Engaging Experts in the Use of Oral Narratives During Informal Science Programs for Families

• In Event: 47.073 - Weaving Stories Into STEM Learning

Abstract

Objectives. Experts' demonstrations and presentations are a very common part of STEM learning in museums and libraries. We will describe results of our design-based research aimed at identifying ways that experts' oral narratives during family programs can advance STEM learning opportunities for young children.

Perspective. Experts can play an important role in STEM education in a number of ways, including through initiatives to connect scientists with the public (e.g., Lusenhop et al., 2013; Tisdal, 2011). Interacting with experts can be an important part of a social milieu that can foster children's understanding (Vygotsky, 1978), and potentially increase interest in future STEM education and careers (e.g., Bamberger, 2014). The narratives experts tell about their own experiences as scientists and engineers can provide mechanisms by which expert-led programs support STEM learning.

Methods. Experts were recruited from the local community. Each expert conducted 3-6 sessions, hosted by a children's museum or a public library. More than 100 families with 6 to 10 year old children attended the programs and participated in the research.

Results. To characterize experts' narratives during our first iterations, ethnographic field notes and memos (Jordan & Henderson, 1995) were created for 7 experts across 28 programs. One family in each program was randomly selected and ethnographic field notes focused on identifying moments of family engagement, including (a) STEM-related conversations during the activity, (b) redesigning their creations, and (c) children’s STEM-related talk after the activity. All field notes and video observations were then reviewed and used to identify themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006) in expert narratives that related to family engagement across sessions. These analyses revealed that families' engagement is related to experts’ (a) connecting their personal story to the activity, (b) explaining the engineering design process, and (c) encouraging collaboration between parents and children.

Our second iteration involved the creation of a collection of sample videos from the first iteration illustrating "best practices" for expert programs that was presented to the next set of experts. Analyses indicate that expert narratives in the second iteration are qualitatively different than those in the first. Specifically, field note observations show that in comparison to experts in the first iterations, experts in the second iteration were more likely to connect their story to the activity, and to encourage collaboration. This is particularly important because we have also found that when experts emphasize collaboration in their oral narratives, children and families more often set goals together, and spend more time eliciting problem-solving strategies together, compared to when experts do not emphasize collaboration.

Significance. Our work is providing information about a process for engaging STEM experts in the use of oral narratives during inquiry-based STEM activities for children and families in museums and libraries. Our results also demonstrate ways these experiences can impact family engagement and children's STEM learning.

Authors

• Graciela Solis, Loyola University Chicago

• Diana Acosta, Loyola University Chicago

• Lauren Christine Pagano, Loyola University Chicago

• Catherine A Haden, Loyola University Chicago