Gatsby Benchmarks
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students that draws on personal experiences,
acknowledge the value of their contribution,
and link it to aspects of the science curriculum.
Finally, teachers support young people to build
their science capital, from encouraging them
to watch science documentaries to highlighting
the science skills integral to the jobs to which
students aspire.
Archer and her team worked directly with
teachers, helping them to translate theory into
meaningful practice. During professional
development sessions, educators tried out the
science capital approach, tweaking lesson
plans in line with the methodology. They then
applied it in classrooms, observed by the team,
and reflected collectively during subsequent
sessions. The initiative was trialled over two
years in schools in socially disadvantaged
communities in London, Newcastle, York
and Leeds.
“It’s a mindset approach, so it works with
any curriculum, changing how the teacher
thinks about presenting science to young
people,” explains Archer. She adds that the
practice varies between classrooms. “It’s
meant to be very flexible, it has to work with
how things are now.”
Resource pack for teachers
The initiative concluded in 2018, producing
comprehensive resources, including an open-
access pack for teachers and the Improving
Science Participation policy recommendations.
Participating teachers were overwhelmingly
positive about the approach, which generated
changes in their professional identities and
sense of purpose; provided space for reflection
and gave them agency. Almost all have
cascaded the approach to colleagues and
departments. Both teachers and students
reported wider involvement and engagement
in classes, including among quiet and/or
previously disengaged students.
“When I use the approach, I can see it in
their eyes —
like meerkats, they pop up and
you can see the engagement,” comments
one educator.
How effective is the
Science Capital
Teaching Approach?
A comparison of students’
views before and after one
year’s implementation of
the Science Capital
Teaching approach:
Before
38.2 %
44 // STEM
After
40.6 %
Mean capital science scores
16 %
21 %
Aiming for one or more
science A level
27 %
42 %
Science lessons relate to my life
36 %
27 %
Students who never go
on a nature walk
40 %
33 %
Students who never engage
with science online
“I thought I might need to change loads of
lessons and tasks,” admits London science
teacher Philip Emwangat. “But I realised that it
isn’t necessarily drastically changing your tasks,
just approaching them differently.”
BP’s Duffy believes the approach completely
reconfigures a student’s relationship with
science education: “Science stops being
something that’s done to them and becomes
something they do because it’s part of who
they are,” he says.
Improved attitudes
18 %
It’s a mindset approach, so it
works with any curriculum,
changing how the teacher
thinks about presenting
science to young people
7 8
26 %
Students who say their teachers
ask about their experiences and
ideas in every lesson
Source: UCL. Research based on
surveys with 1,871 students.
Evaluation found an increase in students
wanting to study at least one science A level;
a boost in the science capital of students with
previous scores considerably below the
national average; improved attitudes to
science; a reduction in non-participation in
science outside of school, and changes in
teaching practice in line with the ethos of the
approach (see box, left).
Young people who experienced the
approach benefited from an enhanced
understanding of science content and greater
personal relevance; they are more likely to