New Perspectives in Science Education

Effective primary STEM education increasingly depends on approaches that connect scientific concepts to children’s lived experiences through purposeful collaboration between teachers, families and communities [1]. Creating these kinds of connections requires structured, relational approaches that make science accessible, relevant and shared across home and school contexts. The Science for Fun programme leverages school–family–college partnerships to support primary STEM learning and broaden participation among underrepresented communities [2, 3]. Situated in three Irish primary schools, the programme positioned parents as co‑facilitators alongside preservice teachers during hands‑on workshops on electricity and magnetism. Drawing on science‑capital theory and inclusive STEM pedagogy [4], the intervention aimed to increase children’s confidence, motivation and engagement while strengthening parents’ science capital and preservice teachers’ competencies in family–school partnerships. Using a phenomenological approach, data were gathered from reflective questionnaires (n = 23) completed by preservice teachers following each workshop. Thematic analysis revealed substantial attitudinal shifts: participants moved from apprehension to viewing parents as instructional partners; they reported improved communication skills, increased awareness of diverse family contexts and deeper appreciation of parents’ contributions to STEM learning [5]. Parents’ presence was perceived to boost pupils’ confidence, persistence and enjoyment of science, reinforcing research indicating the positive influence of family engagement on STEM outcomes. The study illustrates how low‑cost, curriculum‑aligned STEM outreach can reduce barriers to participation for disadvantaged and Traveller‑community and also identifies replicable design principles. The findings support international calls to embed authentic school–family partnerships within teacher preparation and to adopt science‑capital‑informed approaches that make STEM relevant, familiar and accessible to all learners.

Keywords: parent engagement; primary STEM; science capital; preservice teacher education

References: 1] Sheldon, S. (2019). Improving Student Outcomes with School, Family and Community Partnerships. In Epstein (Ed.), School, Family and Community Partnerships.

[2] Lawton, S. (2015). Science Buddies—Engaging Students and Parents in Science Education at Primary and Post‑Primary Level. In New Perspectives in Science Education

[3] Epstein, J. (2018). School, Family and Community Partnerships in Teachers’ Professional Work. Journal of Education for Teaching

[4] Archer, L., Dawson, E., DeWitt, J., Seakins, A., & Wong, B. (2015). Science Capital: A Conceptual, Methodological and Empirical Argument. Journal of Research in Science Teaching.

[5] Ryan, S., Walsh, E., & Liston, M. (2025). “The Parents Were Brilliant!” Engaging Parents in STEM Learning. Social Sciences, 14, 215