In this paper we define the concept of collective usability, a complex systems perspective on usability that positions an entire group, not an individual, as the unit of analysis. Shared XR experiences have inherent temporal and spatial properties that produce emergent, collective impacts which can impede learners' engagement. Assembling large…

Informal science activities occurring at various non-traditional learning sites present a pivotal model for involving youths in the science learning process. The dynamic landscape of emerging technologies has prompted the exploration of innovative methodologies to bolster and refine informal science education. However, the expanse of this field…

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the applications conducted in the science center within the scope of the science lesson "Solar System and Beyond" unit of the 7th-grade students in the secondary school, on the perceptions of the students about the out-of-school learning environments (OSLEs). In the quantitative part of the…

The aim of this book is to convey to teachers the potential of out-of-school environments for mathematics education. This book is primarily intended to inform teachers about the potential of out-of-school learning environments for mathematics learning/teaching. First of all, these environments will be introduced to teachers. It will be explained…

The practice of persisting and learning from design failures is essential to engineering design and offers unique ways of knowing and learning for K-12 students. To understand how students engage in the practice of persisting and learning from design failures, we must first understand how, if at all, they recognize that a design failure has…

In this research, it is aimed to reveal the direct and indirect relationships among instructional leadership, teachers' job satisfaction, school hindering, and organizational innovativeness within the framework of the SEM model constructed in a cross-sectional survey design. The teacher's opinions scale for BILSEMs was used as the data collection…

Just as engineering and computational thinking have recently gained increased attention in pre-college school-based education, many museums and science centers have also designed exhibits and experiences to promote computational thinking and engineering learning. Recent reports suggest that computational and engineering thinking can empower each…

Informal science learning environments, such as science museums, afford a variety of interactions, sense-making processes, participation modes, and roles. Accumulating research advances our understanding of the cognitive and affective dimensions of science learning in informal environments, including the development of scientific sense-making and…

This qualitative and exploratory study aimed to understand the experience of adolescents during visits outside the school context in science museums and centres, and how the free-choice learning processes are constructed in this context. We analyzed the visits of four adolescents groups, from public schools, to Maloka (Bogotá, Colombia), and…

Informal science educators' goals for preschool-age audiences (ages 3-5 years) shape how they design opportunities for children and families to learn science. However, little research has explored the opportunities provided by informal science educators for preschool-age children to engage in science practices. We invited 12 informal science…

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers need both motivation and interpersonal skills in STEM disciplines. The aims of the study were to identify clusters of adolescents who vary in math and science motivation and interpersonal skills and to explore what factors are related to membership in a high math and science motivation and…

Science museum landscapes are shifting with the emergence of controversial exhibitions. The complex nature of controversy poses interesting questions and challenges to museum staff and visitors. Our qualitative study focuses on a subset of the potential public audience for controversial exhibitions, who we call non-visitors. Through an…

This forum article discusses learning and teaching in Science Centres in relation to gender. The starting point of this discussion is Eva Silfver's paper "Gender performance in and out-of-school science contexts." In response to this article I discuss the discourse of gender in research on Science Centres and museums. Moreover, the text…

Designing exhibits that catch and hold people's interest -- particularly easily distracted children -- is a key challenge for science centres. Here we apply situational interest (SI), a model from educational psychology and STEM education, to understand characteristics exhibit designers use to trigger and/or maintain interest, evoke emotions and…

Grounded on the tenets of informal learning this research took place in a STEM-focused summer youth program at a state science center. We used a research practice partnership to iteratively improve the triggering and development of minoritized learners' STEM identification and interests. Informed by our previous qualitative research that revealed…