Informal Science Learning Research Articles

Describing youth participatory evaluation of educational interventions as a key domain of the social determinants of health: protocol for a scoping review

IntroductionYouth participatory evaluation is one model for monitoring global outcomes and assessing interventions to improve young people’s health equity and well-being while embracing principles of participation and empowerment. Little is...

STEM Outside of School: a Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Informal Science Education on Students' Interests and Attitudes for STEM

AbstractThis meta-analysis explores the impact of informal science education experiences (such as after-school programs, enrichment activities, etc.) on students' attitudes towards, and interest in, STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The research addresses two primary questions: (1) What is the overall effect size of informal science learning experiences on students' attitudes towards and interest in STEM? (2) How do various moderating factors (e.g., types of informal learning experience, student grade level, academic subjects, etc.) impact student attitudes and interests in STEM? The studies included in this analysis were conducted within the United States in K-12 educational settings, over a span of thirty years (1992–2022). The findings indicate a positive association between informal science education programs and student interest in STEM. Moreover, the variability in these effects is contingent upon several moderating factors, including the nature of the informal science program, student grade level, STEM subjects, publication type, and publication year. Summarized effects of informal science education on STEM interest are delineated, and the implications for research, pedagogy, and practice are discussed.

The effectiveness of refutation text in confronting scientific misconceptions: A meta-analysis

Misinformation around scientific issues is rampant on social media platforms, raising concerns among educators and science communicators. A variety of approaches have been explored to confront this growing threat to science literacy. For example, refutations have been used both proactively as warning labels and in attempts to inoculate against misconceptions, and retroactively to debunk misconceptions and rebut science denialism. Refutations have been used by policy makers and scientists when communicating with the general public, yet little is known about their effectiveness or consequences. Given the interest in refutational approaches, we conducted a comprehensive, pre-registered meta-analysis comparing the effect of refutation texts to non-refutation texts on individuals’ misconceptions about scientific information. We selected 71 articles (53 published and 18 unpublished) that described 76 studies, 111 samples, and 294 effect sizes. We also examined 26 moderators. Overall, our findings show a consistent and statistically significant advantage of refutation texts over non-refutation texts in controlled experiments confronting scientific misconceptions. We also found that moderators neither enhanced nor diminished the impact of the refutation texts. We discuss the implications of using refutations in formal and informal science learning contexts and in science communications from three theoretical perspectives.

A research agenda for adult science entertainment events

ABSTRACT There is an international trend towards fun, irreverent, and social events that feature scientific themes and content. We argue that these events – what we call Adult Science Entertainment Events, or ASEEs – are a distinct phenomenon in science education and science communication, deserving of study in their own right. In addition to their anticipated value to hosting organizations, ASEEs offer new opportunities for adults to form, transform, or affirm their science-related identities. They may also exacerbate existing inequities, however. In this article, we discuss the relationship of ASEEs to other informal science learning environments, provide a narrative review of the existing research on ASEEs, and offer a preliminary research agenda focused on describing the emerging field, documenting goals and impacts, and understanding the impact of design decisions.

How are social context factors related to epistemological beliefs, motivations, and achievement in science? A serial mediation model

ABSTRACT Background Epistemological beliefs and motivational factors are significant predictors of achievement in science. Purpose To understand how social context factors shape epistemological beliefs and motivational factors and how they pass the influences to achievement in science. Sample A population of ninth graders in an underdeveloped region of southwest China (N = 2655). Design and Methods With science achievement test scores and survey data from the sample, we built a structural equation model on how the students’ epistemological beliefs and motivational factors mediate the effects of a set of social context factors on their achievement in science. Gender and rural-urban differences are also explored. Results Intrinsic motivation and epistemological beliefs significantly predicted achievements in science. Epistemological beliefs directly and indirectly affected achievement in science, with intrinsic motivation mediating its indirect effects. Among the social context factors, teacher influence and informal learning experiences positively predicted epistemological beliefs; family encouragement negatively predicted epistemological beliefs; only informal learning experiences directly affected intrinsic motivation. Significant rural-urban and gender differences were found. Conclusion Access to informal science learning experiences can play a crucial role in transforming the social environments in underdeveloped regions, promoting students’ epistemological development and intrinsic motivation, and, in turn, their achievement in science. Fostering students’ epistemological development may also require identifying and reconciling the conflicts between epistemological messages from home and school.

Amplifying informal science learning: rethinking research, design, and engagement

An intriguing book on informal science learning in all its cultural and geographic diversity, deftly balancing theory, practice and the wondrous space in-between.

Mirror Mentoring: Black Women’s Experiences Serving as Mentors for Black Girls During a Virtual Computer Science Camp

Several studies have reported the positive benefits of informal Computer Science learning programs for Black girls, which include staff, mentors, and peers reflective of the girls in the program; however, we do not know enough about what motivates Black women to sign up to teach in such programs, or how representation in mentoring affects future CS learning for Black girls. Here we report the intersectional experiences of 11 Black women who served as instructors and mentors for the virtual INTech Summer Camp. The women in this study confirm that it is imperative to consider the intersectional experiences of Black women in CS as a whole, without explicating their identities. We found that Black women in CS feel that it is their responsibility to give back to Black girls to pay it forward from their own mentorship experiences. The Black women in our study describe seeking to fill a gap in mentorship that they experienced themselves, to share their knowledge and experiences to support the development of others who can relate to that intersection of identifying as Black and a girl or woman. Providing positive representation to encourage young Black girls to pursue tech careers is imperative to diversifying the tech workforce.

Talking about “bioluminescence” and “puppies of the ocean”: An anti‐deficit exploration of how families create and use digital artifacts for informal science learning during and after an aquarium visit

AbstractFamilies commonly document their outings by capturing their experiences through digital photographs and videos. However, little is known about the ways in which families engage their personal mobile devices to document educational family outings and how they subsequently talk about the digital artifacts that captured their informal learning experiences. This paper presents new evidence on family digital artifact creation during an informal science institution (ISI) visit, the expected and actual uses of their digital artifacts after the visit, and family conversations reminiscing about the ISI visit with the digital artifacts. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed‐methods design, data on family digital artifact creation during an aquarium visit (N = 204) and digital artifact use after the visit (n = 67) were collected using parent surveys. Audio‐recorded parent‐child conversations with a subset of families (n = 25) document whether and how families use their digital artifacts to reminisce about the aquarium visit. Quantitative findings detail family digital technology practices during informal learning experiences, and qualitative findings suggest evidence of informal science learning in the everyday interactions of the families who elected to continue the study. The study indicates that family storytelling and digital technology practices may help to bridge informal science learning from ISI to home and frames family non‐participation within an anti‐deficit perspective.

Inclusion for STEM, the institution, or minoritized youth? Exploring how educators navigate the discourses that shape social justice in informal science learning practices

AbstractUnderstanding equitable practice is crucial for science education since science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and STEM learning practices remain significantly marked by structural inequalities. In this paper, building on theories of discourse and situated meaning developed by Foucault, Gee, and Sedgewick, we explore how educators navigated discourses about social justice in informal science learning (ISL) across four UK sites. We draw on qualitative, multimodal data across 5 years of a research–practice partnership between a university, a zoo, a social enterprise working to support girls and nonbinary youth in STEM, a community digital arts center, and a science center. We identify three key discourses that shaped social justice practices across all four practice–partner sites: (1) “inclusion” for STEM, (2) “inclusion” for the institution, and (3) “inclusion” for minoritized youth. We discuss how educators (n = 17) enacted, negotiated, resisted, and reworked these discourses to create equitable practice. We argue that while the three key discourses shaped the possible meanings and practices of equitable ISL in different ways, educators used their agency and creativity to develop more expansive visions of social justice. We discuss how the affordances, pitfalls, and contradictions that emerged within and between the three discourses were strategically navigated and disrupted by educators to support the minoritized youth they worked with, as well as to protect and promote equity in ISL. This paper contributes to research on social justice in ISL by grounding sometimes abstract questions about power and discourse in ISL educators' everyday work.

The role of embodied scaffolding in revealing "enactive potentialities" in intergenerational science exploration.

Although adults are known to play an important role in young children's development, little work has focused on the enactive features of scaffolding in informal learning settings, and the embodied dynamics of intergenerational interaction. To address this gap, this paper undertakes a microinteractional analysis to examine intergenerational collaborative interaction in a science museum setting. The paper presents a fine-grained moment-by-moment analysis of video-recorded interaction of children and their adult carers around science-themed objects. Taking an enactive cognition perspective, the analysis enables access to subtle shifts in interactants' perception, action, gesture, and movement to examine how young children engage with exhibits, and the role adult action plays in supporting young children's engagement with exhibits and developing ideas about science. Our findings demonstrate that intergenerational "embodied scaffolding" is instrumental in making "enactive potentialities" in the environment more accessible for children, thus deepening and enriching children's engagement with science. Adult action is central to revealing scientific dimensions of objects' interaction and relationships in ways that expose novel types of perception and action opportunities in shaping science experiences and meaning making. This has implications for science education practices since it foregrounds not only "doing" science, through active hands-on activities, but also speaks to the interconnectedness between senses and the role of the body in thinking. Drawing on the findings, this paper also offers design implications for informal science learning environments.

How can informal science learning centers advance climate resilience partnerships? Lessons from two coastal communities

ABSTRACT Informal science learning centers (ISLCs) like zoos, aquariums and botanic gardens are trusted community assets and perceived as critical sites for learning outside the classroom for multigenerational learners. Moreover, their role in engaging the public in critical topics, such as climate change is widely recognized. As extreme weather events grow more frequent, building climate resilient social and ecological systems will be necessary. However, how ISLCs facilitate climate resilience is understudied. This paper presents findings from two qualitative case studies of climate resilience projects, through partnerships between community organizations and ISLCs. The results demonstrated the need to prioritize relationship building so that organizations with distinct approaches authentically appreciate each other’s work and foster power symmetries. Diverse definitions of ‘resilience’ emerged, where ecological and social resilience held unique meaning for residents most vulnerable to climate events. Ultimately, the research highlighted how ISLCs and community partners can advance equitable and inclusive climate resilience.

Reciprocal Associations Between Science Efficacy, STEM Identity and Scientist Career Interest Among Adolescent Girls within the Context of Informal Science Learning.

Limited research has explored the longitudinal pathway to youth career interests via identity and efficacy together. This study examined the longitudinal associations between science efficacy, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) identity, and scientist career interest among girls who are historically considered as an underrepresented group among scientists. The sample included 308 girls (M age = 15.22, SD age = 1.66; 42.8% White) from six STEM youth programs, each at a different informal science learning site within the U.K. and the U.S. Longitudinal structural equation modelling demonstrated that science efficacy consistently predicted STEM identity and scientist career interest, and similarly, STEM identity consistently predicted science efficacy over a two-year period. Scientist career interest at 12 months predicted science efficacy at 24 months. The coefficients of efficacy predicting STEM identity and scientist career interest were significantly larger compared to STEM identity and scientist career interest in predicting science efficacy from 12 months to 24 months. Further mediation analysis supported a significant pathway from STEM identity at 3 months to scientist career interest at 24 months via 12-month science efficacy. The findings highlight that science efficacy and STEM identity for girls relate to their scientist career interest and these longitudinal associations are reciprocal. This study suggests that science efficacy and STEM identity mutually influence each other, and enhancing science efficacy and STEM identity is key to promoting adolescents' interest in being a scientist.

Investigating representations of indigenous peoples and indigenous knowledge in zoos

Many scholars advocate for indigenous knowledge (IK) to be integrated into science education to foster a more inclusive educational environment. Informal science learning spaces provide opportunities for encountering science phenomena and broader perspectives. Zoos have the potential to include IK into their informational signage due to having collections of native plants and animals that are significant to Indigenous communities. The history of zoos being platforms for colonialist ideologies also necessitates acknowledgement of how White Settler colonialism has negatively impacted Indigenous peoples. We therefore investigated how two zoos in North America portray IK and perspectives in zoo sections centering native animals. We found that while both zoos provide strong examples of how IK can be included in zoo signage, certain aspects of IK (particularly that of climate patterns), were largely absent. Additionally, zoo signage largely ignored the impact of settler colonialism on both the natural environment and indigenous cultures.

Facilitator organizations enhance learning and action through citizen science: a case study of Girl Scouts’ Think Like a Citizen Scientist journey on SciStarter

Engagement in citizen science can result in participant outcomes including increased science and environmental literacy and civic action. One factor which may increase the likelihood of these outcomes is facilitation by groups such as employers, schools, or other organizations. We examined how a partnership between SciStarter and Girl Scouts of the USA facilitated participation in citizen science to shape participants’ learning and civic engagement. Between July 2017 and February 2020, participants from over 200 Girl Scout troops completed the Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey, consisting of science learning activities, participation in an environmental citizen science project on SciStarter, and a Take Action Project (TAP). Troop leaders provided open-ended descriptions of TAPs which we analyzed qualitatively. Responses provided evidence of learning outcomes spanning informal science learning goals, Girl Scout Leadership Experience outcomes, and Girl Scout STEM outcomes. Participants’ TAPs overwhelmingly related to science and environmental topics (81%) and the majority sought to educate and inspire others (66%), reaching audiences of peers, adults, the general public, and civic leaders. This program demonstrates the potential for facilitator organizations to leverage existing citizen science projects to promote learning outcomes, civic science education, and community action with participants as young as 4–5 years old.

The ECO framework: advancing evidence-based science engagement within environmental research programs and organizations

Abstract Despite widespread interest in science communication, public engagement with science, and engaged research, a large gap exists between the theories behind science engagement and how it is practiced within the scientific community. The scholarship of science engagement is also fractured, with knowledge and insights fragmented across discourses related to science communication, informal science learning, participatory research, and sustainability science. In the present article, we share a planning tool for integrating evidence and theory from these discourses into effective programs and projects. The ECO framework promotes three distinct and interacting modes of science engagement practice: formative engagement (listening and relationship building), codesign and coproduction (action-oriented partnerships), and broader outreach (expanding networks and dissemination). By planning engagement activities with attention to these three modes of engagement, scientists and scientific research organizations will be better poised to address urgent needs for stronger connections between science and society and increased use of scientific research in decision-making.

Reimagining informal STEM learning opportunities to foster STEM identity development in underserved learners

Informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities offer great potential to position learners as insiders to STEM and to foster their positive STEM identity development. Despite their goal to create equal insights and access to STEM learning for all, however, these informal STEM learning opportunities often fail to reach underserved students, hindering their STEM identity development and perpetuating inequity. To address this issue, out-of-school programs need to be designed with underserved students in mind, and concepts, as well as practical approaches that foster STEM identity development, need to be identified. In this article, we review 13 peer-reviewed publications that investigate informal STEM learning opportunities for underserved learners at a young age. We synthesize concepts such as competence, performance, recognition, supportive relationships, sense of belonging, agency, interest, and attitudes that influence underserved learners’ STEM identity development, and corresponding practical approaches such as personal relationships, role models, authentic settings, hands-on-activities, and non-stereotypical structures fostering agency. We also discuss theoretical frameworks for underserved learners’ STEM identity development. We suggest that recognition, a sense of belonging, supportive relationships, and agency play important roles in fostering STEM identity development in underserved students. The paper concludes with recommendations to change traditional patterns in informal and formal STEM education to empower underserved students to construct their own STEM identity as agentic individuals.

Smartphones and parent-child conversations during young children's informal science learning at an aquarium

Aquariums are unique informal learning environments where families talk about science content and processes and learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study explored family smartphone use during informal science learning at an aquarium in relation to parents' self-reported engagement and parent-child science talk. Children (N = 204; 103 girls; Mage = 70.91 months) and their parents were grouped based on whether they chose to use a smartphone in an aquarium exhibit. A survey asked parents to report family demographics as well as whether the family used a smartphone and whether the parent engaged in off-topic talk while in the exhibit. Researchers also observed smartphone use and audio-recorded conversations with a subsample (N = 50 dyads) while they explored an exhibit in the aquarium. Verbatim conversation transcripts were coded for talk about science and about the smartphone. Results showed parents who chose to use a smartphone during informal learning were more likely to report off-topic talk compared to parents who did not use a smartphone. Parents’ smartphone use did not predict the parent or child science talk during informal learning conversations, but smartphone talk at times outweighed science talk within the micro-interactions of families who were preoccupied with their smartphones. Nevertheless, some dyads used their smartphones in ways that promoted science learning. Smartphone use may distract parents during informal learning when parents are preoccupied with the device, but when leveraged for learning, smartphones may offer opportunities to extend science learning during and beyond the aquarium.

Secondary Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions and Experiences Before, During, and After Conducting A Science Show

The science show is a form of informal science learning (ISL) that can potentially develop students' interest in science. However, there needs to be a gap in bridging the ISL elements, such as science shows, into formal teacher education programs as one innovative pedagogical approach. Thus, this study investigates how secondary science teacher candidates' perceptions of science displays shifted after carrying out their science shows and explores their shared experiences as part of their teacher training program. Data were collected from 16 secondary science teacher candidates of cohort 2020 based on their written reflections on their experiences before, during, and after conducting science shows. The study found that some science teacher candidates' perceptions of science shows had shifted, and the others had remained the same. The science teacher candidates' everyday experiences during the science show implementation were their effort to conduct a successful demonstration and develop video-making skills.

THE CHAIN MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED FAMILY SUPPORT FOR FORMAL AND INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING IN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FAMILY SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Students’ informal science learning experiences are believed to strongly influence their attitudes toward science and their abilities in the subject. Factors associated with students’ informal science learning experiences include family socioeconomic status and perceived family support. However, little is known about whether perceived family support for children’s formal and informal science learning differs significantly. The present study filled this gap by exploring how students’ perceived family support for formal/informal science learning affected the link between their socioeconomic status and their experiences of informal science learning. Survey data were collected from 486 Chinese grade 4-6 primary school students. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that the students’ socioeconomic status and their informal science learning experiences were significantly and positively correlated. This association was chain-mediated through two categories of perceived family support. Specifically, students’ socioeconomic status affected their informal science learning experiences through the separate mediating role of family support for formal science learning and the sequential mediation of perceived family support for formal and informal science learning. These results uncover the role that family support plays in students’ science education; accordingly, parents are encouraged to help their children learn science both formally and informally. Keywords: primary school students, mainland China, informal science learning experiences, family support, socioeconomic status

Investigating problem-posing during math walks in informal learning spaces.

Informal mathematics learning has been far less studied than informal science learning - but youth can experience and learn about mathematics in their homes and communities. "Math walks" where students learn about how mathematics appears in the world around them, and have the opportunity to create their own math walk stops in their communities, can be a particularly powerful approach to informal mathematics learning. This study implemented an explanatory sequential mixed-method research design to investigate the impact of problem-posing activities in the math walks program on high school students' mathematical outcomes. The program was implemented during the pandemic and was modified to an online program where students met with instructors via online meetings. The researchers analyzed students' problem-posing work, surveyed students' interest in mathematics before and after the program, and compared the complexity of self-generated problems in pre- and post-assessments and different learning activities in the program. The results of the study suggest that students posed more complex problems in free problem-posing activities than in semi-structured problem-posing. Students also posed more complex problems in the post-survey than in the pre-survey. Students' mathematical dispositions did not significantly change from the pre-survey to post-survey, but the qualitative analysis showed that they began thinking more deeply, asking questions, and connecting school content to real-world scenarios. This study provides evidence that the math walks program is an effective approach to informal mathematics learning. The program was successful in helping students develop problem-posing skills and connect mathematical concepts to the world around them. Overall, "math walks" provide a powerful opportunity for informal mathematics learning.