Informal Learning and Science in Afterschool: A Research and Dissemination Project

姆克林医院，与探索和雷金纳德克拉克和联营公司合作，提出了一个“典型的”课后计划（那些缺乏专门的培训，资金或合作伙伴关系）的深入研究。 本研究将建立关于如何有效的非正式科学活动可以开发和提出这些课后计划的基本知识和数据。 它将包括至少300个非正式科学课后计划的样本量，并包括各种数据收集方法，如调查，电话采访和深入的案例研究。 该项目依靠50名青年组织（课外科学联盟）领导人，在2003年和2004年两次由国家科学基金会资助的会议工作的基础上开展工作。 课后领导者将能够利用这些知识来增加和改善当地课后环境中的非正式科学，并建立示范项目。 这项研究采取了整体的方法，连接（a）强大的非正式科学的功能（B）学生的成果/好处（c）核心计划组成部分（课程，人员配备和支持结构）。 这项研究将作为今后非正式学习研究以及政策建议的基准。 将实现战略影响，因为这项全面的研究为迅速发展的课外领域提供了重要的知识，文件和工具，同时扩大了课外课程非正式学习的机会。 此外，这项工作将涉及敏感的措施，考虑到课后环境，青年发展（特别是服务不足的青年）和强大的非正式科学学习的特殊情况。 研究结果将通过一个方案评估工具、一个从研究到实践的专题讨论会和一份政策建议文件，广泛传播给课后青年发展和非正式科学教育的领导者、决策者和资助者。

The McLean Hospital, working with the Exploratorium and Reginald Clark and Associates, proposes an intensive study of "typical" afterschool programs (those lacking specialized training, funding or partnerships). This study will build basic knowledge and data about how effective informal science activities can be developed for and presented by these after-school programs. It will consist of a sample size of at least 300 informal science after-school programs and include a variety of data collection methods such as surveys, phone interviews, and in-depth case studies. The project relies upon 50 leaders of youth organizations (CSAS - Coalition for Science After School) building upon the work of two NSF-funded conferences in 2003 and 2004. Afterschool leaders will be able to use this knowledge to increase and improve informal science in localized after-school settings as well as to set up demonstration projects. The study takes a holistic approach, connecting (a) features of strong informal science to (b) student outcomes/benefits to (c) core program components (curriculum, staffing, and support structures). The research will serve as a baseline for future studies in informal learning, as well as for policy recommendations. Strategic impact will be realized as this comprehensive study contributes important knowledge, documentation and tools for the rapidly developing after-school field, while expanding opportunities for informal learning in after-school programs. Additionally, this work will address sensitive measures that take into account the particular contexts of the after-school environment, youth development (particularly underserved youth) and powerful informal science learning. The results will be widely disseminated to after-school youth development and informal science education leaders, policymakers and funders through a program assessment tool, a Research-to-Practice Symposium and a policy recommendation paper.