Images of Activation in Context: Implications for Design of Activating Science Learning Experiences

• In Event: Activating Young Science Learners: Igniting Persistent Engagement in Science Learning and Inquiry

Abstract

This poster presentation explores the relationships between learners, the features of learning environments, the elements of learning experiences, and learner activation. The purpose of this poster session is to present findings from studies designed to test a key hypothesis of the Lab’s work: science learning activation is malleable — well-designed experiences can increase activation; poorly-designed experiences can deactivate. This poster will provide an overview of the tools and processes developed by the Lab to identify and measure the features of learning environments and the experiences that support activation. Results from the instrument validation study and preliminary findings will be presented.

Building on the theoretical framework of the Science Learning Activation Lab, the framework for this study posits that activation enables success in proximal learning experiences and that those experiences, in turn, impact science learning activation (Dorph, et. al. 2011). This framework has been developed through an iterative process that included expert knowledge of project advisors and researchers, input from a group of science learning experience designers, and findings from a varied body of literature including work in the fields of education, psychology, technology, design and free-choice learning.

In order to test the hypothesis that activation is malleable, researchers developed a suite of instruments designed to identify and measure the features of science learning opportunities and the experiences of learners that support the activation of young learners in science. Multiple instruments were utilized in an effort to capture the richness of the settings and experiences as well as to provide a means of validating the framework and instruments. These instruments include: observational protocols, interviews with educators and learners, video documentation, and written surveys. These methods were applied with over 100 children ages 8-14 in a variety of science learning experiences across multiple educational settings and diverse learning environments (e.g. classrooms, summer camps, museums, libraries, homes, and community centers).

Early findings from this study indicate that critical themes emerge through analysis of images of activated learners as they engage in science learning experiences. In this session, authors will pay particular attention to those findings that have implications for science learning experience design including: the role of the facilitator in supporting engagement, the mediating factors that account for the difference between expected engagement based on environmental features and the actual engagement observed, and factors that support successful engagement in science learning opportunities. By juxtaposing student experience with educator expectations we learn much about the affordances of particular design choices.

Identifying characteristics and features of learning environments, the factors that support learner engagement in science, and how those contribute to science activation is both practically and scholarly significant. Practically, this study contributes to the knowledge base that educators, policymakers, and funders may draw upon to inform the design of and investments in science learning experiences and opportunities. From a scholarly standpoint, the instruments developed in this study provide researchers and evaluators with valid and reliable tools for investigating science learning experiences, and the findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this area.

Authors

• Kevin Crowley, University of Pittsburgh

• Rena Dorph, University of California - Berkeley

• Lisa R Newton, University of California - Berkeley

• Scott M. Randol, University of California - Berkeley