This paper discusses four interpetative strategies employed by staff at the Arkansas State Parks System which have led to effective interpretation. These strategies include: (1) maintianing a position to interpret; (2) providing linked programs and messages to provide continuing and reinforcing learning opportuities; (3) using the Visitor Center as a threshold to the park; and (3) providing three levels of interpretation.
In this paper, Word Craft's Chris Parsons examines the question, "Is an exhibit's goal to change visitor behavior?" Parsons also proposes a way to develop so the goal is change through two methods: (1) defining who our visitors are; and (2) developing clearly stated behavioral objectives when planning new exhibits. This discussion can be applied to educational programs as well.
This article develops an argument that the type of intervention research most useful for improving science teaching and learning and leading to scalable interventions includes both research to develop and gather evidence of the efficacy of innovations and a different kind of research, design-based implementation research (DBIR). DBIR in education focuses on what is required to bring interventions and knowledge about learning to all students, wherever they might engage in science learning. This research focuses on implementation, both in the development and initial testing of interventions and
This funding solicitation for FY2014 in the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program at the National Science Foundation seeks to advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments; provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and develop understandings of deeper learning by participants. The AISL program supports five kinds of projects: 1) Pathways, 2) Research in
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National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation
In this article opening the Museum Education's early learning issue, Guest Editor Sharon Shaffer frames museums as important epicenters of learning for young children, particularly at a time when confidence in U.S. schools is at a near all-time low. She makes the case that museums are a prime location for research on how young children learn, while emphasizing that collaboration between museums and other informal, as well as formal, learning settings is important for making new discoveries about learning.
This paper discusses the methodologies, key findings, and implications of a research project that examined the effectiveness of exhibits for making children understand scientific concepts. The two-part study was conducted at Nehru Science Centre (Bombay, India).
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Vijay JavlekarVisitor Studies Association
In this paper, Douglas Hoy of the National Museum of Natural Sciences the impact of new admission fee guidelines from a comprehensive study commissioned by the Canadian government. Hoy presents an overview of the new fees program enacted in June 1988 and its influence on museum attendance throughout Canada.
In this paper, researchers from University of Michigan discuss a major problem facing zoo administrators in major urban metropolitan areas: the relevance and attraction of urban zoos to inner-city minority residents. They present an overview of the methodology and findings from a study that examined zoo visitation to the Detroit Zoo by white and minority residents of Detroit.
In this paper, Conny Graft presents a brief overview of the interpretive planning process used on larger projects at Colonial Williamsburg as well as lessons learned from one specific program. Graft provides insight into the challenges of planning interpretations and evaluating live interpretive programs.
In this paper, researchers from Jacksonville State University discuss research related to educational efforts to increase the public's commitment toward conservation of animal species complicated by negative attitudes toward some of these species, such as snakes. The researchers report methodology and findings from their study that developed a device to assess attitudes toward snakes. The study had the following three purposes: (1) to validate a survey device the researchers developed that may prove useful in the evaluation of educational programs geared toward snakes and similar species; (2)
This paper discusses the programs, specifically field trip programs, for young children at art museums. The author explains how programs can teach the aesthetics of art (looking, distinguishing, loving) to young children and offers suggestions on how to run a successful program.
In this paper, researchers from the University of Florida discuss the cognitive movement in instruction, which has major implications for research and practice in informal settings. The authors focus on a number of promising cognitive lines of inquiry and suggest their application in informal settings.
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John J. Koran, Jr.Mary Lou KoranJohn Scott Foster