Abstract
This paper examines the incorporation of popular culture into science outreach activities as a means of improving the engagement level of secondary school pupils. Two activities make up the case studies discussed within this paper: „The Science of Sound‟ and „The Music Festival‟. Both case studies utilise the creation and consumption of popular music as a means to; convey physics principles; promote the continued study of physics and raise awareness of the broad range of careers that physics graduates can pursue. Consultation with a range of stakeholders involved in the development, delivery, and participation in the case study activities has been undertaken. This includes a focus group with participating Year 10 students and interviews with secondary school teachers and outreach coordinators. The purpose of this paper is to explore the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges in using popular culture to stimulate engagement in this way, and to share best practise to aid the effective delivery of similar initiatives.
Highlights
The importance of developing a workforce which is highly skilled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) to the future prosperity of the UK economy was brought into focus in 2007 by Lord Sainsbury‟s review of the Government‟s Science and Innovation Policy[1]
This paper considers two science outreach activities delivered within secondary schools in an attempt to increase participation levels in physics within Higher Education
This paper explores the use of popular culture in such activities - explicitly the creation and/or consumption of music - as a vehicle to; convey physics principles; promote the study of physics, and; raise awareness of the broad range of careers that physics graduates can pursue
Summary
The importance of developing a workforce which is highly skilled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) to the future prosperity of the UK economy was brought into focus in 2007 by Lord Sainsbury‟s review of the Government‟s Science and Innovation Policy
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