| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | November 20, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | November 20, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1451313 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Ellen McCallie
emccalli@nsf.gov (703)292-5115 DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | December 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | November 30, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $114,997.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $114,997.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2300 SOUTHERN BLVD BRONX NY US 10460-1068 (718)741-8211 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
2300 Southern Blvd. Bronx NY US 10460-1099 |
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Performance Congressional District: |
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| NSF Program(s): | AISL |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Based on the number of visitors annually, zoos and aquariums are among the most popular venues for informal STEM learning in the United States and the United Kingdom. Most research into the impacts of informal STEM learning experiences at zoos and aquariums has focused on short-term changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. This project will identify the opportunities for and barriers to researching the long-term impacts of informal STEM learning experiences at zoos and aquariums. The project will address the following overarching research question: What are and how do we measure the long-term impacts of an informal STEM learning experience at a zoo and aquarium? While previous research has documented notable results, understanding the long-term impacts of zoo and aquarium learning experiences will provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the impact of these programs on STEM knowledge, skills and application. This study is funded as part of NSF's Advancing Informal STEM Learning program, Science Learning+ (SL+). SL+ is a partnership among US and UK foundations. It funds projects that take transformational steps to inform, improve, and advance the knowledge bases, practices, and design of informal STEM learning experiences and environments. The long-term SL+ goals are to broaden participation in STEM and to better understand, strengthen and coordinate STEM engagement and lifelong learning.
This study will use a participatory process to identify: (1) the range of potential long-term impacts of informal science learning experiences at zoos and aquariums; (2) particular activities that foster these impacts; and (3) opportunities for and barriers to measuring those impacts. First, an in-depth literature review will document previous research efforts to date within the zoo and aquarium community. Second, a series of consultative workshops (both in-person and online) will gather ideas and input from practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders in zoo and aquarium education. The consultative workshops will focus on two questions in particular: (1) What are the different types and characteristics of informal science learning experiences that take place at zoos and aquariums? and (2) What are the long-term impacts zoos and aquariums are aiming to have on visitors in relation to knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors/actions? Finally, visitor surveys at zoos and aquariums in the US and UK will be conducted to gather input on what visitors believe are the long-term impacts of an informal STEM learning opportunity at a zoo or aquarium. The data gathered through all of these activities will inform the design of a five-year, mixed-methods study to investigate long-term impacts and associated indicators of an informal STEM learning experience at a zoo or aquarium.
One of the aims of the five-year study will be to test instruments that could eventually be used by the global zoo and aquarium community to measure the long-term impacts of informal STEM learning programs. Designing tools to better understand the long-term impacts of informal STEM learning at zoos and aquariums will contribute to our ability to measure STEM learning outcomes. Additional benefits include improved science literacy and STEM skills amongst visitors over time and an understanding of how education programs contribute to wildlife conservation worldwide.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Our project was driven by the overarching research question, “What are and how do we measure the long-term impacts (effects) of an informal science learning experience at a zoo and aquarium?” The objectives of the project were to (1) to understand the intended long-term impacts of informal science learning opportunities at zoos and aquariums; (2) identify opportunities for and potential barriers to measuring these impacts; and (3) design a five-year study to develop and test instruments to measure key indicators of a selection of these impacts. The following findings have helped to advance knowledge and understanding within the zoo and aquarium field, as well as within the larger field of informal science learning.
Finding #1: A review of previously published research found just five zoo and aquarium-focused studies that collected data over periods longer than six months. We reviewed 125 research articles, and found that just five studies looked at periods of more than six months. The longest study was an evaluation of a science center in Los Angeles (Falk and Needham, 2011), which was conducted over ten years. The literature review suggests a need for multiyear studies focused on informal science learning at zoos and aquariums.
Finding #2: Existing evaluation efforts at zoos and aquariums are most frequently focused on participant satisfaction and short-term outcomes. In a survey of professionals working at zoos and aquariums in the US and Europe, half of the responding institutions said their efforts consisted of satisfaction surveys, while roughly a quarter said that they focused their evaluation activities on immediate/short-term outcomes such as message or knowledge retention. A somewhat surprising finding was that 7% described efforts to measure long-term effects. One-fifth of responding institutions said they do not evaluate their education programs.
Finding #3: Evidence for long-term effects of informal science learning at zoos and aquariums tends to be anecdotal in nature. Long-term informal science learning programs are taking place at many zoos/aquariums. We found zoo and aquarium programs that ran over weeks, months, and even years. Some zoos and aquariums ran shorter annual programs in which audiences participate recurrently. However, evidence for long-term effects of these programs was typically anecdotal.
Finding #4: The most frequently cited intended educational outcomes of programs at zoos and aquariums were conservation awareness, connecting to wildlife, and experiencing science. In our survey of zoo and aquarium professionals, the most frequently mentioned outcomes of zoo and aquarium education efforts were conservation awareness (ideas such as wildlife issues, general sustainability issues, and awareness of zoo and aquarium efforts in conservation; connecting to wildlife (ideas such as developing an appreciation for animals, fostering empathy, and developing compassion; and experiencing science (ideas such as learning scientific knowledge and facts, fostering interest in science, and understanding real-world application of science).
Finding #5: Whle learning science facts and concepts was reported most frequently, zoo members also said their visits motivated them to learn more about science and the world around them. We asked 85 zoo members in New York and London how their zoo and aquarium visits had helped them learn about science. The zoo members surveyed were most likely to cite science facts or concepts (particularly ...
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