Non-formal Science Education - Moving Towards More Inclusive Pedagogies for Diverse Classrooms

Oct 15, 2026

Non-formal Science Education: Moving Towards More Inclusive Pedagogies for Diverse Classrooms examines how the DiSSI project addresses diversity in science through an intersectionality lens. Focusing on cultural and ethnic identities, language, socioeconomic background, gender, and achievement levels, the paper reports pilot study results from students participating in non-formal education. Using a mixed-method approach, it identifies multimodal pedagogical strategies that strengthen students’ science capital, yielding positive experiences and informing future practice in socio-economically deprived settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

DiSSI project aims and pilot study focus

Multimodal, intersectionality-informed pedagogies

Science capital and students’ learning experiences

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1707](https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1707) Non-formal Science Education: Moving Towards More Inclusive Pedagogies for Diverse Classrooms Genco Guralp1, Martin McHugh2 and Sarah Hayes2 • The Diversity in Science towards Social Inclusion–Non-formal Education in Science for Students’ Diversity (DiSSI) project aimed to provide a holistic perspective on diversity, focusing specifically on cultural and ethnic identities, language, socioeconomic background, gender, as well as differing levels of achievement. In particular, the work presented in this paper aims to tackle consciously the issues surrounding teaching and learning in socio-economically deprived areas through non-formal education. This paper presents the results of a pilot study that examined how students participating in non-formal education engage with multi-modal pedagogical approaches designed to address multiple dimensions of diversity via an intersectionality lens. Working with diverse groups requires varied methods; as such, a mixed-method approach was employed in the study to ensure the research team authentically captured and engaged with the lived experiences ofthe participants. The study aimed to generate best practices that augment the science capital of students, which are applicable across various contexts of diversity. The pedagogical approaches, while not novel in science education literature, were rarely utilised by the teacher and thus were rarely experienced by the students. Participants reported a greater sense of autonomy and ownership of the science through participation in the DiSSI programme. Preliminary results indicate an overall positive experience for students and teachers alike and offer insights into the overall lived experiences of participants, which inform future work. Keywords: socio-economic deprivation, diversity, equality and inclusion, science capital, context-based learning 1 *Corresponding Author. San Diego State University, San Diego, USA; and Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals (SSPC), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland; [gguralp@sdsu.edu](gguralp@sdsu.edu). 2 Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals (SSPC), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. 106 non-formal science education: moving towards more inclusive pedagogies for Neformalno naravoslovno izobraževanje: približevanje inkluzivnejšim pedagogikam za raznolike razrede Genco Guralp, Martin McHugh in Sarah Hayes • Namen projekta Science towards Social Inclusion – Non-formal Education in Science for Students’ Diversity (DiSSI) je bil zagotoviti celosten pogledna raznolikost, s posebnim poudarkom na kulturnih in etničnih identitetah, jeziku, socialno-ekonomskem ozadju, spolu pa tudi na različnih ravneh dosežkov. Cilj dela, predstavljenega v tem prispevku, je zlasti zavestno reševanje vprašanj, povezanih s poučevanjem in z učenjem na socialno-ekonomsko prikrajšanih območjih prek neformalnega izobraževanja. V prispevku so predstavljeni rezultati pilotne študije, ki je preučevala, kako se učenci, ki sodelujejo v neformalnem izobraževanju, odzivajo na multimodalne pedagoške pristope, namenjene obravnavi več razsežnosti raznolikosti skozi prizmo intersekcionalnosti. Delo z različnimi skupinami zahteva različne metode; tako je bil v študiji uporabljen pristop z mešanimi metodami, da bi se zagotovilo, da je raziskovalna skupina avtentično zajela in upoštevala življenjske izkušnje udeležencev. Cilj študije je bil oblikovati najboljše prakse, ki povečujejo naravoslovni kapital študentov in so uporabne v različnih kontekstih raznolikosti. Pedagoške pristope, ki v naravoslovni literaturi sicer niso novi, je učitelj uporabil le redko, zato so jih učenci le redko izkusili. Udeleženci so poročali o večjem občutku avtonomije in lastništva naravoslovja zaradisodelovanja v programu DiSSI. Preliminarni rezultati kažejo na splošnopozitivno izkušnjo za učence in učitelje ter ponujajo

FAQs

What does the DiSSI project focus on in science education?

DiSSI aims to address diversity in science education with emphasis on cultural and ethnic identities, language, socioeconomic background, gender, and varying achievement levels.

How does the study investigate students’ engagement with the program?

The paper reports results from a pilot study using a mixed-method approach to capture participants’ lived experiences and how students engage with multimodal pedagogical approaches.

What outcomes does the paper report from students’ participation?

Participants reported greater autonomy and ownership of science through participation in DiSSI, and preliminary results indicate an overall positive experience for both students and teachers.

Oct 15, 2026

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