Workpackages
WP 1 Management
Management of the whole project, organizing conferences, organizing publications, establishing contact to possible stakeholders of new science holiday camps
This WP contains a strong management executed by an experienced organization. The management deals on
- Financial aspects
- Time shedule
- Overall communication structure
Contact to partner projects in EU-Programmes
WP 2 Exploitation
Exploiting existing science holiday camps in various aspects: organziation, programme, collaboration with regional stakeholders like universities, colleges, industry and companies (focus on SME).
This workpage will include a survey over exitsting science holiday camps in the participating countries as well as other European countries. The survey will focus on
- Organizational aspects (duration, number of participants, age adressed)
- Financial aspects (funding, expenses, fees)
- Progamme aspects
- Pedagogical aspects (e.g. is the curriculum IBSE driven?)
- Aspects of collaboration with partners from outside
- Spezial focus on SMEs
- Career aspects
Excursions to natural sites, to companies, universities etc.
WP 3 Best Practice in Collaboration
Developing a publication of best practice on collaboration of science holiday camps with stakeholders, schools, parents, external education partners, science contests etc.
This publication will be available online and will be published in different languages, distributed through the Scientix website (WP 5).
The workpackage will contribute to a series of collaboration workshops among partners who are working together in conducting science holiday camps and those who are interested in joining in. Due to time and financial restrictions this could not be done Europe-wide, but in 4-6 regional conferences. Driven by the results of WP2 a publication is prepared combining best practice examples as models for succesfull work.
The philosophy of the workshops could be descirbed by collaborative construction. Every partner joning will contribute it´s own aspect on science holiday camps. These aspects are shared on an equivalent level, in a way everyone is an expert (communities of practice).
WP 4 Evaluation and Research
Research will focuss on two things:
- How are the participants affected by joining the science holiday camp?
- How is collaboration organized?
1. Participants response
Research on learning in labs shows an effect on the students interest, knowledge and motivation to deal with questions of Science and Mathematics (Glowinski 2007, Pawek 2009). These labs are usually visited for one day. The impact of science holiday camps on career decisions are not yet researched, but questionaires show a great acceptance of this event.
Through interviews, questionnaires and follow-up data collection we would like to research on the long-term effect of science holiday camps. As the group conducts science holiday camps since years, we are able to follow the participants from former years, who in some cases made their career decision and already started the vocational training or university studies. These persons will be targeted by questionaires and – in fewer number – by interviews. Research will focus on interst, motivation and retrospective on the career decision to get data about the function of the science holiday camps on individuals.
The methods are psychological methods focussing on interest and motivation (Krapp 1999, 2000) and on the self-concept of the persons (Shavelson et al. 2007). Another question is, wether the methods used in science holiday camps influence the interest and the long-term effects. It has been stated that cook-book activities have a small or even a negativ effect (Hofstein & Lunetta 2004, Harlen 1999, Hodson 1993). As science holiday -camps allow a much more open approach than students labs they offer a much mor constructivistic approach towards science and technology. It might be interesting to discover an effect on gender according to this fact.
2. Organization of collaboration
The various forms of collaboration of the organizers of science holiday camps will be researched in case studies, using methods of sociology. The methods are summarized under „educational governance“ and include network-analysis, distribution of information, duration of collaboration, hierarchie etc. (Kussau & Brüsemeister 2007).
WP 5 Distribution and Implementation
The results from WP 2 – 4 are distributed through an interactive website. The website is going to be hosted by the Scientix project, and is build through the lifetime of the project. Additional to this the results will be pubulisched on national and international conferences, will be fed into networks of science holiday camp organizators.
WP 2 (Exploitation) suggests to organize national network and a transnational network from the data we gain from exploiting existing science holiday camp activities from the partner countries as well as from other countries.
Finally local conferences for stakeholders will be organized to share the results of WP 2-4 with those who are already engaged in science holiday camps as well as those persons who plan to create new science holiday camps.
References
Europe needs more scientists 2004: Report of the High Level Group on Increasing Human Resources for Science and Technology in Europe. European Commission, Brussels.
Crombie et al, 2003: Positive effecs of science and technology summer camps on confidence, vlues and future intentions Europe needs more scientists 2004
Glowinski, I. 2007: Schülerlabore im Themenbereich Molekularbiologie als Interesse fördernde Lernumgebungen (Students´ labs concerning molecular biology fostering interest). Diss. Univ. Kiel.
Harlen, W. (1999). Effective Teaching of Science - A Review of Research. Edinburgh:
Scottish Council for Research.
Hodson, D. (1993). Re-thinking Old Ways: Towards a more critical approach to practical
work in school science. Studies in Science Education, 22, 85-142.
Hofstein, A. & Lunetta, V. N. (2004). The Laboratory in Science Education: Foundations
for the Twenty-First Century. International Journal of Science Education,
88(1), 28-54.
Krapp, A. (1999). Interest, motivation and learning: An educational–psychological perspective. European Journal of Psychology in Education, 14, 23–40.
Krapp, A. (2000). Interest and human development during adolescence: An educational–
psychological approach. In J. Heckhausen (Hrsg.), Motivational psychology
of human development (S. 109–128). London: Elsevier.
Kussau, J, Brüsemeister, T. 2007: Educational Governance: Zur Analyse der Handlungskoordination im Mehrebenensystem der Schule (Analysis of action coordination in the multi-level school system). In: Altrichter, H., Brüsemeister, T, Wissinger J. (Eds): Educational Governance. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden.
OECD 2003: The PISA 2003 Framework – Mathematics, Reading, Science and Problem Solving Knowledge and Skills.
Pawek, C. 2009: Schülerlabore als interessefördernde außerschulische Lernumgebungen für Schülerinnen und Schüler aus der Mittel- und Oberstufe. (Students´ labs fostering interest in out-of-school education of lower and higher secondary students). Diss. Univ. Kiel.
Schaef, A. 2011: Die Bedeutung von Arbeitsgemeinschaften im naturwissenschaftlichen Bereich für die Entwicklung der Berufswahl. (The role of science workshops for career decisions). Examensarbeit Univ. Halle, unpubl.
Shavelson, R. J., Hubner, J. J. & Stanton, G. C. (1976). Self-concept: validation of
construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407-444.