Dear Jen (and all)
In this study, we used "role models" to mean intentional role models -
scientists or engineers who are deliberately presented to young people
(in person or via posters etc) to deliver a particular message about
scientists and engineers - that they are
interesting/normal/attainable/whatever.
It's a complex area - not least because the definition of role models
depends on whether it is intentional (which is what we used in this
project) or accidental (which probably covers the majority of young
people's influencers - peers, parents, pop and sport stars). We took the
former and looked at how we can make the way we use them more effective.
I'm guessing that social science research tends to look at the latter
and start from a more fundamental standpoint - that's valid too, but is
not what we did.
The research was conducted to inform the production of a guide to
provide advice to organisers and adult participants in role model
schemes. It wasn't to evaluate existing schemes, or be a piece of
psychology or other social science research.
As such, it focused on finding out from the young people who had
participated in role model projects their attitudes about the projects,
what they found most and least effective etc..
The young people were involved in sixteen projects that we selected as
case studies. In making the selection we chose a good cross section of
different types of schemes according to the type of contact they have
with young people (e.g. one-off events, after school clubs, media
campaigns). The case studies also included those operating on different
levels - nationally, regionally and locally; schemes aimed specifically
at pupils from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds or
specifically at girls, as well as universal schemes and those aimed at
children of primary school and secondary school age. (This para is from
objectives and methodology section of the research report -
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?id=2899)
We decided that for what we needed for the guide, whether the young
people had been exposed to SET interventions or not was not significant
- as for most of the case studies we looked at they don't self-select to
be part of them, so their attributes (and thus how closely these matched
their role models) would be no differently represented than in any other
sample. In other words, we didn't only interview or talk to pupils who
were "pro-science" - see for example, this paragraph from the "Young
people's views" section of the Research report:
http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?id=2902
"This perception of science as a subject only for very clever people and
the concern over being seen as somehow socially dysfunctional if you
take sciences at school is particularly strong amongst young women in
mixed schools doing non-science GCSEs. They were very impressed by the
'Why Not Chem Eng?' and 'Not All Chemists Wear White Coats Posters' and
amazed that chemical engineers could look so normal. This accords with
findings from the research supporting the DTI evaluation of the Go For
It! poster campaign mentioned in the Literature Review, which emphasised
the need for role models to be 'everyday people.' One of the girls
described a women in one of the posters as looking 'just like a mum'.
Another commented that 'they don't look like they're that clever'. Prior
to seeing the posters, she said her attitude was 'I just want to run
away when I think of chemistry.' She felt that this might have been
different if she had learned as a young girl about the kinds of jobs
open to chemists."
Would these young people be inherently different from the ones who
hadn't participated?
The conversations that we had with the young people were restricted to
talking about their attitudes toward science and scientists, and their
experiences of SET role model projects, as the scope of the project was
to produce a guide for SET Role model projects, and we had to stay
practical.
I agree that there's much more work to be done in this area - I think
there's lots of scope to do some really interesting academic/social
science research in this area, and would be pleased to hear of any
that's going on now or has gone on.
I hope that explains some of the background to the Guide, and we welcome
any further feedback or experiences from users of the Guide
(http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/rolemodels) to [log in to unmask]
Best wishes
Scott
Scott Keir
Science in Society Officer
tel +44 (0)20 7451 2513
fax +44 (0)20 7930 2170
web http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk
The Royal Society
6-9 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AG
Registered Charity No 207043
The Royal Society - excellence in science
-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on the public understanding of science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: 08 March 2005 11:43
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Role Models of those not yet involved
Scott, perhaps the quote from the report below does not fully reflect
the
methodology.
"During the research for this guide we questioned 157 young people who
had
just taken part in some kind of activity with SET role models about its
effect."
But if it does, then what additional research was carried out to study
the
influences and role models of young people who have not taken part in
some
kind of activity with SET? Surely these are the young people - those
currently not engaged with science - that we are trying to reach?
I'd be very surprised if the role models of the young people who are
already involved with SET activities, and the role models of those who
are
not already involved, are similar in type or characteristics.
Best wishes,
Dr Jenny Gristock
SPRU
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