Browsing by Subject "informal science education"

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    Best Practices for Field Days: Validating an Informal Science Education Field Day Observation Tool
    (St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Service, 2009) Carlson, Stephan; Storksdieck, Martin; Heimlich, Joe
    A study was conducted at the Metro Children’sWater Festival (CWF) in St Paul, Minnesota in the fall of 2008 where 44 schools and more than 1,200 fifth grade students participated in the one day event. The purpose of the study was to assess the validity of an observation tool for informal science education around Field Day programs. Content validity (Modified Delphi) and coder reliability of the observation tool was established the previous years (NSF, #0635559). Items from the observation tool were mapped to students’ evaluation questions to determine the degree to which observed characteristics of the field day are aligned with student perception. It is conceivable that they don’t align. Students’ assessment of their experience is based on factors that have little to do with what educators care about. Significant correlations support the validity; lack there of, on the other hand, does not indicate that the tool isn’t valid.
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    Wonder Years: The Science of Early Childhood Development
    (University of Minnesota Extension, 2012-10) Langworthy, Sara; Benning, Sarah; Jordan, Catherine
    The Wonder Years: The Science of Early Development (WY), funded by the National Science Foundation, is a collaboration among the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) and University of Minnesota’s Extension Children Youth and Family Consortium (CYFC), the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), and the Institute of Child Development (ICD). The WY project includes a variety of elements. Public forums bring together community members and experts to discuss scientific findings and implications for families and communities. Citizen dialogues convene a diverse mix of interested citizens, state and local policymakers, and early childhood advocates to discuss society’s role in supporting young children. CYFC’s qualitative research study examines the usefulness of informal science education settings, like museum exhibitions and citizen dialogues, in enhancing state legislators’ knowledge and decision-making in early childhood policies. This is a completely new way of thinking about how policymakers might learn and integrate information about the science of early childhood into their decision-making, and how the University can best facilitate the useful translation of research for policymakers. CYFC has hosted WY field experiences for students. CYFC also recently developed a virtual tour of the exhibition that gives viewers insight into what they might learn when visiting the WY exhibition. In this poster presentation, CYFC staff will engage conference attendees in learning more about this collaborative and innovative project and how they might utilize it in their Extension work.