Despite England's improved science scores in international assessments, there's a decline in students' interest and aspirations in science, especially among young women. The ASPIRES longitudinal study revealed that the likelihood of pursuing STEM is influenced by a student's identity, science capital, and supportive environments. Effective teaching and equity-based professional development are crucial for fostering engagement and sustaining inclusive science education. Teachers who provide personalized support and high-quality instruction can significantly impact students' decisions to pursue STEM subjects, while negative experiences and systemic barriers often dissuade students from continuing in these fields. Addressing these challenges requires shifting focus from solely supporting individual students to transforming educational environments and policies.

Useful Links
Equity Compass: https://yestem.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Equity-Compass-for-teachers.pdf
Science Capital Teaching Approach, primary: www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/education-practice-andsociety/research/stem-participation-social-justice-research/primary-science-capital-project
Science Capital Teaching Approach, secondary: www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/education-practice-andsociety/research/stem-participation-social-justice-research/science-capital-teaching-approach

References & Further Reading
Archer, L., Dawson, E., DeWitt, J., Godec, S., King, H., Mau, A., Nomikou, E. and Seakins, A. (2017) Killing curiosity? An analysis of celebrated identity performances among teachers and students in nine London secondary science classrooms. Science Education, 10, 741–764. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21291

Archer, L., DeWitt, J., Godec, S., Henderson, M., Holmegaard, H., Liu, Q., MacLeod, E., Mendick, H., Moote, J. and Watson E. (2023a) ASPIRES 3 Young people’s STEM trajectories, age 10–22. Main Report. London: UCL. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10181968/1/ASPIRES3%20Main%20Report.pdf

Ashford, E., DeWitt, J. and Archer, L. (2024) Is science capital related to positive education, employment, and health outcomes at age 21? UCL ASPIRES research project blog. https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/aspires/2024/04/26/is-sciencecapital-related-to-positive-education-employment-and-health-outcomes-at-age-21

Archer, L., Francis, B., Henderson, M., Holmegaard, H., Macleod, E., Moote, J. and Watson, E. (2023b) Get lucky? Luck and educational mobility in working-class young people’s lives from age 10–21. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 44(5), 843–859. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10169596

Coe, R., Searle, J., Barmby, P., Jones, K. and Higgins, S. (2008) Relative difficulty of examinations in different subjects. Durham: CEM Centre, Durham University. https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1608749/relative-difficulty-of-examinations-in-different-subjects

Hamlyn, B., Brownstein, L., Shepherd, A., Stammers, J. and Lemon, C. (2024) Science Education Tracker 2023. London: Verian/The Royal Society/EngineeringUK.
https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/science-education-tracker/science-education-tracker-2023.pdf

Ofqual (2015) Comparability of different GCSE and A level subjects in England: an introduction. ISC Working Paper 1. Coventry: Ofqual. www.gov.uk/government/publications/comparability-of-gcse-and-a-level-subjects-an-introduction

Thomson, D. (2022) Why A-level physics students are doubly penalised by grading severity. FFT Education Datalab.
https://ffteducationdatalab.org.uk/2022/06/why-a-level-physics-students-are-doubly-penalised-by-grading-severity

TIMSS (2024) Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2023: National report for England, Volume 1. London: DfE.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/trends-in-international-mathematics-and-science-study-2023-england