One effect of the standard design of science center programs that equate science with entertainment is that visitors are prevented from acquiring scientific literacy. Examines the discursive construction of science and explores what entails citizenship in a risk society. (DDR)

Students from a Kansas technology magnet school helped create a CD-ROM depicting the Wichita Art Museum's collection. Project evaluation examined development of the school-museum partnership; benefits to students, museum, and community; and partnership problems. A brief literature review discusses partnership features and barriers, and benefits of…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a combined museum and classroom intervention project on science learning in low-income children. The focus of the program was on children's content knowledge and concept complexity. Thirty children were in the experimental group. A control group of 18 children visited literacy and social studies…

This paper examines children's and adults' attitudes to virtual representations of museum objects. Drawing on empirical research data gained from two web-based digital learning environments. The paper explores the characteristics of on-line learning activities that move children from a sense of wonder into meaningful engagement with objects and…

This report examines arts engagement in ten key states in the U.S. by analyzing data from the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA). It is organized into ten state profiles that summarize key demographic characteristics, the arts landscape, and public participation in the arts. Because the regions profiled here are not a random…

On July 16, 2004, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) convened a day-long forum of leaders in the African American museum community, as well as leaders in the museum community at large, to explore the evolving role of African American museums, their contributions, and their challenges. This report provides a synthesis of the July…

Institutions like Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) provide New England with cultural wealth in a variety of ways, including the great art and design housed in their museums and their vibrant faculty and student body, which numbers in RISD's case, 1,900 undergraduates and 375 graduate students from the United States and almost 50 countries.…

The Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules (VMMM) is a web-based resource presenting interactive, 3-D, research-grade molecular models of more than 150 minerals and molecules of interest to chemical, earth, plant, and environmental sciences. User interactivity with the 3-D display allows models to be rotated, zoomed, and specific regions of…

This activity geared for grades 5-9 involves students in creating museum stations on eight solid waste and energy topics. While working in groups, students present their station topic to other students who are conducting a "museum tour." In doing so participants are encouraged to enhance their reading, writing, public speaking, and artistic skills…

As part of the education reform movement seeking change in both teaching and teacher education, a graduate teacher education course at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, "Integrating Museum Resources into Classroom Instruction," offers teachers a chance to engage in problem solving for their own students through varied…

Some researchers have argued that students often learn to operate in two domains, the domain of the science context in school, and the domain of everyday life outside of school. Outside of school, students are exposed to many media from which to learn science concepts. This document is one of a series on research seminars at the Western Australian…

This study investigates student learning in science center exhibitions as a form of informal education and examines intrinsic, instrumental, and situational student motivation. Subjects (N=130) consisted of 6 comprehensive school classes of 7th graders in the greater Helsinki area. The design of the study was quasi-experimental with two…

A hypermedia simulation, Sickle Cell Counselor, has been developed to anchor instruction for museum visitors using the task of advising couples about the decision to have children when there is a substantial genetic risk of sickle cell disease. A visitor can perform simulated laboratory tests and ask questions via interactive video. The anchored…

This paper reports on a study at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis that examined how two-way audio/visual interactive learning (2WAVIL) technology can be used to help prepare students prior to a museum visit, hoping that this preparation may help students interact with exhibits in a more constructivist manner. The study focused on children's…

Intended for the staffs of museums, zoos, and other science related centers, this manual is a step by step guide to establishing a rural science outreach and education program. Based on the experiences of the New Mexico Rural Science Education Project (NMRSEP), this manual focuses on rural elementary schools and on earth and life sciences. Much of…