Improving the quantitative research skills of Welsh Baccalaureate teachers through university engagement

Charlotte Brookfield,Samuel Parker

doi:10.18546/rfa.04.1.08

Abstract

In 2015, the redesigned Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ) was launched and, for the first time, students undertaking the qualification were required to complete the Skills Challenge Certificate (SCC). Consisting of four components – the Individual Project, the Enterprise and Employability Challenge, the Global Citizenship Challenge and the Community Challenge – the SCC aims to enable learners to develop skills needed for education, employment and life. The Individual Project requires students to undertake a research project that includes analysing data utilizing quantitative data analysis skills. This paper identifies the teaching of such quantitative skills as a difficulty for some teachers involved in the delivery of the qualification, drawing on recent engagement work between Cardiff University and schools and colleges in South Wales. It argues that universities have an opportunity to engage with schools, teachers and school students in the delivery of quantitative research skills that can be beneficial for both schools and universities.

Highlights

Academics are increasingly being required to undertake engagement and outreach activities in addition to the traditional teaching and research functions of universities (Johnson et al, 2019)
This paper seeks to address the following question: ‘How can universities support teachers and schools to deliver the quantitative research methods skills required as part of the Individual Project component of the Skills Challenge Certificate?’ We suggest that such skills are often a concern to teach for those delivering the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ), and that universities have a key role to play in engaging with schools delivering the WBQ
As we discussed in the introduction to this paper, traditional university outreach in schools has predominantly focused on working with school students to develop their skills and knowledge as preparation for higher education or as a means of recruiting future students (Bartel et al, 2003)

Summary

Introduction

Academics are increasingly being required to undertake engagement and outreach activities in addition to the traditional teaching and research functions of universities (Johnson et al, 2019). We argue that the introduction of the Individual Project component of the qualification, which requires students to demonstrate, and teachers to deliver, higher-level numeracy and quantitative research skills, provides an opportunity for universities in Wales to engage with teachers as part of their university’s ‘civic mission’. Through extensive module and curriculum redesign, it is committed to increasing the research methods training provision for social science undergraduate students at Cardiff University It aims to work with schools and colleges in the local community to improve students’ ability and confidence to utilize numerical data in order to undertake research projects. In the academic years 2016/17 and 2017/18 the centre hosted students completing both the national and advanced level of the qualification for skills workshops This included sessions on the key stages of the research process, sampling strategies, survey design and data analysis. Do you have any other comments for Cardiff University on how best to support the teaching and learning of the Skills Challenge Certificate or any other challenges within the Welsh Baccalaureate? Numeracy Handling data Creating questionnaires Enterprise and employability challenge Evidence of acceptance of WBQ by universities Masterclasses for students

Evaluation data

Discussion and conclusions

Notes on the contributors