Science Learning+: Understanding the Role of Embodied Interaction in Pre-K Children's Learning about Science in Informal Settings

科学研究人员和实践者经常面临的挑战是，如何最好地评估科学活动对幼儿的有效性，这些幼儿的语言技能仍处于初级阶段。然而，研究已经证明了及早学习个人潜力的关键重要性。基于运动与思维紧密交织的证据，这个项目将研究思维和运动如何作为具身学习来加速科学理解。将在美国(美国)和英国(英国)进行研究，目的是为科学学习过程中的具体互动收集证据，并阐明博物馆展品如何最有效地鼓励认知和身体参与科学的设计原则。这种指导方针在非正式的STEM学习领域基本上是没有的，因此该项目寻求对学习的理解方式的变革，并认识到知识的变化可以通过基于身体的运动以及口头来发展和揭示。考虑到许多早期学习者通过非语言渠道交流理解，而不是通过口头渠道，这种观点至关重要。将在不同的儿童群体中进行研究，并将探索将具体化学习应用于STEM代表性不足的社区。该项目由科学学习+资助，这是国家科学基金会(NSF)和惠康信托与英国经济和社会研究理事会之间的国际合作伙伴关系。这一联合筹资努力的目标是采取变革性步骤，改善非正式STEM经验的知识库和实践。在国家科学基金会内，科学学习+是推进非正式STEM学习(AISL)计划的一部分，该计划旨在加强在非正式环境中的学习，并扩大获得和参与STEM学习体验的机会。在为期3年的时间里，来自六个博物馆地点的研究人员-从业人员团队将在为年轻学习者设计的选定科学展览中合作调查运动和学习结果之间的联系。研究活动将包括通过分析观察到的数据和自动捕获相互作用数据，以及综合和解释数据，迭代和完善新的工具和协议。以设计为基础的研究方法将被应用于解决三个关键问题：1)哪些感觉和动作体验元素是指导旨在利用体验式互动进行学习的展品设计的关键；2)身体动作/手势在评估儿童对科学概念的理解方面扮演什么角色；以及3)在不同的博物馆环境中，各种体验式参与的文化差异是什么？将收集400个儿童展览互动的视频和音频数据。将与这些参与者中的一部分进行前/后半结构化访谈，重点是儿童对相关科学概念的理解以及对他们参与展览的身体和情感经历的个人反思。该项目将提高人们对具体学习方法的认识，并在非正式的STEM教育工作者和认知研究人员之间建立更强有力的合作。利用非正式和正式的传播网络将有助于广泛传播项目成果。鉴于强有力的证据表明学前教育对服务不足的人群的影响，以及美国和英国正在进行的提高学龄前儿童STEM学习质量的国家努力，这一点至关重要

Science researchers and practitioners are often challenged by how best to assess the effectiveness of science activities on young children whose language skills are still emerging. Yet, research has demonstrated the critical importance of early learning on individual potential. Building on evidence that movement is tightly intertwined with thinking, this project will investigate how thought and movement link as embodied learning to accelerate science understanding. Research will be conducted in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) with the aim to gather evidence for embodied interactions during science learning and articulate design principles about how museum exhibits can most effectively encourage cognitive and physical engagement with science. Such guidelines are largely absent in the field of informal STEM learning, and so this project seeks transformational change in how learning is understood and recognizes that changes in knowledge can be developed and revealed through body-based movements as well as verbally. Such a view is critically important given that many early learners communicate understanding through nonverbal channels before verbal. Research will be conducted with a diverse population of children and will explore the application of embodied learning to communities that are underrepresented in STEM. This project is funded through Science Learning+, which is an international partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Wellcome Trust with the UK Economic and Social Research Council. The goal of this joint funding effort is to make transformational steps toward improving the knowledge base and practices of informal STEM experiences. Within NSF, Science Learning+ is part of the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program that seeks to enhance learning in informal environments and to broaden access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences.During a 3-year period, researcher-practitioner teams across six museum sites will collaboratively investigate the links between movement and learning outcomes at selected science exhibits designed for young learners. Research activities will involve iteration and refinement of new instruments and protocols, through analysis of observed and automated capture of interaction data, and synthesis and interpretation of data. A design-based research methodology will be applied to address three key questions: 1) What elements of sensory and action experiences are key to informing the design of exhibits that aim to exploit embodied interactions for learning; 2) What is the role of bodily enactment /gestures in assessing children's understanding of science concepts; and 3) What cultural differences in kinds of embodied engagement emerge across diverse museum settings? Video and audio data of 400 children's exhibit interactions will be collected. Pre/post semi-structured interviews will be conducted with a subset of these participants and will focus on children's understanding of relevant science concepts as well as personal reflections on their physical and emotional experience engaging with the exhibit. This project would raise awareness of embodied approaches to learning as well as build stronger collaborations between informal STEM educators and cognitive researchers. Utilization of informal and formal dissemination networks will support wide diffusion of project outcomes. This is critically important given strong evidence pointing to the impact of preschool education in underserved populations, and ongoing national efforts by the US and UK to improve the quality of STEM learning in preschool contexts