Collaborative Research: Research: Zoo And Aquarium Action Research Collaborative (ZAARC)

动物园和水族馆行动研究合作研究项目以动物园和水族馆工作人员为目标，采用级联行动研究模式，旨在建设非正式科学教育领域开展游客学习行动研究的能力。研究问题集中在参与的动物园和水族馆工作人员对游客体验进行行动研究的经验，以及他们如何利用该研究的信息来改进和发展教育项目。在项目的第一年，动物园和水族馆的工作人员将与他们的机构的参观者一起实施一项经过充分验证的教育活动，并学习如何在他们的背景下开发和实施行动研究。在项目的第二年，动物园和水族馆的工作人员将在行动研究中掌握他们的新技能，并开发他们自己的问题，以调查游客在他们自己的组织环境中的学习情况。项目工作人员将培训动物园和水族馆工作人员进行行动研究，提供技术援助，并促进场地和工作人员之间的合作。该项目将有助于实地学习如何利用行动研究来发展ISE工作人员在数据收集、数据分析和数据驱动决策方面的技能。该项目的合作伙伴包括TERC和俄勒冈州立大学，地点位于六个州的动物园和水族馆：加州、密苏里州、马萨诸塞州、亚利桑那州、马里兰州和华盛顿州。在这些机构中的每一所，大约有15名高级工作人员将参与专业发展。项目的评估将侧重于对行动研究合作模式的学习，以及参与行动研究作为专业发展对ISE工作人员的影响。评价的方法将包括对参与者的调查和访谈、观察、文件审查和实地访问。该项目的成果包括提高了动物园和水族馆工作人员就游客学习进行行动研究的能力，将通过讲习班和会议广泛传播的协作行动研究项目的案例研究，以及在会议上提交和发表的研究论文。

The Zoo and Aquarium Action Research Collaborative research project targets zoo and aquarium staff with a cascading action research model meant to build the capacity of the informal science education field to conduct action research on visitor learning. Research questions focus on the experiences of participating zoo and aquarium staff in conducting action research on visitor experiences and how they use the information from that research to improve and develop educational programs. In the first year of the project, zoo and aquarium staff will implement a well validated educational activity with visitors to their institutions and learn how to develop and implement action research in their context. In the second year of the project, zoo and aquarium staff will take their new skills in action research and develop their own questions to investigate visitor learning in their own organizational settings. Project staff will train zoo and aquarium staff in action research, provide technical assistance and facilitate collaboration among the sites and staff. This project will contribute to learning in the field about how action research can be used to develop ISE staffs' skills in data collection, data analysis and data-driven decision making. Partners in this project include TERC and Oregon State University, and sites are situated in zoos and aquariums in six states: CA, MO, MA, AZ, MD and WA. At each of these institutions approximately 15 senior staff will participate in the professional development.Evaluation of the project will focus on the learning that is generated about collaborative models for action research and the impact on ISE staff of participating in action research as professional development. Methods for the evaluation will include surveys and interviews with participants, observations, document review and site visits. Outcomes of the project include increased capacity for zoo and aquarium staff to conduct action research on visitor learning, case studies of collaborative action research projects that will be disseminated widely through workshops and conferences, and research papers presented at conferences and published.