BackHome
Refresh: OffView Personal Schedule
Paper Summary
Share...

Direct link:

Immersive Place-Based Family Learning: Using Pollinator-Plant Interactions to Support Science Talk

Sun, April 16, 8:00 to 9:30am CDT (8:00 to 9:30am CDT), Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, Floor: 6th Floor, Iowa

Abstract

Objectives and Framework
Families are supportive of children’s science learning; however, parents do not always know how to support youths (Gleason & Schauble, 1999). As such, we adopt augmented reality (AR) to provide families with science learning support. AR provides learning experiences where families imagine themselves in new settings (Dede, 2009) through five types of immersion: sensory, actional, narrative, social, and emancipatory processes (Enyedy & Yoon, 2021). While AR has been posited to support science learning, few studies have explored the impact of immersive AR apps on developing children’s out-of-school time STEM interests and understandings in place-based community settings. Consequently, we ask the following research questions: How do the immersive elements of a mobile augmented-reality app influence children’s understandings of pollinators and their habitats during an informal, learning-on-the-move experience?
Our theoretical framework draws from socio-cultural perspectives with the learning-on-the-move (LOTM) framework. LOTM is a social learning process where people make sense of new information collaboratively as they move their bodies within and through community-oriented places (Authors, 2022; Marin, 2020; Silvis et al., 2018; Taylor, 2017). LOTM includes small and large motions such as gesturing, pointing, posturing, walking, wheel-chairing, biking, dancing, and engaging in playful movements.

Methods and Data Sources
We combined an iterative design-based research (DBR) approach (Sandoval & Bell, 2004) with interpretive, qualitative data analysis to analyze children’s learning experiences from their perspective. Families participated in 30–40-minute immersive AR experiences with provided iPads as they made their way through six specified tour stops related to pollinators at Blind4PeerReview located in Blind4PeerReview (see Figure 1). The AR experience focuses on what native bees need to survive in meadow and forest habitats. Twenty rural families were recruited for the study. Parents/guardians self-identified as White (n = 21), Asian (n = 3), and Hispanic (n = 2), while children identified as White (n = 25), Asian (n = 1), Hispanic (n = 2), and Other (n = 1).
Family interactions and discussions were recorded using GoPros, audio recorders, and iOS screen-capture software. After families’ transcripts were transcribed, we analyzed 20 families’ data through interaction analysis (Jordan & Henderson, 1995) (see Figure 2). We held team video review sessions for analysis and conducted iterative coding of video clips with two analytical frameworks: LOTM and five types of immersions.

Results and Significance
Findings showed that sensory and social immersion supported children’s sensemaking conversations and observational inquiry related to pollinators, while narrative and actional immersion supported deep family engagement with ecological content. Overall, families engaged in immersive processes where conversations, observational inquiry, and deep engagement with ecological concepts came together during learning-on-the-move related to pollinator-plant interactions. At AERA, examples from four families will be shared that illustrate how the children talked about pollinators and their habitats. Implications will be shared about the digital practices with immersive AR that supported science talk. This analysis contributes to the literature on informal learning environments, theory related to learning-on-the-move, and the role of immersive designs with AR experiences in outdoor learning and environmental education for children.

Authors