Elevuniversitet om energi og klima – et samarbejde i netværk: Nye perspektiver for naturfagsinteressen? "Generating science interest through network and collaboration between primary schools and university on climate and energy"

This paper address the need for developing out-reach activities in a way that can increase primary school pupils interest in science. Building on the hypotheses that the inclusion of more and different actors in developing these outreach activities can strengthen them, this paper presents an initial study investigating the development of a network of actors organizing out-of-school science teaching. This initial study is part of a 3 years action research project, where the network approach has been used to continually design and further development of a pupils’ university on the subject energy and climate for 5 and 6 grade pupils in primary schools within Northern Jutland, Denmark. The methodological framework is routed in action research, and the data collection includes participant observations, cite visits, informal interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. This paper thereby exemplifies and discuss how a cooperation network to support out-of school teaching can be established, developed and brought into action through ongoing learning processes among university, primary school and other institutions. Considering the specific case, the out-reach activities developed by this network approach have shown to be effective in raising awareness and engagement in the pupils university. On that base, it is concluded that the actor-approach holds considerable potentials for developing out-of-school activities; which however calls for further research.