Melinda Kirk’s PhD is enacting impactful inquiry in primary science

Melinda Kirk is an educator with over 20 years of experience as a primary school teacher, primary science teacher, creative arts teacher, education researcher and pre-service teacher educator. She is passionate about supporting teachers’ and students’ learning, joy of learning, and inquiry.

Her transition to academia resulted from many conversations in which people suggested that she consider further study, research and teaching pre-service teachers. These conversations and encouragement led her to pursue a Master of Education at the University of Wollongong, where she engaged in research in schools.

Since 2018, Melinda has been working as an Education Research Assistant at Deakin. Her research focuses on giving students a voice in their education, encouraging critical and creative thinking, and improving teaching approaches, especially in primary schools. Melinda’s PhD project, ‘Impactful Inquiry in Primary Science’, explored ways to effectively support critical and creative thinking and collaboration in primary science classes.

Here, Melinda talks about her passion for teaching and research and the joy she finds developing and enacting student voice-responsive, impactful inquiry.

What is your PhD research project about?

International education policy and national and state curricula aim to develop students’ critical and creative thinking, collaboration skills, and their ability to be active and informed citizens. However, implementing these goals in primary science classes can be challenging. My research focused on developing students’ ability to engage in science in generative and meaningful ways, both now and in the future.

My project was conducted in a school in Melbourne closely following extended school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so students’ engagement in a microorganisms sequence required careful consideration of associated anxiety. Teachers helped students manage their anxiety and grapple with risk. Instead of just learning about issues (microbes and associated health risks), students were encouraged to voice their ideas and actively solve a problem they identified (high microbial load in a school lost property box). By working closely with their teachers, students were able to address a real problem that was important to them. As a result, I conceptualised the students’ ‘impactful inquiry’ experience.

I coined the phrase ‘impactful inquiry’ to describe students’ generative, ‘real’ science inquiry, in which they investigate, develop and action science-informed solutions to an identified issue of significance to them and their community.

Why did you decide to do your PhD at Deakin?

When I was completing my Master of Education, I was invited to research and write with Dr Kylie Lipscombe. This experience encouraged me to engage further in research in schools, so when my family moved to Victoria in 2018, I applied for the role of Research Assistant on the Australian Research Council-funded project Interdisciplinary Primary Science and Mathematics Learning (IMS) led by Professor Russell Tytler at Deakin. This experience, working closely with researchers, teachers and students, ignited my passion for primary science education research. I am very grateful for the rich experience of working with all of the IMS research team and their induction into the research community. The mentorship and encouragement from Professor Russell Tytler and Associate Professor Peta White led me to undertake my PhD at Deakin University.

How was your experience with your supervisors?

The support of my supervisory team has been invaluable throughout my PhD journey.

I am very grateful to my supervisory team – Associate Professor Peta White, Dr Jo Raphael, Dr Joseph Ferguson, and Associate Professor Scott Webster. During my candidature, I experienced many challenges, including three operations. Their support, guidance and encouragement have been instrumental to my success. Their mentorship helped shape my research. They challenged my thinking, greatly enriching my research development, outcomes, and efficacy to continue my research and writing.

The Deakin research community has been incredibly supportive throughout my PhD research. I’d like to especially acknowledge and thank Professor Russell Tytler, who, although not one of my supervisors, has greatly supported my research development and dissemination, and Professor Catherine Bennet, who generously made a video for the students, which inspired them to be ‘Epidemiologists in the school’.

Deakin University’s support of early career researchers and my research has made my PhD a rich experience.

What were the highlights of your PhD research?

Although there have been many highlights, including presentations and publications, the impact at the school level has been the most rewarding and motivating part of my research.

One highlight was attending the Year 6 students’ whole school assembly presentation of their science-grounded recommendations for revised school procedures. The excitement and pride of the students, teachers and school leadership, who exclaimed, ‘Now that’s what I call student voice and agency’, was an affirming moment. This, along with the students reporting that they felt confident about pursuing science in high school and like they could ‘make a difference’, was the most rewarding moment. The key reason for my shift into academia was my aim to develop and support rich educational experiences in schools and ‘make a difference’.

What are your future research aspirations?

From my research, I’ve developed a framing of impactful inquiry – a way for students to learn science in ways that make a difference in matters of significance to them and their community. Students who participated in my research suggested that all students should experience this kind of science learning. I hope that my impactful inquiry framing, community of learning approach and pedagogical strategies can inspire and inform the enactment of impactful inquiry in primary science more broadly.

I seek to help uphold student voice and foster student agency, with the goal of empowering students to action change in matters that matter to them. l want to support teachers to develop students’ efficacy to make science-informed decisions for a better- future and possibly pursue science careers. In a world with an uncertain future and unknown socio-ecological challenges, students need to be supported to make their desired difference for a better future.

I look forward to researching further in this area, with many more ideas in development to explore.

Melinda Kirk