Developing Young Researchers

Symbolic question marks adorn the city’s roundabouts. Newspaper supplements and TV ads proclaim the wonders of research. Informative posters make readers wonder about endangered species, the Mona Lisa, Qatar’s resources, and a variety of other topics. Research is in the air! For more information, visit the research website

The SEC media campaign is successfully causing citizens to think about the importance of research, and the need to develop Qatar’s human capital to enable it to compete in a global, knowledge-based economy. But the media campaign will only be successful if we can motivate students to think deeply about solutions to real problems, and to pursue careers in research-related professions. How do we accomplish that? Here are five things Independent Schools can do to meet this goal:

1. Educate students
   We need to do the best job we can of teaching the research skills that are embedded in the Curriculum Standards. This means that in Science we must teach scientific enquiry at all grades, not just science content and facts. In Mathematics it means teaching reasoning, problem solving, and data handling, not just how to compute. In English it means teaching critical reading and writing, not just the recall of factual information. In ICT it means teaching how to locate, evaluate, organize, and use electronic information, not just cutting and pasting for reports.

2. Motivate students
   It is not enough to learn the skills. Students must be motivated to use them for real reasons and purposes. One way to do this is through participation in international collaborative projects like GLOBE (www.globe.gov) and iEARN (www.iearn.org). By working on joint projects and collecting data from their respective communities, students learn the value of international collaboration. After-school Research Clubs or Research Electives such as those piloted this spring, offer students opportunities to investigate topics of personal interest that may be outside of the curriculum. Those topics are sometimes controversial and may challenge prevailing norms, but they can empower students to be critical thinkers.

3. Mentor students
   Students should be exposed to role models -- men and women who are actively engaged in research and passionate about their professions. Students need to become aware of the career opportunities that exist and what academic experiences will prepare them for those careers. A proposed research grant program to be offered by Qatar Foundation next year will fund teacher/student research teams and offer another wonderful mentorship opportunity.

4. Challenge students
   Students often achieve their best when challenged with high expectations. The excitement that comes from competing against their peers and winning a prestigious event such as one of the robotic competitions is contagious and self-rewarding. National and international competitions are an excellent way to build school spirit and teach students the value of cooperative planning. International competitions are available for mathematics, sciences, engineering, computer programming, web design, and many others.

5. Reward students
   Ideally, students gain intrinsic rewards like self-confidence and personal gratification in a new discovery or a job done well from their academic experiences. But extrinsic rewards can also be powerful. The Education Excellence Award for Research offers highly visible and prestigious recognition of achievement. Next year, additional student rewards will be offered through the planned National Student Research Fair. Schools need to capitalize on these reward systems and use them to motivate students.

   Schools can’t be expected to develop the next generation of researchers alone. They need the support of parents and community agencies such as industries, ministries, universities, and government agencies. Everyone has a stake in this mission. Working together, we can develop students who can effectively lead Qatar into the future.