Transforming Initial Wonder into Structured Understanding: Experiential Science Demonstrations to Foster STEM Pathways

The transition from secondary education to STEM-related higher education is often hindered by students’ perceptions of science as abstract, inaccessible, or disconnected from everyday experience. This contribution presents Beyond the Magic, an educational outreach project aimed at upper-secondary students, designed to promote early interest in scientific careers through short, live, and participatory science demonstrations conducted under controlled conditions and incorporating appropriate safety measures for educational settings. The project is structured around a series of carefully designed experimental demonstrations that initially provoke surprise and cognitive conflict. Students are actively involved in predicting outcomes, observing phenomena, and collaboratively constructing explanations guided by facilitators. The experiences address foundational concepts in chemistry and physics—such as reaction kinetics, gas behavior, surface tension, protein chemistry, and phase interactions—linking observable effects to underlying scientific principles. Classroom implementation revealed high levels of student engagement, with learners participating actively, posing spontaneous questions, and extending discussions beyond the planned content. These emergent inquiries suggest that the experiential format not only captures students’ attention but also stimulates scientific curiosity and deeper conceptual exploration. From a pedagogical perspective, this work highlights the role of affective engagement and inquiry-based experimentation as key mechanisms for lowering barriers to STEM learning. By transforming initial wonder into structured understanding, the project supports the development of scientific reasoning and contributes to building positive STEM identities during the critical transition between secondary and higher education.