The roles of the formal and informal sectors in the provision of effective science education

Stöcklmayer, Susan; Rennie, Léonie J.; Gilbert, John K.

doi:10.1080/03057260903562284

Cited by 240 publications

(199 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…The distinctive context of the London Challenge programme demonstrates advantages in schools drawing upon expertise from the informal sector (Stocklmayer et al, 2010). Most schools in our study were complex, multicultural comprehensives in deprived areas of London in which students and their families face daily social and personal challenges.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Benefits of Residential Fieldwork for School Science: Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK

Amos¹,

Reiß²

2012

International Journal of Science Education

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Amos, R. and Reiss, M. (2012). The benefits of residential fieldwork for school science:Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK. International Journal of Science Education, 34(4), 485-511. AbstractThere is considerable international interest in the value of residential fieldwork for school students. In the UK, pressures on curriculum time, rising costs and heightened concern over students' safety are curtailing residential experiences. Collaboration between several key providers across the UK created an extensive programme of residential courses for 11-14 year olds in London schools from [2004][2005][2006][2007][2008]. Some 33,000 students from 849 schools took part. This paper draws on the evaluation of the programme that gathered questionnaire, interview and observational data from 2706 participating students, 70 teachers and 869 parents / carers from 46 schools mainly in deprived areas of the city. Our findings revealed that students' collaborative skills improved and interpersonal relationships were strengthened and taken back to school. Gains were strongest in social and affective domains; behavioural improvements occurred for some students. Individual cognitive gains were revealed more convincingly during face-to-face interviews than through survey items. Students from socially deprived backgrounds benefitted from exposure to learning environments which promoted authentic practical inquiry. Over the five year programme, combined physical adventure and real-world experiences proved to be popular with students and their teachers.Opportunities for learning and doing science in ways not often accessible in urban school environments were opened up. Further programmes, which build upon the provision of mixed curriculum-adventure course design, have been implemented across the UK as a result of the London experience. The popularity and apparent success of these combination courses suggest that providers need to consider the value of developing similar programmes in the future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the current economic situation in developed countries, this is perhaps a challenging financial proposition, so ways in which the formal school and informal sectors can work together need to be explored (Stocklmayer et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Benefits of Residential Fieldwork for School Science: Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK

Amos¹,

Reiß²

2012

International Journal of Science Education

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“…Other arguments about the potential of ISE to be inclusive have suggested that the 'informality' of such learning and engagement opportunities, that is, their lack of government-led curricula, assessment practices and voluntary attendance, affords visitors the opportunity to learn in ways that best suit their own preferences, expectations, interests and prior experiences (Dierking & Falk, 2009;Stocklmayer et al, 2010). It would, however, be problematic to assume that any designed learning environment was without explicit and implicit biases that constrain some learners while benefitting others.…”

Section: Empirical Research On Social Inclusion/exclusion In Isementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While schools and the mass media will doubtless continue to represent important sites for learning and engagement with science, a growing theme within the science education literature focuses instead on the roles played by science museums, science centres, zoos, aquaria, science festivals and other forms of so-called 'informal' or 'free-choice' science education Stocklmayer, Rennie, & Gilbert, 2010). Informal science education (ISE) has been found to provide participants with opportunities to engage with science in ways that are inspiring, relevant and educational in both affective and cognitive terms (Bell, Lewenstein, Shouse, & Feder, 2009;Phipps, 2010;Stocklmayer et al, 2010). Questions remain, however, about how accessible, inclusive and equitable ISE practices are.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equity in informal science education: developing an access and equity framework for science museums and science centres

Dawson

2014

Studies in Science Education

113

115

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Informal science education (ISE) is a popular pursuit, with millions of people visiting science museums, science centres, zoos, botanic gardens, aquaria, science festivals and more around the world. Questions remain, however, about how accessible and inclusive ISE practices are. This article reviews research on participation in ISE through the lens of social inclusion and equity and suggests that, as a field of practice, ISE is exclusive, with relatively little empirical or theoretical research on equity compared to 'formal' science education. This article contributes to science education scholarship by exploring equity in ISE, bringing together international research on ISE equity issues to examine what an access and equity framework for ISE might entail. It draws on theoretical perspectives from research on social justice, social reproduction and pedagogy to adapt a three-part access framework, focusing in turn on infrastructure access, literacy and community acceptance, to develop an access and equity framework for ISE.

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“…13(1), 2017 Stocklmayer, 2010). Research has shown that even short excursions can support learning, both cognitive and affective, and can «enhance motivation, spark interest, and encourage social interaction and to access original and authentic settings» (DeWitt & Storksdieck, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocational students’ meaning-making in school science – negotiating authenticity through multimodal mobile learning

Nordby

Knain

Jónsdóttir

2017

NorDiNa

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This article presents a qualitative study focusing school science in two vocational classes, upper secondary school, Norway. The fact that many vocational students find little meaning in school science forms the backdrop. The students were introduced to teaching combining an excursion to a district heating plant and classroom lessons, with the use of mobile phones for documentation. Thematic analysis is used to explore the students’ experiences by analysing their behaviour and utterances. A multimodal semiotic analysis is used to examine the students' digital stories. By offering the students teaching in a real life vocational facility, we found that the students engaged in the related school science subject matter. They do perceive the use of phones for documentation as personal authentic and relevant working method. The learning potential arising when the mobile learning bridged the two learning venues overshadowed the possible pitfalls of using smartphones.

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The roles of the formal and informal sectors in the provision of effective science education

Cited by 240 publications

References 81 publications

The Benefits of Residential Fieldwork for School Science: Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK

The Benefits of Residential Fieldwork for School Science: Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK

Equity in informal science education: developing an access and equity framework for science museums and science centres

Vocational students’ meaning-making in school science – negotiating authenticity through multimodal mobile learning

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