Research to Understand and Inform the Impacts of Ambient and Designed Sound on Informal STEM Learning

该服务于实践的研究项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划旨在（a）推进新方法和对非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的循证理解;（B）提供多种途径，以扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验;（c）推进非正规环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估;以及（d）让所有年龄段的公众参与非正规环境中的STEM学习。该项目旨在支持非正式STEM学习（ISL）研究人员，设计师和教育工作者与声音研究人员和声学生态学家之间的合作，共同探索听觉体验-音景-对学习的作用。 在非正式的STEM学习空间中，对话促进了STEM学习，并且是与家人和朋友探索STEM现象的重要组成部分，注意音景的影响可能对学习有重要影响。了解音景如何促进、激发、分散甚至压倒思考和对话，将为ISL教育工作者和设计师提供证据，为他们的实践提供信息。该项目的结构反映了ISL观众和经验的复杂性，因此，合作伙伴包括位于芝加哥多元化移民社区的北公园村自然中心;野生靛蓝，一个五大湖奥杜邦计划，主要服务于中西部城市的非洲裔美国游客;课后/夏令营提供商，蒸汽前进新墨西哥州，服务于家庭在农村西南角的新墨西哥州，和四个网站在俄亥俄州，地铁公园，哥伦布动物园和水族馆，富兰克林公园温室和植物园，以及科学和工业中心。调查人员将进行大规模的探索性研究，以回答一个未充分研究的研究问题：环境声音如何影响非正式学习空间中的STEM学习？ 研究人员和从业者将描述和描述整个不同的室外和室内展览/学习空间的音景。研究人员将观察800名游客，跟踪吸引力，注意力，停留时间和共享学习。除了观察之外，研究人员还将与另外150名游客一起进行有声思维访谈，研究人员将与游客并肩而行，并在游客描述他们真实的经历时捕捉相关笔记。使用机器学习算法的相关性和聚类分析将用于识别研究参与者的不同声音，音景，反应和反射的模式。特别是，分析将确定与增加注意力和共享学习相关的声音特征。在整个项目过程中，一个评估小组将监测进展情况并支持持续改进，包括指导制定与项目合作伙伴共同定义的文化敏感的研究指标。评价人员还将记录项目对能力建设的影响程度，以及对项目伙伴的规划和设计考虑的影响程度。这项探索性研究是一个更大的研究议程的开始，为未来的实验研究设计奠定了基础，这些实验研究设计测试了特定音景与游客学习之间关系的因果关系。这项研究的结果将通过研讨会、演讲、期刊文章、促进对话以及与研究重点和结果一致的短片广泛传播给非正式学习研究人员和实践者。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Research in Service to Practice project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to (a) advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments; (b) provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; (c) advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and (d) engage the public of all ages in learning STEM in informal environments. This project is designed to support collaboration between informal STEM learning (ISL) researchers, designers, and educators with sound researchers and acoustic ecologists to jointly explore the role of auditory experiences—soundscapes—on learning. In informal STEM learning spaces, where conversation advances STEM learning and is a vital part of the experience of exploring STEM phenomena with family and friends, attention to the impacts of soundscapes can have an important bearing on learning. Understanding how soundscapes may facilitate, spark, distract from, or even overwhelm thinking and conversation will provide ISL educators and designers evidence to inform their practice. The project is structured to reflect the complexity of ISL audiences and experiences; thus, partners include the North Park Village Nature Center located in in a diverse immigrant neighborhood in Chicago; Wild Indigo, a Great Lakes Audubon program primarily serving African American visitors in Midwest cities; an after-school/summer camp provider, STEAMing Ahead New Mexico, serving families in the rural southwest corner of New Mexico, and four sites in Ohio, MetroParks, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the Center of Science and Industry.Investigators will conduct large-scale exploratory research to answer an understudied research question: How do environmental sounds impact STEM learning in informal learning spaces?  Researchers and practitioners will characterize and describe the soundscapes throughout the different outdoor and indoor exhibit/learning spaces. Researchers will observe 800 visitors, tracking attraction, attention, dwell time, and shared learning. In addition to observations, researchers will join another 150 visitors for think-aloud interviews, where researchers will walk alongside visitors and capture pertinent notes while visitors describe their experience in real time. Correlational and cluster analyses using machine learning algorithms will be used to identify patterns across different sounds, soundscapes, responses, and reflections of research participants. In particular, the analyses will identify characteristics of sounds that correlate with increased attention and shared learning. Throughout the project, a team of evaluators will monitor progress and support continuous improvement, including guidance for developing culturally responsive research metrics co-defined with project partners. Evaluators will also document the extent to which the project impacts capacity building, and influences planning and design considerations for project partners. This exploratory study is the initial in a larger research agenda, laying the groundwork for future experimental study designs that test causal claims about the relationships between specific soundscapes and visitor learning. Results of this study will be disseminated widely to informal learning researchers and practitioners through workshops, presentations, journal articles, facilitated conversations, and a short film that aligns with the focus and findings of the research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.