Including Young Children with Low-Medium Science Capital in Learning Research

Knowledge, attitudes and experiences around science begin to form from early childhood. Naomi Hayward shares the value and challenges of including young children from deprived backgrounds in research to help us develop accessible, engaging and empowering learning resources.

meet archie

Meet Archie. He is a happy and inquisitive five-year old who lives in St. Hildas, Greater Manchester- an area of high socio-economic deprivation. Archie attends the reception year at his local primary school, he likes Octonauts and Peppa Pig, as well as dinosaurs and diggers. He has two older sisters whom he loves playing with. His parents work long hours in low-paid jobs. The family enjoy going to the park and playground and watching TV. They don’t visit museums or science centres.

Archie is a fictional character, but he represents many real young children living in the UK. The Science Museum Group (SMG) Early Years & Learning project, funded by the Helen Hamlyn Trust, aims to reach out to young children like Archie, and provide them with engaging resources to use at our museums. To support the development of these resources, learning research with young children like Archie is essential. How is it possible to find and include these young children in the research?

A class of young children with their teacher sit in a semi circle all wearing hi vis jackets, some of the children have their hands up to answer a question asked by a museum employee sat in the middle. — Young children engaging in research at the Science and Industry Museum as part of the Early Years & Learning project.

A science capital approach

A science capital approach can help. Science Capital refers to the science-related knowledge, attitudes, experiences and resources that a person accumulates over their lives. For example, by playing with diggers, visiting museums or talking to science teachers Archie is likely to accumulate some science capital. The more science capital a person has, the more likely they are to feel that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is useful and important in their life. SMG has used science capital as an approach to ensure access for all, enabling and empowering everyone to benefit from the opportunities and wonders of STEM. The SMG Learning Strategy 2020-2030 specifically prioritises people with low to medium science capital, that is, people like Archie and his family.

local Squirrel scouts wearing their red jumper and blue neckerchief uniforms hold hungry shaped monsters up against a model train to see if it has any of the same shapes on it. — Young children engaging in research at the National Railway Museum as part of the Early Years & Learning project in December 2023.

Measuring science capital

Measuring science capital is challenging. This is a consensus across the literature that young young children’s science capital cannot usually be measured quickly. There is no established theory of standardised assessment to capture young children’s attitudes, experiences, and self-beliefs related to science. It is not possible to simply ask Archie or other young children about their science capital.

However, there is a general consensus across the literature that people, including adults and young children, living in areas of high economic deprivation typically have relatively low science capital. This is because they have less access to STEM engagement opportunities. Archie’s parents work long hours and have limited money so it can be difficult for them to visit science museums. The Early Years & Learning project acknowledges the challenges in measuring science capital, particularly for young children.

So, taking into account these challenges, how did the project include young children resembling Archie in the learning research? With the support of the Science and Industry Museum (SIM) Learning Team, schools and community groups from priority postcodes local to SIM that are likely to experience disadvantage were invited to take part in the research.

Children walk down a narrow museum corridor crammed full of objects from the railways past. They look in awe as they walk past model trains, models, old railway signs and so much more. — Young children engaging in research at the National Railway Museum as part of the Early Years & Learning project in June 2024.

At the National Railway Museum (NRM), schools and community groups located in areas classified by the Office for National Statistics of having high socio-economic deprivation were identified and invited to take part in the research. Archie’s science capital cannot be measured easily, but he can be identified as probably having low science capital through a consideration of the area that he lives in.

Young children visit SMG sites with adults who can support their experiences. The Early Years & Learning project therefore also included a consideration of the science capital of adults accompanying the young children. Adults accompanying children as part of school and community groups were asked the following adaption of SMG’s Visitor Insights Team’s question to consider science capital:

To what extend do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

I have a keen interest in science subjects:

- - - - Definitely agree
      - Tend to agree
      - Neither
      - Tend to disagree
      - Definitely disagree

The response ‘definitely agree’ was classed as high science capital, the response ‘tend to agree’ and ‘neither’ was classed as medium science capital, the response ‘tend to disagree’ and ‘definitely disagree’ was classed as low science capital. This approach to recruitment provided a proxy for the accompanying adults’ science capital levels that aligns with measures and classification of science capital used across the SMG.

Young children wearing yellow hi vis jackets, are sat on the floor in a circle reaching into the centre to pick up a coloured felt tip pen. — Young children engaging in research at the Science and Industry Museum as part of the Early Years & Learning project.

ways forward

The noted approaches of recruiting schools and community groups from deprived areas, as well as asking accompanying adults a proxy question, provided ways to consider science capital levels. Assessing science capital in these ways is by no means perfect, and can be viewed as an estimate rather than a definite classification. However, in the absence of a better alternative, the estimate provides an opportunity to actively recruit and include young children comparable to Archie their accompanying adults with low to medium science capital in research.

This inclusion allows for the development of resources to support engagement and learning for all early years children at SMG sites, thus contributing towards the SMG mission to inspire futures and be open for all. A SMG wide approach to measuring science capital further-supports a prioritisation of visitors with low to medium science capital. Embracing the challenge of measuring science capital in this way helps develop appropriate resources for young children similar to Archie to build science capital.

Our Early Years blog series shares insights from the research, development, and delivery of our work across the Science Museum Group with early years audiences.

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By Naomi Haywood on 16 September 2024