Informal Science Institutions Research Articles

Becoming the change we want to see: Aspirations and initial progress with diversity, equity, access, and inclusion practices to create welcoming environments and center community in informal science institutions

AbstractThis study focuses on the diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) practices of informal science institutions (ISI) that are part of a statewide grants program. Data were collected to understand how ISIs interpret and implement DEAI in thought and action in their efforts to create more welcoming spaces for members of communities that are often underrepresented or marginalized in informal learning spaces. Modeled after the Cultural Competence Learning Institute's (CCLI) Framework, survey data were collected to understand DEAI practices being used to create welcoming environments. Interview data were collected 2 years later to understand how ISIs collaborate with others to center communities in their work. Results indicated that while DEAI was considered a high priority, strategies were limited. A positive relationship was found between the number of strategies used and perceived success. ISIs' stories of collaboration focused most often on transactional relationships with organizational partners. Those working with communities directly collaborated in needs‐based or reciprocal ways. Results are interpreted in relation to the CCLI Framework's potential to provide benchmarks for both individual institutions and groups like our statewide grants program to use as comparison points for their own DEAI practice.

Incorporating AR/VR-assisted learning into informal science institutions: A systematic review

Incorporating AR/VR-assisted learning into informal science institutions: A systematic review

A Review of Augmented Reality for Informal Science Learning: Supporting Design of Intergenerational Group Learning

Designing for and facilitating intergenerational group learning is an important objective of informal science institutions as most visitors in those settings engage with scientific thinking in the context of a group. New, deeply engaging, and interactive technologies such augmented reality (AR) have been shown to have positive outcomes in educational settings, but their implications have yet to be investigated for the purpose of intergenerational group learning design. This literature review investigates AR exhibit designs through the lens of PISEC’s seven intergenerational group learning principles. After identifying 10 AR exhibits designed for intergenerational group interactions through a systematic review process, we analyzed the challenges and affordances of AR for each exhibit using an adapted framework of PISEC’s learning design principles. We present these design guidelines for AR intergenerational group learning to provide researchers and exhibit designers in ISIs with strategies to foster better learning, interaction, and engagement for intergenerational group learning.

Professional development partnership between urban middle school science teachers and informal science institutions

ABSTRACT Background This study explored science teachers’ participation in a professional development partnership with informal science institutions (ISIs) designed for urban middle school science teachers, known as the Urban Advantage Science Initiative. The teacher training involved a whole school focused approach, providing teaching strategies, collaborative situated experiences, and specific classroom resources for implementing and guiding science explorations both at ISIs and in the formal classroom. The conceptual framework for the study incorporated a situated perspective model with situated, social, and distributed cognition. Purpose This long-term situated learning model engaged teachers in over 100 hours of training over five years, with an option to continue in select educational activities in subsequent years. Training was held at eight ISIs in New York City. The purpose of the study was to analyze impacts on teachers’ pedagogical philosophies and practices. Sample The ways teachers translated program principles into their practice was investigated through interviews with nine teachers and three administrators (N = 12) to provide broadened perspectives. The teacher sample was drawn from a larger group of 253 teachers with at least four years of experience in the program. Design/Methods The data of this phenomenological qualitative study were examined and integrated with the a priori conceptual framework to create an emergent explanatory framework for changing pedagogical practice and teacher motivation through a schoolwide professional development partnership with ISIs. This framework included two major components: 1) improved teacher motivation, and 2) pedagogical change. Results Teacher motivation was heightened because of their situated learning experiences at ISIs, the positive changes in their science pedagogy, and their involvement in a professional community of like-minded science educators. Conclusion As a result of this whole-school focused program that included specific roles for teachers and administrators, the long term, sustained ISI-based professional development model improved teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of science teaching practices.

Evaluating Changes in Experimentation, Critical Thinking, and Sense of Wonder in Participants of Science North’s In-School Outreach Programs

The aim of this study was to evaluate and report on the impact of an in-school science outreach program on children’s self-reported science knowledge, engagement, and skills through a case study of the Science North in-school outreach program “Mission to Mars.” A logic model method was used to outline the specific inputs, outputs, and measurable outcomes of the program. The program outcomes evaluated in this study were (1) experimentation skills, (2) critical thinking skills, and (3) sense of wonder. Results from pre-post surveys demonstrated that participants had increased program topic knowledge. Students self-reported positive emotions toward science more frequently following exposure to the program. Students’ sense of wonder toward science and toward space also increased post-program. This increase in positive emotion toward science could, in the short-term, increase student motivation toward science, which could lead to lasting interests in science in the long-term. Only a small number of students reported an increase in experimentation and critical thinking skills post-program. These skills take time to develop, and the single short-term program evaluated in this study may not have given students enough exposure to these skills for them to experience and show a noticeable change. The results of this study can provide informal science institutions like science centers with important insights into the potential learning impact of their in-school outreach programs, and can be used to improve current and future programs. Other organizations with in-school science outreach programs can benefit from using the methodology in this study to evaluate their programs, as this research includes a combination of innovative data collection methods such as concept maps to determine what students associate with the word “science,” and the use of an emoji scale to capture student emotions toward science. From a larger perspective, this study evaluating the impacts of in-school science outreach could demonstrate the potential benefits and outcomes of this unique area of informal learning, further solidifying the importance of incorporating these inquiry-based programs into classrooms.

Biomimicry outside the Classroom

Biomimicry, the process of using nature to guide innovative thinking and development, can be useful in helping students grasp scientific concepts. Teachers interested in incorporating biomimicry into lesson plans might find that experiential learning at informal science institutions (ISIs) with natural models and artifacts is a valuable tool to accompany classroom learning. Visiting these ISIs, students have the opportunity to observe nature in real time and be immersed in inspiration. As students explore these natural models in habitats and exhibits, educators might ask students to consider the interesting features they observe and to creatively consider innovative designs that these features could inspire. For example, an elephant’s trunk might inspire a robotic arm. These direct experiences at ISIs might draw upon students’ innate biophilia to learn more about living organisms and lead to increased creativity and design output. I developed this guide based on my experiences as an informal biomimicry educator and my 2017 keynote address presented at the Annual Docent Conference at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Emergent model for community engagement: Developing courses and programs

This retrospective emergent design qualitative evaluation study documents the development of a unique model for community engagement and engaged scholarship in higher education. The primary novel aspect of the model is participatory involvement of both the target audience for the program and representatives of various stakeholder groups who initiated, conceptualized, tested, assessed, and evaluated the courses and program with the professor. Members of the target audience and stakeholder groups also recruited participants, contributed to refining the courses and program to meet the needs of the stakeholder groups, and contributed to redesigning courses for online learning. The model emerged while developing and evaluating the Informal Science Institutions Environmental Education Graduate Certificate Program (ISI Program) at the University of South Florida. Garnering the resources of a previously untapped audience, the informal science education (ISE) community, presented the university with a way to increase enrollment. Also reported are sample benefits accrued to learners in the program, to the ISI community, to the community at large, and additional benefits to the University.

Using a planetarium fieldtrip to engage young children in three-dimensional learning through representations, patterns, and lunar phenomena

ABSTRACTFieldtrips to informal science institutions can be opportunities for children to engage in three-dimensional learning, which is the integration of core disciplinary ideas, science practices, and cross-cutting concepts. We explored the question of whether the combination of a planetarium fieldtrip and classroom lessons could support young children's three-dimensional learning in astronomy. We assessed first grade students’ (6–7-year-olds; N = 46) three-dimensional learning at the intersection of lunar phenomena, representational practices, and patterns. Students’ were interviewed, where they both described their understanding verbally and constructed representations, before the intervention, after the intervention, and one year later. A mixed-methods analysis demonstrated significant improvement in students’ three-dimensional learning, focused on the apparent daily motion of the Moon and lunar phases. Analysis of both interview results and audio/video of the intervention suggest that the planetarium fieldtrip provided students with a source of evidence for concepts and patterns related to scientific phenomena, which was then the subject of further inquiry in the classroom as students integrated new science concepts and patterns with their own ideas for how to create scientific representations. These findings suggest that fieldtrips, when supported by students’ classroom experiences, can serve an important role in engaging young children in three-dimensional learning and thus pointing to ways that informal science venues can work with formal educators to engage students in doing science.

A Matter of Choice: Opportunities for Informal Science Institutions to Support Science Teacher Induction

ABSTRACTTeacher induction programs are an important investment in supporting novice teacher development and retention in the classroom. Effective induction support for beginning science teachers should address content-specific understanding and needs that are differentiated from other subjects. Informal science institutions that have unique resources distinct from schools and districts can attend to some of these science-specific needs in a way that complements and supplements the support provided by formal systems. This article describes a 2-year induction program for secondary science teachers provided by an informal science institution in California and explores how the program supported critical areas of understanding needed by new science teachers. Graduates of the program reported access to science content expertise and a community of like-minded science teachers as essential supports to their induction that added to their supports from district-based programs.

Visitors and alignment: actor-network theory and the ontology of informal science institutions

ABSTRACTAs informal science institutions (ISIs) play a larger role in science education, there is an increased need to research and understand how society identifies the brand of each institution. In this study, I apply actor-network theory (ANT) as a way to view the actors within and outside an ISI and define visitors’ understandings about the institution. The practice of applying ANT explores the webs of the social and natural worlds and describes the relationships that occur. For the purpose of this paper, a zoo served as the example institution. Even though the example in this study is a zoo, the conclusions and discussion focus on how ANT may be used in a similar way across museums to define visitor knowledge of the institution. ANT may be applied by any institution to define its self-identity and tell the story of how the institution is viewed by visitors.

Informal Science Learning Experience for State Legislators: Influence of a Science Museum Exhibition on Legislator Knowledge of Early Childhood Issues

Despite the growth of scientific understanding of early childhood development over the past few decades, there remains a sizable gap between what scientists know about early childhood and policymakers’ use of scientific information in creating and implementing policy. Informal science institutions like museums provide opportunities to reach lay audiences. This study sought to examine the degree to which a science museum exhibition about the science of early childhood was a useful source of research information for state legislators, and whether that information informed legislators’ policy decision-making. Results highlight challenges in engaging state legislators in learning from informal science settings, but suggest increased consideration is warranted for science museums’ to use exhibitions as a way to translate and distill scientific concepts for state legislators. Though the exhibition did not have direct impact on policy decision-making, some legislators indicated it added to their cumulative knowledge on research topics pertinent to early childhood policies.

Informal science institutions and learning to teach: An examination of identity, agency, and affordances

AbstractInformal science education institutions play an important in the public understanding of science and, because of this are well‐positioned to positively impact science teacher education. Informal science institutions (ISIs) have a range of affordances that could contribute to learner‐centered science teacher identity development. This article describes research from a clinical experience in a museum where teacher candidates engaged visitors in learning dialogs around objects on a moveable cart in an exhibit. We describe how working in informal settings and learning to use the affordances of that setting supports aspiring teachers to connect theory to practice in ways that developed Spielraum in that is student‐centered, responsive to the needs of learners, and allows for the imagination future selves and classrooms that are conducive to maintaining these identities. This research supports the critical role that ISIs could play in teacher education, especially during the clinical phase where teacher candidates are forming initial notions about their identities, about the self who teaches. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54: 121–138, 2017

Bilingual Exhibits: Current Practices, Collective Knowledge, Outstanding Questions

The Bilingual Exhibits Research Initiative investigated the current state of bilingual exhibits in informal science education by conducting exploratory research in two areas (1) professionals’ current practices related to bilingual exhibition production using English and Spanish; and (2) Spanish-speaking visitors’ perceptions and use of bilingual exhibits. Interviews with staff from a variety of informal science institutions across the country demonstrate that these professionals hold great collective knowledge, yet many questions remain related to the creation of welcoming, accessible learning environments for diverse audiences, and how to create bilingual exhibits with limited resources of staff time, money, and physical space. Staff at organizations without a formal commitment to bilingual exhibits spoke more about costs and logistical challenges. Staff at organizations with a policy or explicit strategic plan affirming an institutional commitment to bilingual exhibits spoke more about their audiences and the means by which they learn about their audiences. Some practitioners reflected that their efforts to serve culturally diverse communities resulted in visitorship of greater cultural diversity.

“Wow! Look at That!”: Discourse as a Means to Improve Teachers’ Science Content Learning in Informal Science Institutions

Currently, it is not clear whether professional development staff at Informal Science Institutions (ISIs) are considering the way exhibits contribute to the social aspects of learning as described by the contextual model of learning (CML) (Falk & Dierking in The museum experience. Whalesback, Washington, 1992; Learning from museums: visitor experiences and the making of meaning. Altamira Press, New York, 2000) and recommended in the reform documents (see Cox-Peterson et al. in Journal of Research in Science Teaching 40:200–218, 2003). In order to move beyond only preparing science teachers for field trips, while necessary, it is also important to understand the role exhibits play in influencing teachers’ content-related social interactions while engaged in ISI professional development. This study looked at a life science course that was offered at and taught by education staff of a large science and technology museum located in the Midwest, USA. The course was offered to three sections of teachers throughout the school year and met six times for a full day. The courses met approximately once a month from September through the beginning of June and provided 42 contact hours overall. Elementary and middle school teachers (n = 94) were audio- and videotaped while participating in the content courses and interacting with the museum’s exhibits. When considering the two factors within the sociocultural context of CML: within-group sociocultural mediation and facilitated mediation by others, the use of exhibits during both courses generally did not fully take into account these elements. In this study, it seemed that teachers’ talk always had a purpose but it is argued that it did not always have a direction or connection to the desired content or exhibit. When freely exploring the museum, teachers often purely reacted to the display itself or the novelty of it. However, when PD staff made explicit connections between exhibits, content, and activities, participants were more likely to be involved in in-depth, content-related and pedagogical conversations while engaged in the course.

Clarifying the complexities of school–museum interactions: Perspectives from two communities

AbstractIf we truly wish to promote science or STEM education, then it would seem that the joining of resources and expertise from the communities of formal schooling and informal science education institutions or ISEIs (museums, aquariums, and the like) would be an important early step. Yet creating such connections between teacher and museum remain a challenge for both teachers and informal educators. This study employs a communities of practice lens (Wenger, 1998) to provide a deeper explanation for the challenges inherent in those programs and experiences (field trips, outreach programs, teacher professional development) where schools and informal science institutions interact to create unique learning opportunities. To better understand the expectations and perceived challenges of these boundary activities, questionnaires, focus groups and interviews were used to gather information from over 200 teachers and informal science institution staff in southern California. Several factors, identified by both groups, were found to influence these shared experiences, including issues of authority, capacity, communication, and complexity. By considering both educators' perspectives, we gain a clearer understanding of the practice of these communities and how such practices influence the activities at these boundaries. Furthermore, a closer look at avid users—those teachers who do successfully and regularly make use of ISEIs—reveals possible avenues for strengthening such boundary activities and potentially creating a more effective merging of learning and teaching resources. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 51: 342–367, 2014

Can Formal-Informal Collaborations Improve Science Literacy in Urban Middle Schools? The Impact of Urban Advantage

This brief presents findings from a study on Urban Advantage, a collaboration between the American Museum of Natural History, other New York City informal science institutions, and the New York City Department of Education to improve the science literacy of NYC public school students. The following analysis draws on a rich longitudinal database, containing student- and school-level data for all NYC public schools and students from 2004-05 to 2009-10. Results indicate that these collaborations can have a positive impact on student achievement and science learning. The findings from this study are especially timely given that U.S. students consistently show low levels of achievement on tests of science literacy. On the 2009 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), only 63% of eighth-graders demonstrated “partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work” in science. For urban school districts like New York City, the NAEP scores are even more alarming.

Addressing Equity and Diversity with Teachers Though Informal Science Institutions and Teacher Professional Development

This study explores how activities developed by science experts in partnership with middle school teachers were employed and interpreted. The goals of this partnership were to (a) help the science teacher meet earth science content standards in new ways, (b) expose students to ‘real world’ experiences outside their school setting, and (c) positively impact teacher practice by providing a program to be used as a catalyst for future learning. Over 300 sixth graders mostly underrepresented science students attended activities at an aquarium serving an urban West Coast urban context. Science teachers, non-science teachers, scientists, and volunteers were all engaged in pre-trip instruction, professional development opportunities, and follow-up activities as this partnership effort explored ways to enhance local literacy initiatives across the curriculum. Results suggest that teacher beliefs about informal education impacted their view and participation in the program and the level of submersion of teachers in collaboration strongly affects the ability to serve underrepresented students on informal excursions. Implications for teacher education and outreach are discussed.

Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences: A Scientist-Educator Partnership to Prepare the Next Generation of Scientists

Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) is a college course that creates and develops partnerships between science educators in informal science education institutions, such as museums, science centers and aquariums, and ocean scientists in colleges and universities. For the course, a scientist and educator team-teach inquiry-based science pedagogy and communication strategies to graduate and undergraduate students in marine science-related majors. In addition, students participate in practicum experiences in informal science education institutions. COSIA aims to engage the next generation of scientists (college students) in learning to communicate their scientific knowledge with the general public. This paper describes how this course and the resulting partnership address some major issues in scientific literacy, as well as how they benefit all the stakeholders (scientists, science educators, college students, and visitors to informal science institutions). Three central challenges to creating partnerships and how they were addressed are outlined, and several underlying principles for initiating and growing partnerships between individuals and institutions are presented. Through the process of engagement in this effort and the development of partnerships between educators' and scientists' communities of practice, it is argued that a new hybrid community of practice may be emerging.

Analyzing the Affordances of Mobile Technologies for Informal Science Learning

Parent-child interactions, and particularly parent-child conversations, in Informal Science Institutions (ISIs) have a critical role in helping to shape children's ways of thinking about science and about the world. The incorporation of mobile technology into ISIs opens up new possibilities for supporting informal learning processes, but little attention has been given to how the addition of such technology might affect the parent-child dynamic, as mobile applications are most typically designed with only a single user in mind. Existing research on the practices that parents engage in to support their children's learning in ISIs reveals that while some practices may result in parents' desired learning outcomes, others are less effective or even detrimental. This article discusses ways that mobile technology may be productively integrated into the learning context, either by aligning with successful practices or by strategically interceding with less successful practices.

The Challenges of Understanding Science Learning in Informal Environments

Abstract The National Research Council report Learning Science in Informal Environments provides a much‐needed synthesis of what research says about informal learning. LSIE makes key observations about science learning and emphasizes the challenges faced in trying to understand and document those complex processes. Yet assumptions about how—and under what conditions—people learn science are not necessarily universal constructs. Such assumptions are driven by the theoretical perspectives of the researchers, as well as the culture of the learners themselves. The limited scope of the volume prohibits it from fully addressing such cultural and historical contexts, and the subsequent implications for methodological approaches. Nevertheless, the report is an important starting point for informing educators, researchers, and policy‐makers who work with or within informal science institutions.