The Exploratory Behavior Scale: Assessing young visitors' hands‐on behavior in science museums

Schijndel, Tessa J.P. van; Franse, Rooske K.; Raijmakers, Maartje E. J.

doi:10.1002/sce.20394

Cited by 63 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Articles were included if they were: (a) written in English; (b) published between 1999 and 2012; (c) provided a definition or description of learning in museums within the theoretical, methodological or results sections and (d) focused on preschool or elementary-school visitors under 12 years old (identified as the general age for the start of high school in most of the study populations). We excluded articles on visitors of high-school age because younger children's museum experiences can be qualitatively different and depend on their development of abstract-level thinking/operations (Van Schijndel et al 2010). We also excluded articles from our review if the focus was on museum curators' learning or training programs and if articles lacked a clearly-stated theoretical and/or methodological approach.…”

Section: Methods Article Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bamberger and Tal 2007;Murriello and Knobel 2008;Zimmerman et al 2008). However, measuring preschool children's learning in relation to interactivity has proved to be a challenge in museum education research (Van Schijndel et al 2010). Because a focus on children's verbalisation is best combined with is a focus on their actions, Van Schijndel et al (2010) used an exploratory behavioural scale that measures children's behaviour and the quality of interactions.…”

Section: Methodological Approach and Information Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vygotsky's theory highlights the importance of scaffolding when learning-as the temporal verbal and nonverbal guidance provided by adults when assisting children at tasksin order to help them to move towards understanding, independent learning or task/concept mastery. The importance of guidance was evident in our review (Van Schijndel et al 2010;Wolf and Wood 2012) and was provided in a variety of ways (modeling, posing of questions). Several researchers (DeWitt 2008;Martell 2008;Rahm 2004;Zimmerman et al 2008) who used sociocultural theory focused their analyses on parent-child and school-group conversational interactions.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also reviewed studies that demonstrated the child-environment-adults/peers interactivity type by using different levels of guidance to explore children's learning (see Bamberger and Tal 2007;Rahm 2004;Van Schijndel et al 2010). While Van Schijndel et al (2010) explored scaffolding, explaining and minimal coaching style on preschool children's hands-on behaviour, Bamberger and Tal (2007) inspected three levels of choice activities (free-choice, limited-choice, and no-choice interactivity).…”

Section: Science Museumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While Van Schijndel et al (2010) explored scaffolding, explaining and minimal coaching style on preschool children's hands-on behaviour, Bamberger and Tal (2007) inspected three levels of choice activities (free-choice, limited-choice, and no-choice interactivity). Results revealed three key findings: (1) the scaffolding coaching style implied that the guide aroused the child's investigations to the next level by asking open questions and directing the child's attention to specific exhibit parts, (2) the explaining coaching style included an exhibit demonstration and its explanation (e.g.…”

Section: Science Museumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Museums as avenues of learning for children: a decade of research

Andre

Durksen

Volman

2016

Learning Environ Res

137

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In this review, we focus on the museum activities and strategies that encourage and support children's learning. In order to provide insight into what is known about children's learning in museums, we examined study content, methodology and the resultant knowledge from the last decade of research. Because interactivity is increasingly seen as essential in children's learning experiences in a museum context, we developed a framework that distinguishes between three main interactivity types for facilitating strategies and activities in children's learning: child-adults/peers; child-technology and child-environment. We identify the most promising strategies and activities for boosting children's learning as situated in overlapping areas of these interactivity types. Specifically, we identify scaffolding as a key to enhanced museum learning. Our review concludes by highlighting research challenges from the last decade and recommendations for practice and future research on how to design, evaluate and guide theoretically-grounded educational programs for children in museums.

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Section: Methods Article Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodological Approach and Information Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Science Museumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Science Museumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Museums as avenues of learning for children: a decade of research

Andre

Durksen

Volman

2016

Learning Environ Res

137

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Parent Explanation and Preschoolers’ Exploratory Behavior and Learning in a Shadow Exhibition

Schijndel

Raijmakers

2015

Sci. Ed.

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The present study fills a gap in existing visitor research by focusing on the preschool age group. The study explores relationships between parent explanation, children's exploratory behavior, and their domain‐specific learning in a shadow exhibition. In addition, the effect of a preceding theater show on child and parent behaviors is examined. In the study, parent–child pairs were observed while playing in a science center exhibition illustrating physical principles of shadows. Parent explanation was scored on a number of domain‐general categories, such as causal explanations, evidence descriptions, and content‐related directions. Preschoolers’ exploratory behavior and learning were quantified by using nonverbal measures. The Exploratory Behavior Scale was used to assess children's exploration of the physical environment. Children's learning was assessed in the knowledge domain of shadow size. Results showed a positive relationship between one type of parent explanation, evidence descriptions, and preschoolers’ exploratory behavior. No positive relationships between children's exploration and their domain‐specific learning or between parent explanation and children's domain‐specific learning were found. Last, theater attendance was found to affect children's learning on shadow size.

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Families' experiments and conversations at an open‐ended exhibit in a science museum: Individual characteristics and the influence of minimal guidance strategies

et al. 2021

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Research on the impact of guided investigation, including verbal guidance strategies, has expanded in the recent decade, and the current work contributes to this line of research in a museum context. The current in‐depth study examines the impact of verbal guidance strategies on family learning at an open‐ended museum exhibit, considering participants' individual characteristics. The experiments and conversations of 104 families were observed at an object motion exhibit. Results show that families, with and without guidance, investigated in a meaningful way by performing control‐of‐variables strategy experiments, investigating a range of variables, and formulating hypotheses and causal explanations. However, the results also show that the process of learning scientific concepts could be improved. Minimal interventions of museum educators positively affected the families' learning process by reducing the number of scientifically incorrect remarks. Interestingly, in addition to discussing the phenomenon, especially the families with highly educated parents discussed the topic of reliability of their experiments, which is an under‐investigated aspect of learning through investigation. Only children's cognitive ability and not parental education was modestly, but consistently related to the families' performance.

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The Exploratory Behavior Scale: Assessing young visitors' hands‐on behavior in science museums

Cited by 63 publications

References 36 publications

Museums as avenues of learning for children: a decade of research

Museums as avenues of learning for children: a decade of research

Parent Explanation and Preschoolers’ Exploratory Behavior and Learning in a Shadow Exhibition

Families' experiments and conversations at an open‐ended exhibit in a science museum: Individual characteristics and the influence of minimal guidance strategies

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