Described is a comprehensive approach which was used to develop, implement, and assess educational programs for four specific Kinabulu Park audiences: general park visitors, school groups, local villagers, and the public reached by mass media. (CW)

Observations and interviews of 20 parishioners in Catholic rural parishes led by female lay pastors in the absence of priests elicited themes about informal and incidental learning: learning content included understanding the Eucharist, the Church, and pastoral leadership; and barriers to learning included priest intervention, history of parish…

Evaluations of visitors' reactions to interpretation in Australian national parks found that guided activities provided more immediate responses to visitors' questions on Aboriginal culture than on-site signs; a well-designed interpretive mural mitigated people's disappointment at visiting wetlands when no birds were present; and ranger-guided…

Findings from four studies offer insights to camp staff on helping campers learn from their experiences. The studies examined young children's perceptions of time-out, intentional systematic strategies that children can use to resolve conflicts, types of feedback and their effects on motivation, and how brain functions determine the effectiveness…

Aims to acquire better understanding of how informal learning experiences may interface with classroom science instruction by investigating one aspect of science learning, that of scientific reasoning ability. Investigates possible differences in students' scientific reasoning abilities relative to their informal learning environments, classroom…

Claims that the delineation of formal and informal education has become a boundary between family and school. Examines the changes, roles, and culture within schools and points out that encouraging participation and collaboration is the ultimate goal. Provides a list of questions schools can use to evaluate their family-friendliness and strategies…

The annual Women's and Girls' Tea Party and Storytelling Ceremony is held in a Berkeley redwood grove by a creek. Seeking to generate community support for creek restoration, the ceremony/celebration/site-specific performance piece uses childhood rituals and story telling to help participants connect emotionally to each other, the place, its past,…

The founder of Bread and Puppet Theater discusses the use of puppetry and theater arts to build community, educate the public about environmental and sociopolitical issues, and provide a setting for group consciousness raising; grassroots reclaiming of art as part of everyday life; and ceremony as a powerful element of performance and as part of…

Examines the association between men's and women's social capital and their likelihood of starting a business. Suggests that heterogeneous social networks provide greater access to multiple sources of information. Women had a greater proportion of kin and greater homogeneity in their networks, but it was network characteristics rather than gender…

Presents environmental education as a sharing of contested stories about the relationship between humans and nature. Suggests that the best storytelling occurs in nonformal and informal educational settings. Employs ethnographic research methods. Contains 19 references. (DDR)

Problems in research on participation in adult education include the following: (1) treatment of participants as voluntary, which ignores the growth of compulsory training in the workplace; (2) lack of knowledge about the choice to be a nonlearner; (3) individualistic focus; and (4) inadequate investigation of informal learning. (SK)

Attempts to evaluate which of the content areas provide a more optimum learning experience, ecology/natural science topics or awareness of environmental problems/issues. Identifies knowledge retention and attitude change as the indicator variables of a program. (Contains 29 references.) (Author/YDS)

Tests the use of modeling and wait-time as guided-tour procedures and their use by docents as a strategy for increasing visitor questions. Modeling and wait-time seemed clearly important in encouraging visitors to begin to ask questions. Visitors asked an average of seven times more questions than had been asked on pre-experimental tours. (PVD)

Computer screen-based interactives can be very effective exhibits and are especially popular with children. Summarizes what museum researchers at London's Science Museum learned while testing computer-interactive exhibits. Topics include typical modes of behavior at computer exhibits, features that improve exhibit attractiveness, effective use of…

Offers reminders and tips for improving interpretive walks, including having a theme, drawing on basic teaching methods, drawing on all senses rather than just talking, being a role model to show how learning can be fun, using picture books, using tools of the trade to encourage visitors to learn for themselves, and playing games. (PVD)