This paper presents the rationale for the Effecting Principled Improvement in STEM
Education [epiSTEMe] project as part of a current research initiative (Economic and
Social Research Council [ESRC] 2006) intended to inform ongoing efforts to secure
significant enhancements in young people’s school achievement in science and
mathematics, and significant increases in their participation in further study and
employment in these areas. The epiSTEMe project is undertaking research-based
pedagogical development aimed at improving student engagement and learning in
early secondary-school physical science and mathematics, in a form suited to
implementation at scale within the English educational system