Every year, high school students across the country present their projects at science fairs. For many, these competitions fuel their interest in science and engineering as careers or lifelong hobbies.

But little is known about the underlying appeal leading to students’ decisions to participate in science fairs. For educators, a better understanding of the motivations of fair participants could lead to more effective experiences in the years to come, said Frederick Grinnell, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology.

“Science fairs are one of the best ways to learn what it is like to engage in the actual practice of science and technology because students are acting like young scientists,” said Dr. Grinnell, also a Distinguished Teaching Professor.

Students typically plan a project, conduct research, analyze data, and present a poster of their findings at a science fair – which in a sense is what real-world scientists also do, he said.

Nearly 1,000 scholars, teachers, and parents attended the Uplift Science Fair in January. The event has grown steadily each year. Findings from the UTSW study may help educators target these events for more successful outcomes: getting students genuinely interested in science.

To study the reasons students participate in science fairs, Dr. Grinnell surveyed 1,191 students in seven states from 2021 to 2023. What he learned about the students’ motivation is in a UT Southwestern study titled “High School Science Fair: What Students Say – Mastery, Performance, and Self-Determination Theory.” The paper, published in PLOS One in June, analyzed the students’ positive and negative feedback.

Dr. Grinnell found that learning, conducting research, and enjoying the event topped the reasons why students rated science fairs as positive events. Students who viewed fairs as negative experiences most often said it was because participation was stressful and boring.

The findings underscore the importance of mastery (learning) versus performance (winning) in education, specifically at science fairs. While mastery focuses on skill development and motivation, performance is centered on winning.

In the study, when fair participation was optional, 89.3% of students made positive comments. But when students were required to participate, 53.6% made negative comments.

“Science fairs may succeed best when students are given a choice about their projects, offered an opportunity to enhance skills, and provided a supportive environment in which they are motivated to learn,” Dr. Grinnell said. “It’s about trying to create opportunities where students can do science.”

The findings suggest that science fairs foster enthusiasm by focusing on the Self-Determination Theory, which proposes that autonomy, competence, and community connections underlie growth and development.

The Uplift Science Fair, which is held annually at UT Southwestern in partnership with area schools and the UTSW STARS (Science Teacher Access to Resources) program, is an example of how such an event can inspire a lifetime interest in science. At the fair, students from primary, middle, and high schools present posters of their research and compete for prizes.

The study on science fairs was a collaboration between researchers at UT Southwestern and Southern Methodist University that began in 2015 and has explored diverse features of high school student science fair experiences in relation to student age, gender, ethnicity, and school location.

Joan Reisch, Ph.D., M.S., a Professor of Health Data Sciences & Biostatistics in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, and Simon Dalley, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer for the Department of Physics at Southern Methodist University, co-authored the study.

The benefits of fair participation can be significant, Dr. Grinnell said, and apply to more than just students interested in science.

“Some students who attend fairs will become the scientists and engineers of the future,” he said. “And some will be able to incorporate these experiences into their everyday lives.”