Learning to learn in informal science settings

Griffin, Janette

doi:10.1007/bf02356336

Cited by 62 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…promotes student motivation (S. Hidi, Weiss, Berndorff, & Nolan, 1998;Paris, Yambor, & Packard, 1998) and learning (Cox-Petersen, Marsh, Kisiel, & Melber, 2003;Mortensen & Smart, 2007;Tofield, et al, 2003). Educational impact is increased by post-visit activities (D. Anderson, et al, 2000;Davidson, et al, 2010;Griffin, 1994). In the present study, the students participated in pre-trip preparation activities supplied by their teacher and were engaged in field trip laboratory work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Upper Secondary Students’ Situational Interest: A case study of the role of a zoo visit in a biology class

Dohn

2013

International Journal of Science Education

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This paper comprises a presentation of the findings of a case study that investigated how situational factors triggered 12 th grade students' interest during a field trip to a zoo. The purpose was to identify sources of interest and to investigate the attributes that make them interesting. Students' interest was investigated by a descriptive interpretive approach, based on data from classroom and field trip observations, video recording, interviews, and students' work. The findings provided evidence that substantial situational interest can be generated during a fieldtrip to a zoo. Students' interest was triggered by variables such as active involvement (hands-on activities), novelty, surprise, and knowledge acquisition (activities and provided information), and social involvement (opportunities for socialisation). The results show that strong interest is stimulated when several variables are in play simultaneously. The study implies that zoo visits can provide students with affective experiences, which can be a powerful way to stimulate students' learning motivation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Upper Secondary Students’ Situational Interest: A case study of the role of a zoo visit in a biology class

Dohn

2013

International Journal of Science Education

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“…Through experiences such as field trips, teachers can facilitate the interaction of in-class science learning and experiences with informal design spaces, yet studies have consistently documented that teachers play a small role in the planning and execution of excursions outside of the schoolroom and connecting these field trip experiences to classroom content (Anderson & Zhang, 2003;Griffin & Symington, 1997;Griffin, 1994;Tal, Bamberger, & Morag, 2005). In Griffin's (1994) study, half of the teachers from 13 schools reported that they planned on doing some follow-up activities after their field trip excursions, but only a half of those teachers, a quarter of the sample, actually implemented these follow-up activities. Furthermore, no students reported any expectations of participating in follow-up activities after their trips, indicating that these experiences were rare.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

Godwin¹,

Sonnert²,

Sadler³

2017

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

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Participation from a variety of students is important to the long-term growth of the engineering field. Much of the research on engineering recruitment or career choice has focused on engineering as a whole, even though engineering disciplines are varied in student participation and focus. This work examines how students' out-of-school interests and experiences in high school predict the likelihood of choosing a career in a particular engineering discipline. Out-of-school experiences offer more unstructured ways for students to meaningfully engage with science and engineering outside of the confines of the classroom. These experiences offer opportunities to spark particular science interests not included in traditional high school science curriculum. Additionally, participation in engineering for women has been historically low. For this reason, we also examined reported differences in out-of-school experiences by gender. Our findings indicate that reported out-of-school experiences increased the odds of students choosing particular engineering disciplines. Experiences traditionally stereotyped as masculine and more often reported by men, such as tinkering, increased the odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of men. However, some experiences equally reported by men and women, such as mixing chemicals or engaging with chemistry in the kitchen or talking with friends or family about science, predicted higher odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of women (chemical, biomedical, environmental). These quantitative results are a first step in understanding how out-of-school experiences are connected to the nuanced decisions of disciplinary engineering career decisions and have implications for the way engineering faculty draw on prior experience in the classrooms and for researchers on how out-of-school activities may predict students' long-term career decisions.

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“…Based on how this connection was contextualized, a more specific description of this motivation might be integration with a curriculum unit. This integration of museum experience and curriculum is the form of connection typically recommended by museum researchers (Griffin, 1994;Price & Hein, 1991;Ramey-Gassert et al, 1994).…”

Section: Clarifying Fieldtrip Motivationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the promising benefits of these out-of-classroom experiences, studies of school group fieldtrips have shown that many students participating in teacher-led school fieldtrips are not aware of any specific goals for these visits and thus may subsequently be unprepared for learning (Griffin, 1994;Griffin & Symington, 1997;Orion & Hofstein, 1994;Storksdieck, 2001). Several researchers have noted that teachers may not have explicit goals for their visit, and are unable to connect the experience to the classroom curriculum (Griffin & Symington, 1997;Ramey-Gassert, Walberg III, & Walberg, 1994;Tuckey, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding elementary teacher motivations for science fieldtrips

Kisiel

2005

Sci. Ed.

169

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ABSTRACT:This investigation sought to identify the motivations that comprise teachers' agendas when leading student fieldtrips to science museums or similar sites. A survey distributed to upper elementary teachers resulted in a variety of open-ended responses that were analyzed and coded to identify recurring themes. In addition, ten teachers planning to lead a school trip to a natural history museum were interviewed and observed. Interview and observation data were used to triangulate findings and refine descriptions of actual practice. Eight fieldtrip motivations were identified including to connect with the classroom curriculum, to provide a general learning experience, to encourage lifelong learning, to enhance interest and motivation, to provide exposure to new experiences, to provide a change in setting or routine, for enjoyment, and to meet school expectations. Results indicated that 'connecting to the classroom curriculum' was an important consideration, although teachers had different interpretations of what this meant. Further examination of the teachers' agendas suggested the influence of different contexts, including that of the school and the museum site. These findings lead to suggestions for facilitating school visits to informal settings by considering the teachers' fieldtrip perspectives and agendas.C 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 89: 936 -955, 2005

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Learning to learn in informal science settings

Cited by 62 publications

References 11 publications

Upper Secondary Students’ Situational Interest: A case study of the role of a zoo visit in a biology class

Upper Secondary Students’ Situational Interest: A case study of the role of a zoo visit in a biology class

Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

Understanding elementary teacher motivations for science fieldtrips

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