Explorify evaluation report 2023

After a year of STEM Learning and PSTT taking over the management of Explorify from Wellcome, CFE research, an independent research company, were commissioned to produce an evaluation report on the reach and impact of Explorify.

For the evaluation, hundreds of surveys were sent out to primary educators and focused group interviews were conducted. From this, a wealth of quantitative and qualitative data was collected and we’re very excited to share these results with our users.

The evaluation investigated three factors contributing to Explorify engagement. In order to think about how Explorify is used in its up-to-date educational context, the evaluation first considered the nature of primary science teaching in 2023. Following on from this, the evaluation closely considered teachers’ awareness of Explorify. Finally, the questionnaire and interviews aimed to ascertain the impact that Explorify has on pupils and teachers, and to establish the nature and extent of this impact.

From the surveys we were delighted that 94 percent of teachers stated that they would recommend Explorify and promote its use in schools and 93 percent agreed that it had positively impacted their teaching practice, giving them more confidence to teach science and improving their science subject knowledge.

As well as the positive effects for teachers we were also really pleased to learn that 93% of educators reported that Explorify had a positive impact on their pupils, such as increased engagement in discussions, improved speaking and listening skills, and greater enjoyment of science lessons.

From the interviews, we received some really constructive and rewarding feedback. For example, one of our Explorify champions wanted to give their thoughts on our planning support content.

“I've been pushing Explorify for teachers who lack confidence in their science teaching or are new to teaching and get them to base their science lesson plans on Explorify and then pad it out further to make it relevant to their school context. The 30-minute planning videos, that's what Explorify was crying out for, and they've done it really, really well. You might have a science teacher who isn’t confident, but with Explorify, you get the 30-minute walk and there’s your lesson plan”.

     Explorify Champion

It was great to hear that these resources have had a positive impact on less confident teachers as it shows that Explorify has had success in its goal to equip both teachers and pupils with the skills and resources to prepare, deliver and take part in engaging science lessons.

We received other feedback in support of our aim to support talk in science and, through this, expand curiosity and questioning. 

“I could see that [Explorify] would be a great tool for getting children to start talking about science. I could see that the visual activities would be a great tool for assessing what children already know, which then helps to feed into planning lessons”.

     Science Leader

The report also highlighted ideas to further develop Explorify such as how to expand the reach of Explorify through the use of Explorify Champions, and diversifying how educators engage with Explorify beyond science lessons. For example, using it to support children’s literacy.

At Explorify we are very pleased that the survey data and direct feedback evidence the beneficial impact of the website on both educators and children. It is important to us that our aims of promoting thinking skills and an enjoyment of science is realised in the classroom and that we are having a positive impact on our community of users.

Read the full report here.                        Look at our summary infographic.

We wanted to learn more about how Explorify is used on a day-to-day basis in schools. Therefore, this evaluation was accompanied by a case study, conducted with the help of the Brindishe federation. Read more about this here.