Science and engineering for what? A large-scale analysis of students' projects in science fairs
This research informs instruction and resource design for K-12 science fairs, though it is incremental as it applies existing methods to new data.
The study analyzed over 5,000 science fair projects from Brazil over 20 years using topic modeling to identify trends in student inquiry topics, finding significant variations over time, region, and school settings.
Science and Engineering fairs offer K-12 students opportunities to engage with authentic STEM practices. Particularly, students are given the chance to experience authentic and open inquiry processes, by defining which themes, questions and approaches will guide their scientific endeavors. In this study, we analyzed data from over 5,000 projects presented at a nationwide science fair in Brazil over the past 20 years using topic modeling to identify the main topics that have driven students' inquiry and design. Our analysis identified a broad range of topics being explored, with significant variations over time, region, and school setting. We argue those results and proposed methodology can not only support further research in the context of science fairs, but also inform instruction and design of contexts-specific resources to support students in open inquiry experiences in different settings.