Martin Storksdieck

A short review of school field trips: key findings from the past and implications for the future.

ABSTRACT This review of the literature on field trips to out-of-school settings will briefly summarize key findings and discuss implications for future research and field trip practice. Cognitive and affective learning can occur as a result of class visits to out-of-school settings, and learning outcomes are fundamentally influenced by the structure of the field trip, setting novelty, prior knowledge and interest of the students, the social context of the visit, teacher agendas, student experiences during the field trip, and the presence or absence and quality of preparation and follow-up. Field trips, however, are not ideal for teaching complex concepts or even isolated facts, they are not “better classroom settings”; instead, they serve best as opportunities for exploration, discovery, first-hand and original experiences. Despite systemic pressures to the contrary, teachers and informal educators tend to agree on this broader vision of field trips and this article makes a variety of suggestions for putting such a vision into practice.

Investigating public science interest and understanding: evidence for the importance of free-choice learning

Historically, most of the focus of science education has been on pre-college and college level schooling. Although some of the publics interest and knowledge about science is unquestionably shaped by compulsory schooling, given that the average adult spends only a fraction of their life participating in some kind of formal schooling, we argue that the contribution of school-based science learning to the long-term public understanding of science is limited, particularly for the majority of Americans who do not go on to post-secondary schooling. This article shows that the majority of the public constructs much of its understanding of science over the course of their lives, gathering information from many places and contexts, and for a diversity of reasons. A random telephone survey of Los Angeles, California residents found that nearly half (43 percent) of the publics self-reported science understanding derives from leisure time, free-choice learning; science understanding was primarily acquired for reasons related to personal interest, need and/or curiosity. The conclusion drawn from this preliminary investigation is that future efforts to understand and support the publics understanding of science will require approaches that take into account individual differences and the unique personal and context-specific nature of knowledge; findings also support the value of asset-based approaches to education which build from strengths rather than dwelling upon deficits.

Learning science from museums.

This article provides an overview of current understandings of the science learning that occurs as a consequence of visiting a free-choice learning setting like a science museum. The best available evidence indicates that if you want to understand learning at the level of individuals within the real world, learning does functionally differ depending upon the conditions, i.e., the context, under which it occurs. Hence, learning in museums is different than learning in any other setting. The contextual model of learning provides a way to organize the myriad specifics and details that give richness and authenticity to the museum learning process while still allowing a holistic picture of visitor learning. The results of a recent research investigation are used to show how this model elucidates the complex nature of science learning from museums. This study demonstrates that learning form museums can be meaningfully analyzed and described. The article concludes by stating that only by appreciating and accounting for the full complexities of the museum experience will a useful understanding of how and what visitors learn from science museums emerge.

Patient-centered communication between adolescent and young adult cancer survivors and their healthcare providers: Identifying research gaps with a scoping review

OBJECTIVE To conduct a scoping literature review to identify practices or programs that promote AYA patient-centered communication. METHODS Between January and May of 2016, we applied standard scoping review methodology to systematically review articles. We considered peer-reviewed, English language articles written at any phase of intervention research. Both qualitative and quantitative studies were eligible, and no additional search restrictions were applied. We retained articles that included explicit or implicit outcomes for one of the six functions of patient-centered communication in cancer care. At least two independent reviewers assessed the articles. RESULTS We screened a total of 4072 titles and abstracts, retaining 27 for full-text review. Ultimately, eight titles met the reviews inclusion criteria. We categorized each publication by the action or setting used to improve patient-centered communication, resulting in five categories. Most studies were not included because they did not include a patient-centered communication outcome. CONCLUSION This area of research is still emerging, as indicated by the small number of eligible studies and predominance of qualitative, descriptive, pilot, and feasibility studies with small sample sizes. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Our results suggest a clear need to develop and evaluate interventions focused on improving patient-centered communication between AYA survivors and their healthcare providers.

Impacts of a comprehensive public engagement training and support program on scientists’ outreach attitudes and practices

ABSTRACT Scientists are increasingly being called upon to play a more prominent role in the interface of science and society by contributing to science literacy in ways that support two-way exchanges with the public. However, many remain reluctant to participate in public engagement activities in part because they feel they lack relevant skills and experience. We surveyed scientists trained on engagement through a nationwide program called Portal to the Public and examined how participation in the program may have influenced their self-efficacy, commitment and attitudes about outreach, and perceived benefits from conducting outreach based on two-way exchange with lay audiences. Participating scientists who responded to the survey reported being deeply involved in and highly committed to hands-on interactive public outreach, felt their engagement skills had improved, and even viewed benefits of their engagement training that extended into university teaching and career development. Our findings suggest a comprehensive engagement training model, which incorporates learning theory, helps scientists build their own outreach strategies, provides opportunities to practice, and offers easy access to audiences, can have a sustained impact on disposition, perceived skills, and type of outreach conducted by scientists interested in deeper engagement with the public.

How Social Networks May Influence Cancer Patients' Situated Identity and Illness-Related Behaviors

Little research is currently available that captures variation in the degree to which individuals who have, or had cancer in the past (but are in remission) integrate their cancer experience into their sense of self or their cancer-associated identity. Such research should cover how those identities shape personal narratives within existing or new social networks so that, ultimately, we understand the implications for treatment choices and health outcomes. Particularly understudied are the social factors influencing the incorporation of cancer into identity, learning, and behavior. Social network analysis captures specific relationships, what they offer, and the structure or constellation of these relationships around someone who has cancer or has had cancer. Some studies point to potential cultural differences in ethnic or social groups in how social influences on the cancer experience play out in terms of individual coping strategies. In some populations, social cohesion or tight networks are common and of particular importance to individuals and include social institutions like church communities. Social status might also generate social pressures not typically noticed or experienced by other groups. We will discuss how social network analysis can be used to elucidate these factors and, conversely, how the specific context of cancer diagnosis can be used through social network analysis to better understand the role of community in helping individuals address situations of severe adversity.

Using Microscopy for Authentic Science Teaching: A Learning Sciences Perspective

We are currently experiencing a new national effort to improve science education in K-12, one that is building on a somewhat failed effort from the mid-1990s to introduce “inquiry” into the science classroom. This new movement is build around the adoption and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards [1], which themselves represent a faithful translation of a National Research Council report that provided the basic guidebook for these new standards, entitled A Framework for K-12 Science Education [2]. In contrast to previous science education standards from the 1990, the new ones are formulated as so-called “performance expectations”; performance expectations specify what a student should be able to do or demonstrate in terms of scientific or engineering competency that can be observed or tested. The NGSS are therefore not curriculum guidelines, but the endpoint of a learning or teaching effort that is oriented towards a student outcome. How this is achieved is left to curriculum developers or teachers.

Das McCloy Programm: Idee und Ideologie

Die als »ideologisch« erfahrenen Aspekte eines Studiums an der Kennedy School of Government werden von einem Teilnehmer am McCloy Programm kritisch unter die Lupe genommen. Als fragwurdige Transferangebote deckt der Autor die Schwachen der wohlfahrsokonomischen Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse, der utilitaristischen Ethik und der wertneutralen politschen Analyse auf In seinem Fazit beleuchtet er den fehlenden Bezug des Angebotes zu den spezifischen Bedurfnissen der Scholars und ihres Heimatlandes.