Research and Evaluation

A longitudinal research study by Western University, conducted from 2013 to 2019, followed a cohort of 2,000 students, in schools with no prior participation in Scientists in School workshops. The study confirmed that experiencing our workshops in elementary school has an impact that lasts through high school. In open-ended survey questions and interviews, 289 Grade 10 to 12 students recalled the activities in various workshop topics experienced in their Grades 6, 7 and 8 years. This study, focused on students from high-needs communities, demonstrated the lasting difference that our innovative workshops have for youth STEM success. Students in this longitudinal research experienced two, four or six workshops before entering high school.

Here are some of the outcomes the researchers found from Grade 11 and 12 students surveyed that strongly showed lasting impact through high school:

87%

Strongly agreed or agreed with the statement: “Scientists in School workshops in elementary school were an important part of learning about STEM.” The consistent reasons they gave were that workshops were an interesting and/or fun hands-on experience that increased their interest in STEM, understanding of STEM concepts, and awareness of careers.

90%

of Grade 11 students who had six workshops in elementary school and 55% of Grade 12 students who had four workshops in elementary school responded that the workshops taught them skills that they were able to use in high school.

The study results showed that students from marginalized communities who had two Scientists in School workshops starting in Grade 6 and through to Grade 8 had highly positive responses for key outcomes: interest, confidence, and understanding the relevance of STEM in the world around them.

The degree of positivity for interest and confidence of the girls grew with multiple workshop experiences and it showed up in multiple STEM interest indicators the study probed for. With six workshops over three years, gender gap differences for a suite of STEM outcome indicators between Grade 8 girls and boys shifted from sizable to insignificant. The results below, from two questions and three years of Grade 8 classes data, illustrate this:

“Scientists in School workshops help me better understand the STEM we do in class”

Testimonials

“I book a Scientists in School workshop every year. The kids love it and no matter what grade, they look forward to participating in a new workshop every year. The expert facilitators make abstract concepts easy for kids to understand. It is also great learning for me as a teacher! I have no science background so the workshops bump my confidence. I get excellent ideas from professional scientists who model fun ways to teach science.”
– Grade 3/4 Teacher after a Shine a Light workshop
“The best part of our science program is when we engage students in Scientists in School’s highly engaging and hands-on workshops. My students loved their Strong Structures workshop and kept building structures at home. It definitely ignites the spark of curiosity in them.”
– Grade 3 Teacher after a Strong Structures online workshop
“My daughter enjoyed this very much, and told everyone she could about the experiments she did. As a parent it allowed me to see how interested she is in science and doing more.”
– A Parent after a Candy Chemistry online workshop
“Scientists in School gives students an incredible opportunity to engage with science in ways that are not always possible within a regular classroom. The presenters are knowledgeable and effective. I have had Scientists in School in my classroom for many years, and my students always come out of the presentations eager to learn more. I would recommend Scientists in School to every classroom teacher to enhance their science programs, and encourage budding scientists!”
– Grade 5 Teacher after an Energy: The Power to Change in-person workshop
“The presenter was amazing, informative and engaging. She was able to captivate the minds of the students and have them engaged in STEM. We can’t wait to have another opportunity to work with Scientists in School. Thank you for taking the time to educate us in a very captivating way.”
– Grade 7 Teacher after a Finding Solutions online workshop
“Scientists in School is one of my very favorite experiences to provide for my students. Not only does it cover applicable science concepts for my curriculum, it does so in an engaging, motivating, and delightful manner. My students loved the hands-on materials and the expertise of the presenter kept them discovering and exploring attentively. Thank you for helping to create a sense of wonder, confidence, and curiosity in my students each time I’ve booked a session!”
– Kindergarten Teacher after an On the Move! online workshop
“Our children always enjoy the science activities. They always want to continue experimenting after the program has finished. Thank you for inspiring the scientist in us all!”
– A Parent after a Good Clean Fun! online workshop
“Scientists in School is amazing! We have been involved in many different workshops over the years and have always found them to be so engaging and exciting for the children. The presenters are always friendly and patient with the children and the resources they bring to explore are awesome. We always look forward to our visit each year. Keep up the amazing work you do with children to foster a love of science and exploration!”
– Kindergarten Teacher after a Young Friends of the Earth in-person workshop
“Scientists in School helped me greatly when finding my passion for engineering. The initial introduction to all of the cool things that you can do in science helped me find a passion for it at a young age…Seeing that most of the scientists were also female helped me as well, as it made me realize that it is a completely normal thing for a woman to be in STEM.”
– Natalie, Mechanical Engineering student at Ontario Tech University
“Before Scientists in School, I didn’t know what STEM was. After, I got interested in robotics. In Grade 8, I started a robotics league with my classmates…and then I went straight into First Robotics in high school.”
– Grade 12 Male Student, 2019 Interview from our 6-Year Longitudinal Study
“It was the Scientists in School workshop Close Encounters of a Chemical Kind. It instilled in me this love of chemistry and I do feel this is the reason that I like chemistry so much today. The fact that I was exposed to it in Grade 7 made me more enthusiastic in Grade 9 when we started encountering it.”
– Grade 11 Female Student, 2019 Interview from our 6-Year Longitudinal Study

10 Million Young Scientists Inspired Since 1989

Impact Story : Nicholas, Engineering Science student at the University of Toronto

“In all of these investigations, I felt a sense of wonder instilled in me by the program. I was always excited going into Scientists in School, as I knew I would learn so much more about what I had observed on my own in the outside world. From analyzing the construction of insects to the physics of simple machines, my curiosity was always reinforced by the omnipresent sense of wonder I felt while completing that day’s experiments and activities.”

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