Measuring the Impact of Museum-School Programs: Findings and Implications for Practice

Arts Accessibility to Major Museums and Cultural/Ethnic Institutions in Los Angeles: Can School Tours Overcome Neighborhood Disparities?

“…The benefi t and value of school museum tours, however, appear equivocal and context specifi c. Some studies have found that students who participated in fi eld trips to museums showed cognitive gains and more positive attitudes and motivations towards learning compared with those who did not, while other studies found no effect on cognitive or affective learning (Griffi n, 2004). Factors which infl uence the value and benefi t of museum fi eld trips for student learning and critical thinking include the structure of the fi eld trip, the setting novelty for students, the level of integration of the museum experience and school curriculum, and opportunities for student involvement (DeWitt and Martin, 2008;Downey et al, 2007;Griffi n, 2004). Museum fi eld trips can have long-term impacts if they result in positive tour memories which encourage subsequent museum visits (Anderson and Piscitelli, 2002;Falk and Dierking, 1997;Wolins et al, 1992).…”

“…School tours are an essential part of the educational mission of arts and cultural institutions and an important form of engagement with diverse audiences. Most museums offer a range of resources, programs, and services to schools, such as school tours of their facilities, and many museum professionals feel that their educational programs make a vital contribution to school arts curricula and instruction (Downey et al, 2007;Stone, 1992). The benefi t and value of school museum tours, however, appear equivocal and context specifi c. Some studies have found that students who participated in fi eld trips to museums showed cognitive gains and more positive attitudes and motivations towards learning compared with those who did not, while other studies found no effect on cognitive or affective learning (Griffi n, 2004).…”

Museums as Classrooms: The Academic and Behavioral Impacts of “School in the Park”

“…Some evaluations report improved student problem solving skills after participation (Paris et al, 1998). In most of the evaluations that utilize control groups of similar students or randomly assign the treatment, participating students scored higher on critical thinking evaluations than peers who did not participate (Bowen et al, 2014;Burchenel & Grohe, 2007;Downey et al, 2007;Kisida et al, 2016). One study measures achievement using standardized test scores and finds no statistically significant difference between participants and nonparticipants (Adams et al, 2006).…”

Using A Visitor Based Framework To Observe Engagement In A Children's Museum Makerspace

“…Crowley and Callanan (1998) explain that "the operational problem is that it is extraordinarily easy to shadow visitors or measure time-on-task, and it is extraordinarily difficult to construct reliable measures of curiosity, fun, or interest" (p. 14). As a result, museum educators often rely on intuition and informal feedback to know whether their museum programming is having a positive influence on student learning (Downey, Delamatre, & Jones, 2007). So, if the informal science research literature recognizes assessment and evaluation as an area which needs some attention, then why has it not been addressed?…”

“…Ritchhart's study emphasizes the importance for museums to not just focus on developing critical thinking skills but to also focus on developing dispositions. Yet, measuring the public's understanding of science or the development of life skills such as critical thinking is incredibly difficult and is seen as a major challenge for informal education Downey, Delamatre, and Jones (2007). explain that "in this age of standardized testing, museum educators feel the pressure of accountability and assessment.…”