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ERIC Number: EJ1133434
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Feb
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Exploration of a Method to Assess Children's Understandings of a Phenomenon after Viewing a Demonstration Show
DeKorver, Brittland K.; Choi, Mark; Towns, Marcy
Journal of Chemical Education, v94 n2 p149-156 Feb 2017
Chemical demonstration shows are a popular form of informal science education (ISE), employed by schools, museums, and other institutions in order to improve the public's understanding of science. Just as teachers employ formative and summative assessments in the science classroom to evaluate the impacts of their efforts, it is important to assess learning outcomes in ISE settings. However, assessment in ISE, which necessarily takes place outside of a classroom, presents unique challenges. Designing assessment forces the researcher to find a balance between a rigorous assessment that will yield insightful results while avoiding any measures that might violate the free-choice, leisure atmosphere of ISE activities and risk alienation of participants. This research explored a potential method for evaluating the effects of a demonstration show on audience understanding of a chemical concept. Two formats for presenting demonstration shows, the traditional format and the Fusion Science Theater format, were compared via brief interviews with child audience members about their understanding of a molecular-level explanation for bouncing.
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A