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Science Fairs: Promoting Positive Attitudes Towards Science From Student Participation

Posted on: Sunday, 4 April 2004, 06:00 CDT

The purpose of the article is to describe step by step procedures teachers can use to successfully engage their students in the development of science fair projects. The article further explains how the student should prepare their science fair project for science fair competition. It is expected that increasing student participation in science fair project of their interests! will increase student engagement in the science classroom

In 1928, the United States held its first student science fair, and since that time, student participation has grown in phenomenal proportions (Bellipanni & Lilly, 1999); however, the question remains, what might be gained by students who participate in science fairs have more positive attitudes towards science?

Science Fair Checklist

Science News (2002) has created a checklist for teachers and students getting involved in science fairs. The checklist includes but is not limited to the following:

* Teachers will help students focus on an appropriate topic and project that interests the student.

* Students research the topic and build on that knowledge with further research.

* Students develop a hypothesis and design a plan for (1) making observations, (2) collecting data, (3) interpreting data and observations,(4) analyzing data and observations, and (5) drawing conclusions.

* Students finalize the project for presentation and create an attractive exhibition board.

* Students practice presentation and prepare to answer judges' questions.

* Students present their project at their school's Science Fair.

According to one study, "most teachers believe that students who adhered to student science projects meet the educational goals of science as recommended in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Teachers Association (Schneider & Lumpe, 1996, pp. 81-88), But does that necessarily mean that learning is accomabout science increase?

A student's level of self-esteem and belief in his or her ability to learn influences learning, and while promoting the cognitive and intellectual development of students is the primary focus of science fairs, Andrea Balas (1998, updated 2002) contends,

Science fair projects also foster development of a students' sense of personal capabilities and qualities. Additionally, science fair projects help students develop an appreciation for nature and the relevance of science in daily life, thereby promoting positive attitudes toward science (p. 1).

It still remains that while much professional literature reports science fair participation by students helps promote positive attitudes about science, there is still have little affirmation that students concur with that belief. However, according to Bruce and Bruce (2000), one of the more common reasons that some students become interested in science is from a personal experience in a science fair participation.

Do the students who participate in science fairs have a more positive attitudes towards science? Yes, science fairs do increase positive attitudes towards science when they participate in science fairs. As maintained by the study reported by Abernathy & Vineyard (2001), "students agree that the science fair is fun and that they learn new things at the science fair...science projects teach students about the seientific method and promote their interest in science" (pp. 269-276).

Selecting an Appropriate Topic and Project

When a student begins to show interest in developing a science fair project, careful consideration should be given to how the project topic is selected. Student interest is a critical factor for topic selection. The student will be spending a great deal of time over the next several months researching, developing, and presenting the project. Hence, creating a commitment to the project's success depends on enduring interest and active engagement student scientist. Equally important in matching with topic is the cognitive level of the student scientist, not merely the grade level. The project should be fun, informative, creative, and adhere to the scientific method.

Developing the Project

A good science fair project is an experiment. The project creates a test to find out an answer to a question. For example, if one wishes to determine which plant food will produce the healthiest plants certain procedures are in order. First you would get some plants. Then design a way to make all growing environments consistent, divide the plants into equal groups, feed the different groups different types of plant food, chart growth rates over time, record and analyze results, and draw conclusions as to which plant food produced the healthiest plants.

Avoid using demonstrations or simple reports that do not use the scientific method. They simply show what you know and nay have researched about a given topic.

Using the Scientific Method

Once the specific topic to be studied has been identified there is a need to gather background information by conducting a review of related literature. Utilize all available resources by researching all print materials such as books, journals, and magazines as well as searching the Internet. It is important to keep notes that record where all of your information is retrieved. Use the following procedures to direct the development of the project by use of the scientific method:

* State the purpose of your experiment. (Define the problem)

* Select a variable to be tested.

* State the hypothesis, the educated guess as to what the answer might be.

* Describe how the variable will be changed.

* State how the results will be measured.

* Record all activities in a daily log. Include photographs of different stages of the experimental procedures.

* Analyze the collected data.

* Display the data by use of charts and graphs.

* Develop conclusions.

* Infer implications and make recommendations for further study.

The Written Report

The written report should be typed, double-spaced in size 12 font using standard print, not bold face. Include the following elements: title page, table of contents, problem, hypothesis, procedures, materials, variable and controls, results, conclusions, discussion, and bibliography. Use a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word to type your report. Cite those resources that you used in your project. Use either APA or MLA writing format for the entire report. A copy of the completed written report should be on display with the project during science fair competition.

Displaying the Project

A one, two, or three-sided presentation may provide the display. Despite the style selected, the project must stand on its own, using strong supportive material as a base such as cardboard, foam board, or pegboard. State or regional hosts of upcoming science fairs list acceptable dimensions for the displays. Remember, it is important to not exceed the recommended size dimensions.

The title directs focus to the project. The title should also attract interest to the project. A good display should include visuals such as photographs, graphs, charts, or other graphics of the experiment.

The completed display should be attractive and neat, with no misspelled words. The organization of materials presented should be easy to read, have a logical flow of information, as be well organized. Make sure that all of the content is complete, contains all of the important information, and is a stand alone presentation of the project that is self reporting

Personal Interviews

Each science fair participant is interviewed by at least one judge during the competition. Science fair participants should practice explaining their project to someone such as a parent, friend, or grandparent. The judges are interested in what the student has learned. Judges are also interested in how engagement in the science project has shaped the student's attitude toward future science ventures. The judges will evaluate the projects based on the criteria used in the regional, state, or nation science fair competitions. The judging process is a very difficult task and some of the judges may be more experienced than others. Developers of science projects may glean valuable information for further study from the comments of science fair judges.

Summary

Science fair participation stimulates deeper interest in the proposed problem for experimentation. From the selection of a topic, to the review of the literature to the formulation of the hypothesis, and the designing of the experiment all contribute to the thinking about scientific subjects as a scientist would. Additionally, the results of the experiments often create wonder about other things. Questions about the project, as well as questions about other students' projects, may spark curiosity that engenders the formulation of further hypotheses to be followed by research and experimentation. Hence, the topic for next year's science fair competition is born! What could provide more concrete proof of increased learning and more positive attitudes toward science for active partieipants of science fair projects?

References

Abernathy, T.V. & Vineyard, R.N. (2001). Academic competitions in Science: What are the rewards for children? The Clearing House, 74 (5), 269-276.

Balas, A. (1998, updated 2002). Science Fairs in Elementary School. ERIC Digest, (1). http:// www.ericse.org/digests/dse98- 1.html

Bellipanni, \L.J. & Lilly, J.E. (1999). What have researchers been saying about science fairs? Science and Children, May 99, (46- 50).

Bruce, S.P. & Bruce, B.C. (2000). Constructing images of science: People, technologies, and practices. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 241-256.

National Science Teachers Association. (1968). NSTA position statement: Science competitions. http://www.ntsa.org/! 59&id=3

Schneider, R. M. & Lumpe, A.T. (1996). The nature of student science fair Projects in comparison to educational goals for science. Ohio Journal of Science, 96 (4/5), 81-88.

Science News. Student Science Fair Checklist, (2002). Retrieved June 19, 2003 from http:// www.sciserv.org/isef/teachers/ student_checklist.aspScience News.

Student Science Fair Checklist, (2002). Retrieved June 19, 2003 from http://www.sciserv.org/ isef/teachers/teacher_checklist.asp

JANELL D. WILSON, PH.D.

Department of Education Resources

Jacksonville State University

SHEILA CORDRY

Pre-service Teacher, Language Arts

Secondary Education

CAROL ULINE, ED., D.

Jacksonville State University

Department of Education Resources

Jacksonville State University

Copyright Project Innovation, Inc. Mar 2004

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