The Impact of After School Science Club on the Learning Progress and Attainment of Students

Abstract

This study reports the measured impact of attendance at after school science club (ASSC) on the progress and attainment of Key stages 3 and 4 students in a coeducation academy in the UK. The research was experimental in design and collected data from both a control and an experimental group of participants, 17 and 140 respectively. Data were collected through observation, questionnaires, focus groups and test performance scores. The data were subjected to various statistical analyses using SPSS. The means of performance scores for students in both control and experimental groups were tested for significance at different time points using Welch’s T-test, and the effect of the ASSC on science performance scores across the different time points for both groups was tested (pre and posttests) using the Kruskal Wallis test. The questionnaire was analyzed using thematic analysis with recurrent themes identified following a process of coding to establish the skills that students can gain from attending and participating in an ASSC. The study found that the experimental group, who attended ASSC showed improvements in their academic attainment although most participants identified the acquisition of non-academic skills as the more significant outcome of their engagement. These skills included collaboration and teamwork, leadership and communication skills, and confidence in learning. Drawing on the findings, the study provides evidence that discipline-specific after-school clubs can facilitate learning and recommends that discipline-informed extra-curricular activities should be promoted in facilitating learning in STEM subjects.