aim of PRiSE, unlike for instance
the more researcher-driven ORBYTS programme It
was a very rewarding experience which allowed us an insight into the
research conducted at university level. This helped us to develop
crucial skills needed in the next years of our studies. It was truly
amazing to hear how significant the event we found was and that it
will be forming the basis of a proper scientific paper. Being a part of the university's research and the subsequent
paper published is truly an amazing opportunity. It was really interesting
to find such a significant event and we gained so much experience
and developed many skills during our research that will be useful
in our university careers. Hearing that other
kids at other schools have actually produced a paper, it just gives
you hope that it's actually something I can do.
(Student, mixed state school in area of particularly high deprivation,
MUSICS, BBC Radio 4 interview, October 2018)
While no other publications have resulted as of yet, a group of students
(from a selective boys' academy) in 2018/19 identified undocumented
instrumental noise present in the data which researchers and satellite
operators were unaware of. Another group (from a non-selective mixed
academy with particularly high free school meal percentages and in
an area of particularly high deprivation) in 2019/20 decided to investigate
the relationship between the recently discovered aurora-like STEVE
(strong thermal emission velocity enhancement) phenomenon
Possible impacts upon teachers and schools from PRiSE were first explored using qualitative responses to open-ended questions and then further investigated with quantitative data gathered in 2019–2020.
From a thematic analysis of all the qualitative data from open-ended
questions collected across 4 years (2015–2018) from 21 teachers, we identified eight distinct areas (indicated in italics) in which teachers and schools seem to have been positively affected by their involvement
in PRiSE. These codes have subsequently been applied to responses
across all years of data (2015–2020, 45 teachers). Expressions
of negative impact were rare, with only one teacher (Teacher 15,
Tree Hill High School, MUSICS 2018) noting that the project had caused
them “a small amount of extra stress”; nonetheless, this teacher continued to engage with the programme in subsequent years.
The first theme identified related to teachers [It]
added to [my] knowledge of standing waves giving more
real-life examples of waves. (Teacher 8, Coal Hill School, MUSICS
2017) [It] introduced me to an area of physics where I have
little experience. I have yet to teach the particles side of A-level
physics. However, this project and the knowledge accumulated will
be valuable when I do. (Teacher 20, Hogwarts, SCREAM 2018) [It has] given
me confidence to explore physics beyond my areas of expertise/beyond
the school specs. (Teacher 15, Spence Academy for Young Ladies,
MUSICS 2018) It has re-ignited my interest in current research, and
reminded me that complicated, cutting edge research can be more accessible
than I sometimes think! (Teacher 36, Starfleet Academy, MUSICS
2020) [I have] re-engaged with research and research methods.
(Teacher 41, Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning, SCREAM 2020) [I have been]
able to use the detector with classes when teaching Year 12 particles.
(Teacher 13, St Trinians, SCREAM 2016) It has been referred to [in lessons] in terms
of what scientists do and the research process. (Teacher 15,
Spence Academy for Young Ladies, MUSICS 2018) [It has given me] context when talking about
Earth's magnetic field [in lessons]. (Teacher 16,
Tree Hill High School, MUSICS 2018) It has consolidated my understanding and teaching of exoplanets.
I used some of the techniques in teaching detection of exoplanets
in the astro topic of AQA's A-level going beyond the syllabus.
(Teacher 19, Boston Bay College, PHwP 2018) [I have developed in]
motivating students to attempt challenging problems. (Teacher 11,
Prufrock Preparatory School , SCREAM 2017) I have
also enjoyed the personal challenge to my own coding abilities.
(Teacher 39, Bending State College, PHwP 2020) [Students in lessons]
were impressed to hear of our `muon project' and knowing we were involved
with a university physics department helped them engage with us. If
they think they and their teachers can be involved in research they
are more motivated. (Teacher 1, Hogwarts, SCREAM 2015) [It] gave prestige to the Physics department at the
college. (Teacher 9, Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning,
MUSICS 2017) [It]
created a link to HE. (Teacher 15, Spence Academy for Young Ladies,
MUSICS 2018) We feel involved in a very interesting [research]
project. (Teacher 27, Hogwarts, SCREAM 2019) I am more confident in my second year. (Teacher 21,
Hogwarts, SCREAM 2018) Now I've done one project I feel better equipped to get
things going myself. (Teacher 39, Bending State College, PHwP
2020)
We use these eight areas of impact on teachers and schools for subsequent
quantitative analysis in the next section. However, we note with further
teacher survey responses in 2019–2020 that we have identified an additional theme. This pertains to I am now more aware of
what our students are capable of – not just listening to visiting
speakers but being actively engaged in real-world research! (Teacher 10,
Prufrock Preparatory School, SCREAM 2017) [It has] made me more enthusiastic to engage students
in real research. (Teacher 17, Sunnydale High School, MUSICS
2018) The project allowed me to identify students that were genuinely
interested and committed to Physics. It also gave me evidence that
my students should study science further at university. I was able
to pass this on to parents and universities. (Teacher 31, Quirm
College for Young Ladies [and partner schools], MUSICS 2020) It has been inspiring to see my students self-organising
so well together. (Teacher 43, Sunnydale High School, MUSICS
2020)
Based on the areas of impact on teachers and schools emerging from
the qualitative data (from 2015 to 2018), from 2019 onwards we sought to quantitatively assess how prevalent they might be. Teachers (
Figure
Quantitative results of impacts on teachers and schools (
Figure
We have investigated the medium- and long-term impacts on students, teachers, and schools who have participated in a 6-month-long programme of physics “research in schools” projects, open-ended investigations for school students based around cutting-edge STEM research. This programme, Physics Research in School Environments (PRiSE), has involved a diverse range of London schools, and we have used evaluation data captured from questionnaires across its entire 6-year duration to date.
Medium-term impacts on the participating 14–18-year-old school students were assessed after they had completed their 6-month-long projects. Students' confidence in relevant scientific topics and methods seems to have substantially increased as a result of PRiSE, with nearly
all students reporting this benefit. Furthermore, through experiencing
and being involved in research-level physics, students report having
gained new, or further developed existing, skills. Both of these impacts
upon students have been corroborated by teachers' observations. While
the students involved with PRiSE were fairly committed to STEM in
general beforehand, our data suggest that they had no clear bias in
aspirations towards the subject of physics in particular. Following
the programme it appears that students' attitudes towards pursuing
STEM were typically maintained or confirmed through their involvement, and physics aspirations seem to have been moderately enhanced. We
find no evidence that these impacts varied by the different projects
or schools. These results should be deemed successful, as a drop-off
in STEM aspirations is often seen at this age
Longitudinal evaluation has also been performed for three cohorts
of PRiSE students 3 years after they commenced their projects. While
a relatively small sample, the evidence suggests that these projects
have been memorable and beneficial experiences that students have
been able to draw upon in their later educational activities and development.
The data on PRiSE students' degree destinations show increased uptake
of physics and STEM at degree level than would typically be expected, suggesting that their involvement in the research projects has helped
transform their aspirations into destinations – a key aim of the
programme. Further in-depth qualitative research, such as interviews
or focus groups, could provide richer and more reflective information
on how students' thoughts and feelings about their association with
physics and STEM may have been affected by participating in PRiSE,
given the nuance and multiple factors at play with students' aspirations
in general, which are difficult to capture and interpret with questionnaire
data alone
The impacts upon students reported in this paper only relate to those
who completed the 6-month programme. However, as should be expected
for any extended programme, there is some drop-off in participation
with PRiSE. This has been explored in more detail in
Evaluation of the impacts on teachers and schools has identified several
themes. By collaborating on PRiSE, teachers can gain new physics knowledge,
become more confident in discussing research, and integrate aspects
of the research projects into their regular lessons. Teachers also
report developing various technical skills, gaining confidence in
mentoring, and reassessing their preconceptions of students' potential.
While all these positive changes to teachers' practice will likely
be felt across their wider schools, there is more direct evidence
of the school environment being affected, such as through students' project work being championed, the profile of physics or science being
raised, and a university–school relationship being established with
significant repeated buy-in from schools over several years. These
impacts appear to be fairly widespread across the teachers and schools
involved in PRiSE. We note that these results share many similarities
with those reported by
The impacts upon participating students, teachers, and schools discussed in this paper show real promise for the emerging field of “research in schools” initiatives. They suggest that with more similarly designed and supported programmes at other institutions, we may be able to start to address a key part of the chain of the wider issue of uptake and diversity, not just in physics, but potentially STEM also. We stress, however, that multi-faceted approaches from a variety of different stakeholders and organisations are required to implement real change in this entire issue, but “research in schools” may be able to form one piece of the puzzle.
Here we list the questions considered within this paper posed in the
PRiSE-wide questionnaires at the 6-month stage evaluation. We detail
the phrasing used, how participants could respond, and which years
the question was asked. Follow-on questions are indicated by indentation
and a down-right arrow (
Questions posed to students.
Questions asked of teachers.
The following questions were asked of students in the 3-year stage evaluation via an online form.
Data supporting the findings of this study that are not already contained within the article or derived from listed public domain resources are available on request from the corresponding author. These data are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions based on the nature of this work.
MOA conceived the programme and its evaluation, performed the analysis, and wrote the paper. JdW contributed towards the analysis, validation, and writing.
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
We thank Dominic Galliano, Olivia Keenan, and Charlotte Thorley for helpful discussions. MOA holds a UKRI (STFC/EPSRC) Stephen Hawking Fellowship.
This research has been supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (grant no. ST/N005457/1), the Queen Mary University of London (grant Centre for Public Engagement Large Award), the Ogden Trust (grant no. OQMU01), and UK Research and Innovation (grant no. EP/T01735X/1).
This paper was edited by Luis Azevedo Rodrigues and reviewed by two anonymous referees.