Exploring After-School Science Offerings and External Partnership

• In Event: 26.066 - Measuring Change in Achievement and Social-Emotional Growth Among After-School Participants in the United States and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Objectives

This paper explores the role of external partners in supporting afterschool science offerings. Most afterschool programs offer science activities but do not have science education experts on staff (Freeman, Dorph & Chi, 2009). To address this gap, resources may be provided by nearby museums, colleges, or science teachers. This paper explores the extent and ways afterschool programs partner with external organizations to support their science offerings and how they balance the costs and benefits of building these ties.

This multi-year study was conducted within the publicly-funded California statewide afterschool program. California is the largest afterschool system in the nation, supporting more than 4000 afterschool sites serving over 400,000 children each year.

While research into afterschool shows a range of positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes for children, the research tradition in the field of afterschool is young (Halpern, 2004), and much remains to be learned about how to best support deeper science learning opportunities in out-of-school time. This study addresses this gap by exploring the science offerings and external resources used by afterschool programs.

Perspective

The analysis of the afterschool programs in California will be viewed using the theories of social capital, social networks, and social exchange. The study explored how the resources and expertise for offering science are activated through interaction with external partners. The work of building these partnerships is costly because of the fractured informal science education (ISE) community, which does not function as a cohesive community of practice (Falk, Randol & Dierking, 2008). The study examined the extent and properties of connections between afterschool programs and other people, organizations or institutions engaged in the field of informal science education.

Methods

This paper is based on two surveys. First, a stratified random sample survey of 600 publicly funded afterschool programs in California explored the type and frequency of science offered by these programs, typical activities, instructional materials, and qualifications of staff. Second,174 intermediary organizations that partner with afterschool programs were asked about their organizational mission, the number programs they support, types of support provided, and the challenges in supporting informal science programs.

Results

Results show that 2 in 3 afterschool programs have an external partner supporting their science in some way. The goals for the participants in afterschool programs more frequently mentioned non-academic goals (such as engaging students in learning or building environmental stewardship) than academic achievement goals. Thus, the afterschool programs were less likely to complement the school curriculum and more likely to provide opportunities for learning that are hands-on or inquiry based. This and other findings from the study yield empirically-based recommendations to advance research on enactment and impacts of afterschool science offerings.

Significance
This study of an afterschool system at scale is a unique contribution to the domain of informal science education, and provides empirically-grounded insights for further informal science education research and practice. It advances the theoretical understanding of afterschool program capacity, and offers implications for exploring the impacts of afterschool science offerings.

Authors

• Ann House, SRI International

• Patrik Lundh, SRI International