Motivators and barriers for STEM club engagement

This brief paper, published in July 2024, brings together findings from Everfi’s literature review and research on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) clubs, with a particular focus on the Robotics Challenge. By summarising Everfi’s research, we draw out key motivators and barriers for student and teacher engagement in STEM outreach. We also highlight how EngineeringUK plans to use the learnings as we continue working on ways to engage schools with STEM activities.

Some of the key learnings highlighted in the report include:

• There are a range of motivators for students to engage with STEM activities, including practical work and working in friendship groups
• Boys tended to be more interested in STEM clubs/ attending STEM clubs
• Motivators for teachers include the cost and quality of resources as well as the return on investment from clubs
• A key reason girls didn’t enjoy STEM subjects was their perception of STEM as lacking creativity
• Teachers’ views on barriers for students to join STEM clubs include girls’ reluctance to join if friends aren’t involved, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds often having after-school commitments
• Time, resources and information are key barriers for teachers in trying to diversity STEM clubs