GRG StarTalk Final Summative Evaluation

Goodman Research Group, Inc. (GRG), a Cambridge-based research firm specializing in the evaluation of educational programs, conducted the summative evaluation of StarTalk. The overall focus was to examine how well the joint presentation of science and humor reaches a public audience, including an audience not typically exposed to informal science learning, and how well it engages and informs them, such that they are motivated to continue learning more. Primary evaluation research questions included: 1. To what extent does exposure to StarTalk lead to increased interest in and knowledge of space science topics? 2. To what extent does StarTalk motivate users to pursue additional and related learning activities? 3. To what extent does StarTalk reach an audience that is new to informal science learning? 4. What best practices can be shared regarding effective ways to develop and support a radio show about science? To address these research questions, GRG conducted the following evaluation activities: (1) Developed a survey for the StarTalk team to distribute at Live Venue Performances; StarTalk reviewed the data internally (2) Large-Scale National User Survey (3) National Listener Study (4) In-Depth Review of Social Media Use and Activities GRG conducted the Large Scale User Survey in fall 2012 to assess overall reach and impact. In response to modifications the StarTalk Radio team made to the initial plan, including the addition of different media formats and options for users to access the StarTalk programs, the User Survey was designed to develop a strong understanding of who uses the various StarTalk resources, how they learned about the program, how and where they access the different formats, and what effects the program has on different audiences relative to the ways in whichthey access it (i.e., primarily addressed Evaluation Research Question #3, as well as #1 and #2). Appendix includes survey.

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