Abstract
Science shows as a medium for communicating science are used widely across the UK, yet there is little literature about the long-term impact they may have. This longitudinal study looks at the short-term and long-term impact of the science show Music to Your Ears, which was initially performed throughout the UK on behalf of the Institute of Physics in 2002, and which has since been offered at schools and events through the enterprise Science Made Simple. The impact was measured using the immediate reaction to the show, the number (and type) of demonstrations (demos) recalled over the long term, and the applied use of any memories from the show. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using questionnaires immediately after the show and focus groups held two and a half years later. To enrich the data, and minimize bias, interviews with professional science presenters were also included in the data analysis. Data from the questionnaires were used to develop a framework of five demonstration categories to describe their essence, or main purpose. The categories used in this study were: curiosity (C), human (H), analogy (A), mechanics (M) and phenomena (P). It was found that even after two and a half years, almost 25 per cent of demos from the show could be recalled without prompting. When prompted with verbal and visual clues, over 50 per cent of the demos from the show could be recalled by the group tested. In addition, around 9 per cent of the demos were recalled and related to an alternative context to the show, suggesting that some cognitive processing may have happened with the most memorable elements of the show. The ‘curiosity’ type of demo was found to be the most memorable in both the short term and long term.
Highlights
Science shows as a medium for communicating science are used widely across the UK, yet there is little literature about the long-term impact they may have
Key messages Demonstrations in a science show can be memorable over the long term –. Especially those that are counter-intuitive, or curious in nature. By categorizing the type of demonstration and comparing short-term and longterm memories, we can predict which types of demonstration may suit different types of learner. There is evidence that some short-term memories from demonstrations are applied in other contexts over the long term, which suggests that some cognitive processing of the memory has occurred
Immediate reaction to the show Many presenters will tell you of a real ‘buzz’ that is present at the end of a show
Summary
Science shows as a medium for communicating science are used widely across the UK, yet there is little literature about the long-term impact they may have. The impact was measured using the immediate reaction to the show, the number (and type) of demonstrations (demos) recalled over the long term, and the applied use of any memories from the show. A science show can go to audiences and places to try to reach those ‘publics’ who may never choose to visit a science centre or museum For this reason, science shows are an integral part of the movement to increase public engagement with science and technology, and a useful tool to enrich formal science teaching. A comparison will be made between the things that they enjoyed immediately after the event, and the things that they could recall at a later time On this occasion, no pre-event measurements were taken, so we cannot compare audiences’ initial attitudes or knowledge with the short-term and long-term impact recorded
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