THE ADVANTAGES PERCEIVED BY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN ENGAGING THEIR STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY-BASED CHEMISTRY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Putri

The value teachers place on university-based chemistry outreach activities for 14–16 year olds is examined, covering practical workshops and lecture-based experiences. Teachers provide multiple motivations for student participation while highlighting the School Teacher Fellow’s role in aligning events with the curriculum as vital to successful delivery. The study also addresses pre-event challenges to engagement, emphasizing barriers linked to health and safety requirements and associated paperwork.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methodology

Teacher Questionnaires

Findings from the Teachers’ Questionnaires

Volume 2, Number 3, 2009 THE ADVANTAGES PERCEIVED BY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN ENGAGING THEIR STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY-BASED CHEMISTRY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES Jauyah Tuah,, Timothy G Harrison, Dudley E Shallcross Abstract The value teachers put on university-based outreach activities designed for 14-16 year olds that involves both practical and lecture activities are discussed. A variety of good reasons for attending are provided by the teachers but the role of a School Teacher Fellow in mapping the events to the curriculum is shown to be vital to the success of any event. The pre-event difficulties needing to be overcome in engaging with universities are discussed with health and safety and in particular paperwork associated with this being cited as a particular barrier to engagement. Key Words Outreach, School-University Transition, Lecture Demonstrations, Workshops, School Teacher Fellow. Introduction This study investigates the impact on secondary school students, of a visit to a major university chemistry department, as seen from a teacher’s perspective. The engagements comprised a morning spent on polymer chemistry practical work and an afternoon where the students attended lectures. The students came from several schools and several types of school. The practical work involved a circus of polymer chemistry experiments where each station had a postgraduate chemist acting as the instructor. Two of the half hour talks were on ‘Being a Student’ and a talk given by a postgraduate chemist on a suitable aspect of her research. The session finished with a lecture demonstration entitled‘A Pollutant’s Tale’ [1] . The structure of a day was designed to mimic the daily experience of an undergraduate chemistry student in that there were both lectures and practical work. .The main aim of this paper is to report the perceptions ofthe teachers who provided invaluable insight regarding how such learning impacts on their students. The study seeks to answer three main questions; How do teachers perceive and evaluate the potential of a lecture demonstration and practical science workshop towards the learning of the science concepts of their students? What are the teachers’ views of Bristol ChemLabS outreach activities [2] a lecture demonstration and the practical science workshop in promoting positive attitudes among students towards science? What are the limitations of the Bristol ChemLabS Outreach activities-a lecture demonstration and the practical science workshop as perceived by the teachers? Methodology The sample of thirteen teachers was taken from those who accompanied students on equivalent workshops across two years of such visits. Some of the adults accompanying the schools in attendance were not teachers but schools’ technical staff and non-science teachers. Only those who were science teachers were involved in this research. Received: 24 September 2009, accepted: 29 September 2009, published 30 September 2009 Teacher Questionnaires The teachers’ questionnaire comprised 11 mainly open-ended questions. The responses were categorised into common themes to produce quantitative data. Background information on the teachers was sought. The main questionnaire encompassed the pre-visit preparations, benefits and limitations of the activities as a whole and the post-visit activities Findings from the Teachers’ Questionnaires This section aims to provide answers to the three research question which are related to teachers’perceptions on the benefits and limitations of the outreach activities in promoting attitudes towards science and the learning of science concepts. Their pre-visit and post-visit activities were also included in order to see if such activities have had an impact on students’ learning during or after the field-trip to Bristol ChemLabS. Data from the teachers’ responses are not presented according to the research question because the way the questions were formulated and the responses provided by the te

FAQs

What outreach activities are described in the study?

The visits include a morning of polymer chemistry practical work with postgraduate chemists as instructors and an afternoon of student lectures, including a lecture demonstration titled “A Pollutant’s Tale.”

How did teachers prepare their students before the university visit?

Teacher questionnaires show varied preparation, including consent forms, checking logistics, health and safety talks, and some staff briefings or student briefings; only a small number focused on science content or learning objectives.

What role did the School Teacher Fellow play in the success of events?

Teachers indicated that mapping outreach events to the curriculum is vital, and the School Teacher Fellow’s role in this alignment is presented as essential for successful participation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Putri