Understanding the impact of programming and outreach relies on engaging with your audience about their experiences. This can occur through informal dialogue and/or systematic data collection processes. The Museum of Science Boston (MOS) and the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) have been collecting visitor feedback on facilitated chemistry activities in museums as part of a design based research (DBR) study that aims to increase public interest and understanding of chemistry as well as increase public perception of chemistry's relevance and increase the public's self-efficacy with respect to chemistry. The DBR approach involves applying a theoretical framework to the development of hands-on educational activities about chemistry, while also testing and modifying the framework itself.<br/><br/>This talk focuses on the methodologies researchers at MOS and SMM used to engage public audiences in order to gather and understand data about activities’ impacts on visitors in regards to increasing interest, relevant, and self-efficacy. These data were also used to inform further iterations of the activities to achieve close alignment between the projects’ theoretical framework and actual impacts. The presenter will discuss the methods used to gather data (surveys and interviews, observations, and video capture), the challenges and opportunities related to collecting data in a free-choice learning environment, sense-making activities related to the data, along with brief findings and their utilization.

Collecting, understanding, and utilizing audience feedback to increase interest, relevance, and self-efficacy related to hands-on chemistry activities in a museum

2019 Spring National Meeting

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