SUPERVISORS: Tessa Eijsink, Hannie Gijlers & clarissa lang
Science and technology is all around us, so to understand and value the world we live in, we need to learn about them. We need scientific knowledge and skills to understand and interpret information, to make educated decisions and to solve problems, to use technologies appropriately and to take advantage of opportunities.
Formal schooling is just one of the ways in which people can learn about science. An even larger part of science learning takes place out-of-school. It results from daily activities related to family or leisure. People learn in diverse places – when visiting a zoo or a planetarium, when taking part in a science project or attending an after-school programme, when watching a documentary with families or discussing a podcast with friends. Such learning is based on free choice and is guided by curiosity or interest. But can we, as educational specialists, support and encourage it?
The research theme focuses on studying learning in informal settings – its characteristics, factors that stimulate or hinder it, conditions of developing an established interest to science, etc. Possible research questions within the theme:
- What design characteristics of exhibits lead to more holding or attractive power?
- To what extent do design characteristics influence informal learning?
- What kind of unobtrusive measurements can be used to assess informal learning?
- What role do personal and family characteristics play in developing interest for science learning?
More information
More information can be found on the Surrounded by Science website.