Supporting a Community's Information Education Needs: Confidence and Empowerment in STEM (SCIENCES) Program

支持社区的信息教育需求：STEM（科学）计划的信心和赋权

• 批准号: 1323280
• 负责人: Sarah Breen Bartecki
• 金额: $ 165.84万
• 依托单位: Chicago Zoological Society
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-15 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1323280&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Supporting; Community; Information; Education; Needs

The Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) in collaboration with Eden Place Nature Center, the Fuller Park Community Corporation, and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will implement the SCIENCES Program, Supporting a Community's Informal Education Needs: Confidence and Empowerment in STEM. The primary goals of this Full Scale Development project are to broaden access to and participation in environmental science, strengthen partnerships between CZS, Eden Place, and UIC, and gain insights into the 'ecosystemic' learning model which promotes scientific literacy and agency in the community. The project targets a low-resource community with a minority audience while the secondary audience is informal science learning organizations and researchers who will advance research in informal learning. The theoretical framework for the project design draws on conservation psychology, informal science learning, civic ecology education, and urban science education to create an ecosystematic, geographically centered approach. The deliverables include research, curriculum, and engaging hands-on programs for youth, families, adults, and teachers, reaching both in-school and out-of-school audiences, in addition to the SCIENCES Implementation Network. Three potential curriculum themes to be explored are water conservation and protection, pollinators for healthy ecosystems, and community resilience to climate change. The SCIENCES project offers a comprehensive suite of engaging programs for community audiences. For example, the year-long Zoo Adventure Passport (ZAP) program for families includes hands-on experiments and field trips, while project-based learning experiences enable teens to create wetlands, design interpretive signage, and develop associated public programming. School-based programs include professional development for teachers on the Great Lakes ecosystem and invasive species. Existing programs that have been previously evaluated and demonstrated to show learning impacts will be adapted and modified to meet the goals of the ecosystemic learning model by providing multiple learning opportunities. New learning resources will also be created to support the content themes and provide continuity. The result will be a comprehensive approach that ensures deep community engagement by individuals, families, and organizations, with cohesiveness provided by the overarching content themes which broaden access to STEM learning resources and leverages partnerships.The project includes both a research and evaluation plan. The primary research question to be addressed is: How does a large informal science learning institution work with a community-based organization to support environmental scientific literacy and agency at all levels of the community? A sociocultural framework will be used for this mixed-methods case study research. Study participants include community leaders, youth, parents, teachers, and staff from Eden Place. The case study sample will include 20 focal individuals drawn from the participant groups and approximately 300 survey participants. Case study data will be triangulated with evaluation data and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. By examining changes from the baseline following the implementation of the community programs, the findings may provide insight on agency and science literacy among community members. The comprehensive, mixed-methods evaluation plan employs a quasi-experimental design and incorporates front-end, formative, and summative evaluation components. The evaluation questions address the quality of the processes and products, access to environmental science learning opportunities, environmental science literacy, sustainability, and barriers to implementation. An extensive dissemination plan is proposed with a dual emphasis on meeting stakeholders' needs at multiple levels. The evaluation and research teams will emphasize publication in peer reviewed journals and presentations at conferences for informal science education professionals. Findings will be shared with the Fuller Park community stakeholders using creative methods such as one-page research briefs written in layperson's language, videos, and recorded interviews with participants. The local project Advisory Board will also be actively involved in the dissemination of findings to community constituents. The SCIENCES National Amplification Network will be created and work collaboratively with the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Metropolitan Green Spaces Alliance to disseminate the model. Collectively, the activities and deliverables outlined in this proposal will advance the discovery of sustainable models of community-based learning while the research will advance the understanding of informal learning support for science literacy and agency.

芝加哥动物学会（CZS）与伊甸园自然中心，富勒公园社区公司和伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校（UIC）合作，将实施科学计划，支持社区的非正式教育需求：STEM的信心和赋权。这个全面发展项目的主要目标是扩大环境科学的获取和参与，加强CZS，伊甸园和UIC之间的伙伴关系，并深入了解“生态系统”学习模式，促进科学素养和社区机构。该项目针对的是资源匮乏的社区，受众为少数人，而次要受众是非正规科学学习组织和将推动非正规学习研究的研究人员。该项目设计的理论框架借鉴了保护心理学，非正式科学学习，公民生态教育和城市科学教育，以创建一个生态系统，地理为中心的方法。交付成果包括研究，课程，并为青年，家庭，成年人和教师参与动手计划，达到校内和校外的观众，除了科学实施网络。有待探讨的三个潜在课程主题是水资源养护和保护、健康生态系统的传粉媒介以及社区对气候变化的适应能力。科学项目为社区观众提供了一套全面的参与计划。例如，针对家庭的为期一年的动物园冒险护照（ZAP）计划包括动手实验和实地考察，而基于项目的学习体验使青少年能够创建湿地、设计解释性标牌并开发相关的公共项目。以学校为基础的方案包括教师在五大湖生态系统和入侵物种方面的专业发展。先前已经评估和证明的现有计划，以显示学习的影响将被调整和修改，以满足生态系统学习模式的目标，提供多种学习机会。还将创建新的学习资源，以支持内容主题并提供连续性。其结果将是一个全面的方法，确保个人，家庭和组织的深度社区参与，通过总体内容主题提供凝聚力，扩大STEM学习资源的获取并利用伙伴关系。该项目包括研究和评估计划。要解决的主要研究问题是：一个大型的非正式科学学习机构如何与社区组织合作，以支持社区各级的环境科学素养和机构？一个社会文化框架将用于这种混合方法的案例研究。研究参与者包括社区领袖，青年，家长，教师和伊甸园的工作人员。案例研究样本将包括从参与者群体中选出的20名焦点个人和大约300名调查参与者。案例研究数据将与评价数据进行三角测量，并使用扎根理论方法进行分析。通过研究社区项目实施后基线的变化，研究结果可以提供社区成员对机构和科学素养的见解。 综合，混合方法的评价计划采用准实验设计，并纳入前端，形成性和总结性评价组成部分。评价问题涉及过程和产品的质量、获得环境科学学习机会、环境科学素养、可持续性和实施障碍。提出了一项广泛的传播计划，同时强调满足利益攸关方在多个层面的需求。 评估和研究小组将强调在同行评审的期刊上发表论文，并在非正规科学教育专业人员会议上作报告。调查结果将与富勒公园社区利益相关者分享使用创造性的方法，如一页的研究简报写在外行的语言，视频，并记录采访参与者。当地项目咨询委员会也将积极参与向社区成员传播调查结果。将建立科学国家放大网络，并与美国动物园和水族馆协会以及大都市绿色空间联盟合作，传播该模型。总的来说，本提案中概述的活动和可交付成果将推动发现基于社区的学习的可持续模式，而研究将促进对科学素养和机构的非正式学习支持的理解。