Study Links Student Communication Skills to Science Fair Success
A national survey of 1,789 high school students found that using more communication and presentation skills during Science and Engineering Fairs (SEFs) was associated with better outcomes, with research notebook use showing the strongest individual association. The study, conducted across the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years, examined seven skills ranging from literature reviews to judge interviews. The findings highlight a potential gap between the communication practices emphasized in science education standards and those students most commonly practice.
Researchers surveyed 1,789 high school students participating in Science and Engineering Fairs (SEFs) during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 academic years to characterize which communication and presentation skills students used and how those practices related to fair outcomes. The seven skills examined included literature review, research notebook, software for tables/graphs/images, written report, poster board preparation, PowerPoint presentation, and judge interviews. Poster board preparation was the most commonly used skill (67.6% of students), while literature review was the least common (17.3%), and students used an average of three skills overall. Notably, poster board preparation and judge interviews were selected more than twice as frequently as literature reviews and research notebooks. Students who used a greater number of skills reported more positive SEF outcomes, and among individual skills, research notebook use had the strongest association with those outcomes. The study situates these findings within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) framework, which identifies obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information as a core science and engineering practice. The authors discuss implications for how notebooks and other communication tools are integrated into students' science fair experiences.
What's missing
The study is a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review. The survey relied on self-reported data from voluntary, anonymous respondents, which may introduce selection bias. The study reports associations between skill use and SEF outcomes but does not establish causation, and the specific metrics used to define 'positive SEF outcomes' (e.g., awards, scores, self-reported satisfaction) are not detailed in the abstract. The generalizability of findings may be limited by the characteristics of students who voluntarily participate in national SEF surveys.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
High school science fair: Characterizing student communication and presentation practices and their association with SEF outcomes
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