Personal Impacts

It’s not easy being green. Alternative Energy – barriers are not just financial.

Doctoral candidate from the Australian National University, David Barton, is used to looking for engineering solutions to problems. In particular he is interested in climate change solutions: how can energy be made greener and cheaper? Yet despite obvious financial incentives, he found that residents of some small islands off the coast of Australia were strongly opposed to the adoption of green power.

David discovered that people are not overly concerned with the technical aspects of alternative energy sources. What they really want to know is “how will this affect me?” David surmises that the introduction of alternative technologies on a broader social scale will be much more successful if it starts at the grass roots. David's research recenlty featured in the ANU Reporter.

Museums complementing schools, connecting with youth

The Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose, USA runs a Discovery Youth programme connecting 10 - 14 year olds with the museum and creating meaningful exchanges and impacts.

Since its inception in 2001, the Discovery Youth programme has enabled youth to interact with museum professionals, providing adult role models whilst acknowledging and supporting the participants as valuable resources themselves. Beyond the multimedia projects they design and conduct, the programme has had other influences on the young community members which were captured through evaluation of the programme. Participants not only reported feeling more equipped for school, but also acknowledged that their behaviour, motivation, and health had changed, while their self-esteem and teamwork skills had also improved.

An excellent indicator of how museums and related institutes can positively impact on their communities!

Making a difference to school students in Atlanta USA

The Fernbank Science Center's Scientific Tools and Techniques program was shown in the early 1990s to make a difference to school students in terms of grade point average, the number of science courses taken in senior year, and the likelihood of pursuing further study or taking up careers in science-related fields. A report by Ralph Buice, Su Ellen Bray and William L Curlette summarises the program and the research on its effectiveness.

Download the report (pdf, 43 kb).

Boosting student learning at school in the Philippines

Researchers from the University of the Philippines have evaluated the impact of the Philippine Science Centrum Educational Pathways (PSCEP) program on student learning. The study used eight test instruments with an experimental and a control class, as well as checklists, observations and interviews. On seven of the eight tests, the experimental class - which received the PSCEP interventions - obtained significantly higher mean scores.

Download the report (pdf, 28 kB).

Long term views of science centre visits in the Philippines

Colin Johnson authored the ASTC report and he is the former Director of Techniquest in Cardiff.

In a 1995 review of the first five years of operation of the Philippine Science Centrum, a study team from the University of the Philippines gathered data from nearly 2400 school students who had visited the centre either very recently, or 1-4 years earlier. The study's findings suggested that a visit to the Science Centrum was a memorable experience which could increase students' interest in science and related careers, and for at least some students this 'increased interest' effect persisted for a number of years.

Download the report (pdf, 31 kB).

Teacher feedback on a PD program in the Philippines

A report from the Philippine Science Centrum summarises the feedback provided by participants in a teacher development program. Since it began in 1995, the seminar-workshop program has trained more than 5000 science and art teachers, administrators and supervisors all over the country. The program is seen as very valuable in increasing the knowledge, confidence and motivation of teachers in relation to science in the classroom.

Download the report (pdf, 30 kB).

Science Centers as Learning Environments. Colin Johnson (2005)

Colin Johnson, commissioned by the Association for Science-Technology Centers, has prepared an overview of learning in science centers, looking at what is meant by 'learning'; what is special about learning in informal settings; what we know about learning in science centres. The paper touches on measuring long-term impacts, and includes an extensive reference list and annotated links to other useful websites.

Read this review on the ASTC website.