In this study, the relationship between principals' learning-centered leadership and teachers' professional learning was examined according to the views of Science and Art Center (SAC) teachers. Although similar studies have been carried out before, it was thought that SAC teachers' perceptions as a different context could provide important…

This research was carried out to reveal the experiences of pre-service elementary teachers during their visit to the science center and their observations and opinions about this experience. For this purpose, a case study, which is one of the qualitative research designs, was adopted. 32 pre-service elementary teachers participated in the…

As part of a public education outreach effort, an introduction to the health effects of ionizing radiation and the field of medical physics was developed by a clinical medical physicist. The presentation was delivered to a broad public audience in 2019 (prior to COVID-19 safety concerns) through a community outreach science literacy program that…

To increase engagement with science and technology, young people around the world are encouraged to attend activities at science centers. But how effective are these activities? Since women have weaker ability beliefs and interest in technology than men, it is especially important to learn how science center visits affect them. In this study, we…

It is known that gifted individuals have existed for centuries and have played important roles in the development and progress of societies. In recent years, there has been a need for education systems that provide the environment and conditions in which gifted children can express themselves easily, that can help them overcome the problems and…

This paper takes a "natural history approach" (Erickson, 1982) in describing and analyzing the making of a fanciful object--a wind sculpture--by a young woman and a staff scientist in a youth outreach program called X-Tech at the San Francisco Exploratorium. Working from audio-video footage, audio recordings, and "in situ"…

When semantically-related photos appear with true-or-false trivia claims, people more often rate the claims as true compared to when photos are absent--"truthiness." This occurs even when the photos lack information useful for assessing veracity. We tested whether truthiness changed in magnitude as a function of participants' age in a…

The social interactions that take place in science museums, whether between family members or with mediators, are recognized as essential to visitors' experience. However, there is still little empirical research in the Brazilian context on how families interact and converse on visits to science museums -- and even less on the role of the mediator…

In an increasingly globalized world, the ability to engage with science meaningfully to make decisions on small and large scales is essential to be an informed citizen and to create a more equitable world. To engage with science, people need to develop a science identity. In this study, science identity, or feeling like a science person, includes…

On 25 June 2021, the State Council issued the new "Outline of the National Action Scheme for Scientific Literacy for All Chinese Citizens (2020-2035) (Outline of Scientific Literacy)." In order to provide reference for its implementation, this study analyzes the achievements and obstacles in the implementation of the old "Outline of…

Critical reflective practice is a foundation of socially just pedagogy. This paper focuses on the informal STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) learning sector, where there is an acute shortage of support for critical reflective practice despite long-standing, entrenched issues of inequity. We analyse how practitioners used a new…

Scientist-led K-12 outreach offers many benefits to scientists, teachers, and students; however, many of these programs are top down rather than collaborative. Our team facilitated a museum-based scientist-teacher partnership to co-design a lesson on shark biology for middle school students. Following the implementation of the lesson, we conducted…

Museums are literacy-rich environments where visitors may interact with text in a variety of ways. Examining the environment for indicators of literacy learning provides insight into how the museum is meeting its mission as a cultural and educational institution, particularly for museums geared towards children as visitors. The purpose of this…

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a machine learning (ML) integrated science curriculum implemented within the Science Research Mentorship Program (SRMP) for high school youth at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) over 2 years. The 4-week curriculum focused on ML knowledge gain, skill development, and self-efficacy, particularly…

Apart from equipping learners with 21st-century skills, environmental science (ES) education fosters problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, and a sense of responsibility and agency in children. Community science centers contribute to ES education by stirring up interest, enthusiasm, and awareness in both science and environmental issues;…