This article describes a qualitative research study undertaken as a collaboration between museum and occupational therapy researchers to better understand museum experiences for families with a child or children impacted by autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Inclusion for visitors with ASD is an issue that museums are increasingly considering, and the social dimension of inclusion can be particularly relevant for this audience. The construct of social participation, used in occupational therapy, provides a promising avenue for museum professionals to think about inclusion. Social participation situates social and community experiences within the context of peoples' diverse motivations and the strategies they use to navigate environments. This study took these multiple factors into account when observing families' museum visits-including analysis of their motivations for visiting, environmental features that influenced their visit, family strategies used before and during the visit, and the families' definitions of a successful visit. Learning more about these factors that are associated with social participation can inform future efforts to improve museum inclusion for families with children with ASD.
Since the late 2000s, interest in the development and use of shared measures in the informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education (ISE) field has increased. The intent is to build the capacity of evaluators to measure common outcomes of ISE experiences. We begin this chapter with a definition of shared measures, a description of related technical qualities of these measures, and a discussion of benefits and concerns around the use of shared measures. We then review recent conversations and developments around shared measures, including examples of observational and survey tools to measure common ISE outcomes. Three case studies of shared measure efforts provide an in‐depth look into the development of shared survey measures and highlight promising lessons for future initiatives. Building from these successes, we outline recommendations for the future of shared measures in ISE. These include adopting a multifaceted approach to enhancing measurement capacity among evaluators, supporting new kinds of collaborative work among evaluators, and increasing access to instruments and tools.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.