The project team published a research synopsis article with Futurum Science Careers in Feb 2023 called “How Can Place Attachment Improve Scientific Literacy?”
This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting.
How does a long-lasting, statewide, out-of- school science learning experience influence how key stakeholders think about the value of out-of-school learning and its intersection with in-school learning?
This poster was presented at the 2021 National Science Foundation (NSF) Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Awardee Meeting.
The project’s goal is to create media-rich citizen science experiences for girls, particularly girls of color and/or from rural areas, which broaden their STEM participation, build positive STEM identity and increase understanding of scientific concepts, while leveraging the citizen science endeavors occurring at 16 diverse National Parks.
This presentation "Revealing Impacts: How does one long-term, statewide field trip program influence a community's learning ecosystem?" was shared as showcase at the 2021 Connected Learning Summit (https://app.clowdr.org/conference/clsummit2021/) held virtually from July 7-30, 2021.
In the showcase session, we shared details of an NSF funded collaborative project between the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Oregon State University and TERC to understand how a longstanding, statewide field trip program, LabVenture, influences a community’s learning ecosystem. The project uses the construct
Three accredited zoos and aquariums in the Pacific Northwest are collaborating on a project aimed at developing tools to assess program effectiveness in encouraging children's empathy towards animals. This short briefing paper outlines the team's initial work to 1) gain a shared understanding and definition of the construct (empathy towards animals) and how it develops during childhood, and 2) review existing research on the link between empathy and beneficial action towards wildlife, and 3) summarize research findings on best practices towards encouraging empathy.
This document presents an overview of the quantitative survey data findings from the SL+ Equity Pathways in Informal Science Learning project. Further qualitative analysis on some of the open response data is yet to be completed. Findings are grouped into four areas: about the individuals taking part in the survey; their definitions and understanding of equity and related terms; their current equity practice; and their practices around equity work including reading, talking with colleagues and evaluation.
The purpose of this paper is to review what is known about informal science learning and to recommend areas for further research. The review is intended to support an examination of how children's science learning experiences in designed informal environments like science museums and zoos relate to science learning activities in K-8 schools.
This technical report summarizes the statistical analyses used to determine how well the Measuring Activation (MA) instrument developed through the Science Learning Activation Lab project gathers appropriate information about the five dimensions of activation. The MA instrument was designed to evaluate the impact of science-learning programs and experiences on activation, and contains a series of survey items organized around five identified dimensions of activation. The five dimensions of activation are: fascination, values, perceived autonomy, competency beliefs, and scientific sensemaking.
Science beyond the schoolhouse is the subject of this close-up look at informal science--education in non-traditional settings, including Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H, zoos, aquariums, and public television. More than a dozen writers draw on personal experiences to tell why they became informal science educators and how they use the history and theory of traditional science education in their work. Among the features of this book for informal science educators are a resource directory and a special section on program evaluation. Articles include: (1) "The Symbiosis of Formal and Informal