Investigative School Research Projects in Biology: Effects on Students

Abstract

AbstractScience education is sometimes oriented around students learning science by doing science. Investigative research projects may be intended to reflect some aspects of science more authentically than other teaching and learning approaches. What remains under-researched is what the effects on students are of undertaking such projects. We collected data from students who were participating in biology research projects. Our research question is ‘How do secondary school students who are participating in a biology research project see both science and themselves in relation to it?’. Thirteen 12–18-year-olds who were undertaking such projects in England participated in in-depth 1:1 semi-structured interviews in 2021. There was an association between the participants’ motivation for engaging with the investigative research project and their science identities, with many of them articulating that the project provided them with an “authentic” experience of what “real scientists” do. For some of the participants, engaging in an investigative research project afforded them opportunities not only to develop their scientific inquiry skills but to gain a deeper understanding of the epistemological dimensions of science and its connection with historical, cultural and social values. This greater appreciation and insight into the nature of science increased their science-related career aspirations.