This study is set in the North/NorthWest region of Ireland which, under the European NUTS classification framework, is considered to be a transition region (where GDP per capita falls between 75 and 90 percent of the EU average) (EuroStat, 2021). This region has experienced significant population growth moving from 650,000 in 2020 to 903,000 in 2022. Since 2017, the same region has experienced an increase in the prevalence of poverty and social exclusion rising from 2.9% in 2017 to 4.9% in 2020, above the rest of the country (EuroStat, 2023).Young people from such marginalised rural settings across Europe experience significant disadvantage compared to their urban counterparts when it comes to opportunities to enter the workforce (Flynn et, al., 2022; Erdogan et al., 2021; Mujčinović et al., 2021) ultimately reinforcing existing perspectives on the relevance of education. In Ireland, measures to address the impact of poverty and social exclusion are responding to the European Smart Specialisation Platform, which aims to boost employment across Europe in areas that require a diverse set of skills, that move the population beyond the dominance of agriculture. In the North/Northwest, this means being part of a strategic move towards a knowledge economy where the second level subject of science has a key role to play. The relationship between education and diversity for prosperity in marginalised rural communities couldn’t be clearer.

As part of a broader project to explore how science education, an  ever-increasing requirement for progression to employment in the Irish economy, could be enhanced in marginalised second level schools, the project team uncovered a disproportionate participation rate across gender in upper secondary school science education at a national level. It was found that males were participating at a ratio of approximately 1:2 ( male: female), half the numbers of their female peers (SEC, 2020). While work has been done to promote opportunities in Science in the 12-18 year age group, it is evident that many male students from rural areas, such as the North/NorthWest region, continue to struggle to see the study of science subjects such as Biology as being relevant to their lives. Hence, considering their future entry to the workforce in growth areas under the S3 framework, disengagement with Science as a subject leads to immediate disadvantage and an increased risk of poverty and social deprivation in a region that is already disadvantaged. 

Considering the idea of Science Capital, or a student’s view of the relevance of science to their identity and life aspirations (Archer et al., 2015), lived experience such as community/school engagement and socialisation within the familial setting, can play a role in limiting the aspirations that any student might hold (Bourdieu, 2018). Thus, important considerations regarding the teaching of science in regions such as the North/NorthWest of Ireland emerge. Bourdieu (2018) suggests that the totality of the environment which somebody inhabits directly influences the development of an individual and their orientation to the world around them. In the case of prospective upper second level male biology students in the North/NorthWest region, this may hold true as there appears to be a tension between the students perception of the relevance of science to their career trajectory, and the future career opportunities under a national alignment with the EU Smart Specialisation Platform. 

The work reported on here seeks to unpick the influence of familial socialisation in relation to the perception of science, as part of a broader social ecosystem, as it relates to future opportunities for male secondary school students within a marginalised European transition region - the North/NorthWest of Ireland.

The data collection strategy for this study was a student survey with both closed and open questions to explore the relevance of Science and future career ambitions as well as descriptors including parental occupation. The survey included measurable constructs of Science Capital (Godec et al. 2017; Moote et al., 2021) as well as the Theory of Planned Behaviour (attitude towards science, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, intention to study science) as proposed by Salleh (2013). Further, this data collection approach allowed for anonymity, measurable variables but also provided opportunities for respondents to articulate additional insight and accumulate as rich a dataset as possible (Cohen et al., 2017). The survey was extended to a purposive sample of second level students in two marginalised rural schools in the North/NorthWest region of Ireland. The schools were selected based on geography and designation as schools which have significant numbers of students who experience educational disadvantage. In addition, both schools are multi-gender and have a Transition Year (TY) programme, during which students must decide what subjects they will study at upper secondary school in the following year. Prior to engagement, students and parents were provided with information sheets detailing the study and ethical considerations (e.g. consent, anonymity, confidentiality etc.). Participation was voluntary and formal sanction for this study was sought and granted by the University Ethics Board. The first school, School A, is located in the very north of the region and has a pupil enrolment of 600. School B is located in the most western area of the region and has a pupil enrolment of 112. There is a participation rate in TY of approximately 65% within such schools for both genders (DES, 2022). The response rate for the survey in School A was 74% (N=48; 21 males, 26 females and 1 preferred not to say) and for School B 100% (N=23; 11 males, 14 females).

Data collected from the larger school, School A, revealed that the influence of familial settings, in particular the perception of Biology, as an interesting subject or as a useful subject towards future career choice, had a significant impact on the perspective of participating male students. This was evident when asked if they would choose Biology at upper secondary school resulting in 2/21 positive responses in comparison to the female students where 13/21 indicated they would study Biology. Students in School B were asked the same questions with only 2/11 males indicating that Biology was considered interesting or useful for future career choice, and 0/11 said that they would study biology in the following year compared to 9/14 of their female peers. Further, students in both schools were also asked to identify their science subject of choice for upper secondary school. Many of the male students chose Agricultural Science as an alternative to Biology as it was related to rural activities and employment. Findings presented indicate that parental attitudes towards Biology, and Science subjects more generally, have a significant impact on the perceived relevance of science to the everyday lives of students and the science capital that students may have. In addition, contemporary employment patterns in the region such as farming, although farming is largely a part-time occupation in the North/NorthWestern region of Ireland, plays a significant role in how male second level student relate science to their future prosperity and ultimately any diversification of opportunity for employment in the region. Data analysis is ongoing, and the authors aim to present further insight into influence of familial socialisation in relation to the perception of science, as part of a broader social ecosystem within a marginalised European transition region - the North/NorthWest of Ireland.

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