Access , equity and power
Improving science students ’ engagement and educational outcomes through self-insight and well-paced learning
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The problem
In the last 20 years , participation and performance in science , both at school and beyond , has declined . Additionally , research has shown that as school progresses there is an escalation in academic challenge and a waning in students ’ motivation and engagement .
Our solution
Gaining a more comprehensive understanding of motivation and engagement helps us develop more effective interventions and improve learning outcomes , says Scientia Professor Andrew Martin . We need to approach teaching in ways that help students manage school ’ s increasing academic burden .
Andrew Martin is a world-leading researcher in educational psychology , particularly motivation , engagement and achievement . He developed load reduction instruction ( LRI ) that promotes the teaching sequence of direct instruction followed by discovery learning . LRI combats the longstanding misconception that explicit instruction and discovery learning are mutually exclusive and incompatible .
He and Professor Joel Pearson from UNSW ’ s School of Psychology partnered with The King ’ s School on the project , New generation psychology advances in science motivation and engagement . The collaboration delivered new insights into the interrelationship between teaching approaches , student engagement , biopsychology and educational outcomes in science-learning . The research
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Student wearing the portable EEG headset while working on a smallgroup science lab task – reproduced with permission from Kennett , R . ( 2021 ). High school students ’ psychological orientations to science : An integrative educational and biopsychological investigation . Doctoral Dissertation , UNSW Sydney .