Examining Contextual Factors Influencing the Implementation of Projects Designed to Improve Cultural Diversity in Informal Science Education Programming

本项目将研究影响实施旨在增加非正式科学的多样化参与的项目的因素。目标是为非正式科学教育领域提供信息和工具，帮助他们设计有效的方案，更有效地吸引广泛的不同受众。该项目有两个主要组成部分。首先，该项目将研究公民科学项目“庆祝城市鸟类”（CUB）在美国主要城市的实施情况。公民科学项目要求公众志愿者收集科学有效的数据，作为正在进行的研究的一部分。第二，在研究成果的基础上，该项目将启动一个网站和学习社区（称为实践社区或CoP），支持参与设计和实施非正式科学项目的非正式科学教育者，重点是吸引不同的参与者。该项目将由设计和研究公民科学项目的领导者康奈尔鸟类学实验室（CLO）领导，与科学技术中心协会（ASTC）和ASTC的五个科学中心成员合作，在那里实施和研究CUB计划。研究的目的是更好地理解上下文因素，以及即使遵循了公认的实践，它们如何影响实现。这样的研究不仅是揭示公认实践的关键，也是理解项目在面对具体的操作、文化、经济和人口变量时如何实施的关键。该研究将采用比较案例研究方法，这是为需要全面深入调查的研究而设计的。网站和CoP的发展将以网络改进战略为指导，这是一种以研究为基础的设计教育CoP的方法。缔约方会议的制定将涉及项目利益相关者，包括非正式科学组织从业人员、社区组织代表、CUB工作人员、ASTC工作人员、顾问和顾问。该策略将允许项目团队和试点站点利用他们不同的经验和技能集来改进实践；为研究人员和从业人员提供作为伙伴共同工作的空间；并制定一套微妙的策略，可以在各种组织环境中实施。

This project will research factors influencing the implementation of programs designed to increase diverse participation in informal science. The goal is to provide the informal science education field with information and tools that will help them design effective programs that more effectively engage a broad range of diverse audiences. The project has two major components. First, the project will research the implementation of a citizen science project, Celebrate Urban Birds (CUB), in major U.S. cities. Citizen science projects involve public volunteers in gathering scientifically valid data as part of ongoing research. Second, building on results of the research, the project will launch a website and learning community (called a Community of Practice or CoP) supporting informal science educators that are involved in designing and implementing informal science programs with an emphasis on engaging diverse participants. The project will be lead by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (CLO), a leader in designing and researching citizen science projects, in collaboration with the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and five science center members of ASTC, where the CUB program will be implemented and researched. The objective of the research is to better understand contextual factors and how they impact implementation even when accepted practices are followed. Such research is key not only to revealing accepted practices but also to understanding how projects are implemented in the face of concrete operational, cultural, economic, and demographic variables. The research will use a comparative case study approach, which is designed for studies requiring holistic, in-depth investigation. The development of the website and the CoP will be guided by a Network Improvement Strategy, a research-based approach to designing educational CoPs. The development of the CoP will involve the project stakeholders including the informal science organization practitioners, community organization representatives, CUB staff, ASTC staff, advisors and consultants. This strategy will allow the project team and pilot sites to leverage their diverse experiences and skill sets to improve practice; provide space for researchers and practitioners to work together as partners; and develop a nuanced set of strategies that can be implemented across a variety of organizational contexts.