Despite mathematics and science being among the most popular choices for study at A-Level in recent history, with maths, biology, chemistry and physics all featuring in the 10 most popular subjects at A-Level, according to latest HESA data only 225,355 students went on to study Biological, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences. This is less than half the amount of students that went on to study both Medicine or medicine related subjects and Business and Management and represents less than 8% of the total amount of students enrolled in higher education. Evidence suggests students see mathematics and other science subjects more as a gateway to other degree subjects and lack the confidence or interest in pursuing STEM subjects at higher levels.
In this talk we will present details of an ongoing cocreation project, funded by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council, aimed at improving maths confidence amongst school pupils by raising awareness of maths, STEM more broadly, and their application in the context of space exploration. We are running a number of outreach events including school visits and STEM fairs. Participant completed a pre/post questionnaire using an established model to measure maths/science confidence. A preliminary analysis of n ∼ 800 so far, suggests a positive shift on several metrics after the activities. Student became more confident in their own ability and as a result considering a career in maths/science, which demonstrates the importance of these outreach activities for student confidence and widening participation in STEM.
