This project researches what museum visitors learn from hands-on experiences. Evaluating this kind of learning can help educators design more effective informal learning experiences while also addressing questions concerning self-selected and self-directed learning. Using the Preparation for Learning (PFL) conceptual approach developed by Bransford, the project will address several specific questions:
1. Are there alternatives to measuring informal science learning to using administered tests or other methods that may not be relevant to the actual types of learning that occurs in informal settings? 2. Can informal learning experiences prepare/increase learning from subsequent experiences in the case of the proposed research, learning from a science video? 3. Do variations in hands-on experiences (i.e., self-directed vs. guided) affect learning transfer? 4. Can informal science learning experiences help prepare some types of students more effectively for formal learning (i.e., can informal learning experiences help prepare students, who traditionally score lower on science achievement, for classroom learning)?
The project will look at transfer of learning when students participate in hands-on activities on specific topics, then watch a video with content information about the specific topic they had experience with, concluding with a posttest assessing how much content was learned about the topic with which the students had a hands-on experience. The general hypothesis is that the hands-on experience (with no specific content information presented) prepares students for learning more about the topic.
After an initial phase that develops and refines the learning opportunity and the posttest, the Phase 2 proof of concept experiment will be conducted where students will be assigned to two groups. Each group will participate in one open-ended activity (circuits or wind) in the Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio. A week after the visit, the students will watch a video that contains information relevant to both topics. They will then take a posttest that will assess how much was learned from the video. The hypothesis is that each group will learn more from the video regarding the topic they explored in the Tinkering Studio. The cross-over design was presented as a stronger design than a main effects design because there would be no halo effect. The Phase 3 study will examine whether one designed experience is better than another contrasting self-directed maker station) versus a teacher-guided hands-on station. A control group will also be included where students have no experience in the Tinkering Studio.
The results of the study will be published in scholarly journals, but the design and results will also be widely disseminated to educators and researchers of learning in informal settings.
