Tamjid Mujtaba

What Sort of Girl Wants to Study Physics after the Age of 16? Findings from a Large-Scale UK Survey.

This paper investigates the characteristics of 15-year-old girls who express an intention to study physics post-16. This paper unpacks issues around within-girl group differences and similarities between boys and girls in survey responses about physics. The analysis is based on the year 10 (age 15 years) responses of 5,034 students from 137 UK schools as learners of physics during the academic year 2008–2009. A comparison between boys and girls indicates the pervasiveness of gender issues, with boys more likely to respond positively towards physics-specific constructs than girls. The analysis also indicates that girls and boys who expressed intentions to participate in physics post-16 gave similar responses towards their physics teachers and physics lessons and had comparable physics extrinsic motivation. Girls (regardless of their intention to participate in physics) were less likely than boys to be encouraged to study physics post-16 by teachers, family and friends. Despite this, there were a subset of girls still intending to study physics post-16. The crucial differences between the girls who intended to study physics post-16 and those who did not is that girls who intend to study physics post-16 had higher physics extrinsic motivation, more positive perceptions of physics teachers and lessons, greater competitiveness and a tendency to be less extrovert. This strongly suggests that higher extrinsic motivation in physics could be the crucial underlying key that encourages a subset of girls (as well as boys) in wanting to pursue physics post-16.

Participation in network learning community programmes and standards of pupil achievement: does it make a difference?

This paper analyses national assessment and examination data sets in England to test the claim that networked learning activity contributes to raising standards of attainment. Results for primary and secondary schools involved in the large and innovative network learning community (NLC) programme in England funded by the National College for School Leadership are compared with the national patterns for all schools across 2003 to 2005. The results indicate that there has been considerable variation in the extent of improvement in attainment results over the three years. Improvement patterns for NLC schools are generally in line with the rising national trend. There is no convincing evidence that NLC primary schools as a whole have improved more rapidly or narrowed the attainment gap in relation to national results between 2003 and 2005. For secondary schools there are some indications for Key Stage 3 that the change in English results shows greater improvement than the national pattern for a majority of schools, but this is not the case for maths or science. The paper also examines the results of a survey of NLC participants’ perceptions. These show that most have a generally positive view of the professional learning promoted, the improvement of practice in their schools and the impact on pupil engagement and motivation, but that perceptions of the influence on pupil attainment and behaviour are somewhat less favourable, Again there is considerable variation amongst respondents suggesting that both involvement in and the influence of NLC activity varies within and between schools and individual networks. Heads and deputies generally have more favourable views than other respondents. It is concluded that the main benefit of networked learning has been to enhance professional practice but that caution should be exercised in making claims concerning the potential role of networked activity in raising attainment. While some schools and networks have shown marked improvement across a range of outcomes, the findings indicate that there is no overall NLC effect on attainment outcomes; rather, there is considerable variation at the school level within and between networks.

Undergraduates Talk about Their Choice to Study Physics at University: What was Key to their Participation?.

Background The research on which this article is based was commissioned because of concerns about perceived shortages of willing and able young people choosing to study physics at university. Purpose This article reports on first year physics undergraduates’ narratives of why they are studying physics and uses these narratives to identify reasons for their choice. Design and method Narrative-style interviewing with a purposive sample of first year undergraduates yielded data that revealed complexities around decision making, including choice of university course. Analysis of the texts was informed by psychoanalytical notions rooted in the work of Sigmund Freud. These psychoanalytical notions were used both in generating the interview data – the undergraduate volunteer interviewees were conceptualised as ‘defended subjects’ – and in analysing these interviews in order to conjecture how unconscious forces might figure in young people’s decision making. Results After analysing the interviews with physics undergraduates, with respect to the question ‘why are they reading physics?’, the claim is that identification with a key adult is an important element in an individual’s participation. On the other hand, we discerned no evidence that experience of the sorts of innovation typically designed to increase physics uptake – for example ‘fun projects’ or competitions – had been key with respect to a desire to read physics. Conclusion Attempts to recruit more students to university to study physics should note that a young person who identifies with a significant adult associated with physics, typically a teacher or family member, is in a good position to believe that physics is a subject that is worth studying.

Qualified, But Not Choosing STEM at University: Unconscious Influences on Choice of Study

This article offers explanations as to why good candidates for mathematics or physics degrees might opt to study subjects other than STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects at university. Results come from analysis, informed by psychoanalytic theory and practice, of narrative-style interviews conducted with first-year undergraduates and from survey data. It is argued that psychoanalytic interpretations have a role in educational research. Also, it is shown that unconscious forces influenced young peoples’ decision making. Implications for policy are discussed, in particular, the issues of (a) the role of commitment and (b) being good enough to study a STEM discipline.RésuméCet article vise à expliquer pourquoi de bons candidats aux études universitaires en mathématiques ou en physique choisissent plutôt des disciplines autres que les sciences, les technologies, le génie ou les mathématiques à l’université. Les résultats proviennent d’une part de l’analyse, étayée par la théorie et la pratique psychanalytique, d’entrevues de type narratif menées auprès d’étudiants de première année universitaire, et d’autre part de données d’enquête. Nous soutenons que les interprétations psychanalytiques ont un rôle à jouer dans la recherche en éducation, et nous montrons que certains facteurs inconscients influencent les décisions que prennent les étudiants. Certaines implications pour ce qui est des politiques sont discutées, en particulier le rôle de l’engagement personnel et la question de savoir si les étudiants ont les capacités requises pour s’inscrire à ces programmes.

Factors that lead to positive or negative stress in secondary school teachers of mathematics and science

This paper explores the factors that contribute to the development of positive stress and distress in teachers within secondary schools in England. It draws on narrative interviews undertaken with 12 mathematics and science teachers in six schools and focuses on three of these teachers to explore issues in more depth. The findings demonstrate that the use by teachers of appropriate coping mechanisms, e.g. actively seeking out preferable alternatives, and access to professional and personal support, with the right frame of mind, namely, seeing stressors as capable of being overcome, can produce desirable consequences for the teachers through their use of stress in a positive, healthy manner and lessen the likelihood of negative long-term effects associated with distress.

Motivating and supporting young people to study mathematics: a London perspective.

This paper explores which classroom and teacher factors are associated with post-16 mathematics aspirations, mathematics intrinsic motivation and mathematics self-concept. Few studies explore all three outcomes amongst the same set of students nor make linkages across the factors that are important to these outcomes. The analysis is based on the survey responses of 761 year 8 (age 13) and 715 year 10 (age 15) students from 17 London schools as learners of mathematics. The analysis indicates that teaching for engagement is important for intrinsic mathematics motivation but not for future mathematics aspirations. In addition, students’ emotional responses to mathematics lessons are important for their mathematics self-concept but not for future mathematics aspirations. Advice-pressure to continue with mathematics post-16, extrinsic material gain motivation and mathematics self-concept underpin mathematics aspirations (even after controlling for the support students received from their families in mathematics attainment). The gender difference within mathematics self-concept among these young Londoners was higher than that found across England, although there were substantially fewer gender differences in relation to questions that explored students’ perceptions of their mathematics lessons and teachers. The article concludes with some suggestions for both national and London policymakers because the study of mathematics is seen as of considerable importance to both young people and the economic life of the capital.

Methodological Issues in Mathematics Education Research When Exploring Issues Around Participation and Engagement

This chapter aims to identify the factors that relate to students’ intended choices with respect to mathematics in schools in England, using a mixed methods longitudinal approach. Throughout we highlight the methodological issues that surfaced in our study. Methodologically, we reach three principal conclusions. First, mathematics-specific measures are better predictors of intended participation in mathematics than more general measures. In particular, the mathematics-specific measure of extrinsic material gain motivation was more tightly related to future mathematics aspirations than any of the other measures used within our models that measure motivation. Second, our work clearly demonstrates that, valuable as construct-based analyses are, researchers ought, at the very least, to complement such analyses by selected analysis at the level of items. Third, while it is hardly unusual to combine quantitative and qualitative work within a single study, our work shows the benefit of the two approaches when they truly inter-digitate. We began with quantitative analyses, then turned to qualitative work and then returned to a new set of quantitative analyses, drawing both on our first sets of quantitative analyses and on our qualitative work. The resulting conclusions are more robust than had we relied on only quantitative or qualitative work.

Learning and engagement through natural history museums

Abstract This review examines how natural history museums (NHMs) can enhance learning and engagement in science, particularly for school-age students. First, we describe the learning potential of informal science learning institutions in general, then we focus on NHMs. We review the possible benefits of interactions between schools and NHMs, and the potential for NHMs to teach about challenging issues such as evolution and climate change and to use digital technologies to augment more traditional artefacts. We conclude that NHMs can provide students with new knowledge and perspectives, with impacts that can last for years. Through visits and their on-line presence, NHMs can help students see science in ways that the school classroom rarely can, with opportunities to meet scientists, explore whole topic exhibitions, engage with interactive displays and employ digital technologies both in situ and to support learning in the school science classroom. Although these interactions have the potential to foster positive cognitive, affective and social outcomes for students, there is a lack of reliable measures of the impact of NHM experiences for students. Opportunities to foster relationships between NHM staff and teachers through professional development can help articulate shared goals to support students’ learning and engagement.

Girls in the UK Have Similar Reasons to Boys for Intending to Study Mathematics Post-16 Thanks to the Support and Encouragement They Receive.

This paper focuses on the aspirations of 13- and 15-year-olds to continue with mathematics after the age of 16 and the association with perceptions of their mathematics education during the academic year 2008/9. A quantitative analysis was undertaken on the views of 12,176 UK students, obtained through surveys, with qualitative case studies on two of these students lending support to the quantitative findings. This paper also places a focus on a sub-set of 1,476 London students. The analysis indicates that girls and boys with high mathematics aspirations had similar responses towards their mathematics teachers and lessons, and had comparable extrinsic mathematics motivation. However, girls, regardless of mathematics aspirations, were less likely than boys to be encouraged by their families and others within their social circles to study mathematics post-16. Many of the London findings are similar to those we found across the UK, although girls within London schools with high mathematics aspirations perceived their mathematics education to be more equitable. Low aspiring girls across the UK and in London still reported less support and encouragement, and described their mathematics education less favourably than did boys.

The Millennium Development Goals Agenda: Constraints of Culture, Economy, and Empowerment in Influencing the Social Mobility of Pakistani Girls on Mathematics and Science Related Higher Education Courses in Universities in Pakistan.

The third of the eight Millennium Development Goals is to promote gender equality and empowerwomen. This article discusses the factors that are associated with 31 female higher education students’ choices and aspirations to pursue education and careers in mathematics and science-related fields. The analysis is based on semistructured interviews. Patriarchal values in society impacted females’ own perceptions of their abilities and aspirations. Although extrinsic social gain motivation underpinned females’ choices, they had little awareness of the economic benefits of mathematics and science qualifications. Teaching styles were associated with females leaving the mathematics and science pipeline.RésuméLe troisième des huit Objectifs de développement du millénium est de promouvoir l’égalité des sexes et de donner aux femmes le pouvoir de s’assumer. Cet article traite des facteurs liés aux choix et aux aspirations de 31 étudiantes universitaires ayant élu d’entreprendre une carrière en mathématiques ou dans un autre domaine scientifique. Notre analyse se fonde sur des entrevues semi-structurées. Les valeurs patriarcales de la société ont influencé la perception que les femmes elles-mêmes ont de leurs habiletés et aspirations. Bien que les motivations extrinsèques de gain social sous-tendent les choix des femmes, elles sont peu conscientes des avantages économiques liés aux compétences et aux diplômes de mathématiques ou de sciences. Il ressort que certains styles d’enseignement sont associés à l’abandon des mathématiques et des sciences de la part des femmes.