Hannu Salmi
Heureka: The Finnish Science Centre,Vantaa, Finland
Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, 21-24 March 1997, Chicago, IL.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate science learning in an informal setting in order to further develop the theory of science centre education as a form of informal education. The main focus of the study was to find more explicit evidence for earlier findings concerning intrinsic and instrumental motivation of school students visiting science centres. The subjects of this study visited a science centre exhibition once a month during a school year following a plan complementing the science curriculum of the school and exhibitions of Heureka Science Centre, Finland. The students' motivation was assessed by the motivation (intrinsic/instrumental) test and two cognitive tests (Raven-applied, Mecano). The tests were administrated before (T0) and at the completion (T1) of the visit program. Students in the program were organised into four treatment groups of (1) senior high school students, (2) junior high school students, (3) gifted high school students, (4) elementary high school students, (4) elementary school students and a control group. The results of the standard tests were compared with the gifted students group and a control group. Results indicate that the intrinsic motivation of senior high school group grew during the project. The same trend was evident with the gifted control group increasing. The motivational patterns of elementary school students changed greatly; intrinsic motivation grew strongly and instrumental motivation decreased. Using programs, such as the linking of schools and science centres together in meaningful learning initiatives, teenager' decreasing motivation for learning can be minimised. No statistically significant gender differences were found. However, the quasi-experimental design allowed many background variables of school and home to be uncontrolled. Findings suggest that the students' situation motivation can be ennobled into intrinsic motivation through well organised programs linking schools to the informal learning settings of science centres.
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SCIENCE CENTRE EDUCATION: MOTIVATION AND LEARNING IN INFORMAL EDUCATION (MUSEUM EDUCATION). by SALMI, HANNU SAKARI.
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