The ASPIRES research project
The research is both qualitative and quantitative: it involves a mixture of questionnaire surveys, focus groups and face to face interviews.
An online questionnaire was distributed throughout October and November 2009 to approximately 11,000 Year 6 schoolchildren. Students who completed the first survey were invited to complete a second survey once they had moved up to Year 8 in autumn 2011. These two phases are now complete.
The students will be invited to complete a third, and final, survey at the end of Year 9 (summer 2013).
At the same time, we are also:
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Conducting repeated interviews with a sub-sample of students to track their views, aspirations and engagement with science over the five years
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Interviewing the parents of these pupils twice (once when their child is in primary school and again towards the end of the project when the child is 14 years old)
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Developing an intervention (in collaboration with teachers and other stakeholders) for teaching about science-based careers in Key Stage 3