High school science fair: Characterizing student communication and presentation practices and their association with SEF outcomes

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information is one of the eight Science and Engineering Practices in the National Research Council framework that underlies Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Scientific inquiry requires evaluation and communication of research findings. These skills are part of scientific inquiry itself. The goal of this study was to characterize the communication practices students used during Science and Engineering Fairs (SEFs). To examine these practices, we included the following question in our online anonymous and voluntary national high school SEF surveys carried out during 2021−22 and 2022−23, “What types of communication and presentation skills did you use in your science fair project?” The possible answers were literature review; research notebook; software to prepare tables, graphs, or images; written report; poster board preparation; PowerPoint presentation; and interview with the judges. Literature review and research notebook are part of developing research questions and data collection. Software to prepare tables, graphs, or images, and PowerPoint presentation contribute to analyzing research and developing a presentation. Written reports, poster board preparation, and interviews with the judges provide the opportunity to present the findings. Overall, 1789 students answered the question. The percentage of students utilizing these skills ranged from 17.3% doing a literature review to 67.6% preparing a poster board. On average, students indicated the use of three skills. Poster board preparation and interview with the judges were selected by students more frequently than literature review and research notebook. Positive SEF outcomes were associated with greater use of communication and presentation skills. Among the different skills, use of a research notebook showed the strongest association. In this paper, we present the findings and discuss implications regarding use of notebooks and other communication and presentation skills in students’ SEF experiences and engagement with scientific inquiry.