The Power of Play: The Role of Children’s Museums in Kindergarten Readiness

This study explores the transformative potential of play in preparing young children for Kindergarten, focusing on the intersection of children\u27s museums, caregiver interactions, and school readiness. The study, conducted over an eight-week Pop-Up Classroom program at The Flowerfield Children\u27s Museum, included 52 participants, primarily from low-income backgrounds. Through a mixed-methods approach, including participant observations and caregiver surveys, the research aimed to answer the fundamental question: What is the role of play in preparing children for Kindergarten? Two significant findings emerged. Firstly, the study illuminated the pivotal role of play in nurturing social-emotional development and communication skills among children. Structured observations revealed a progression in children\u27s curiosity, self-control, and persistence, highlighting the program\u27s positive impact on these essential skills. Secondly, the research highlighted a critical need for targeted guidance among caregivers. Initial caregiver emphasis on academic skills shifted to recognizing the importance of social, emotional, and communication skills in Kindergarten readiness. Caregivers expressed uncertainty about preparing their children for school, underscoring the necessity for comprehensive and accessible support mechanisms. This study sheds light on the invaluable contributions of children\u27s museums and similar educational programs and underscores the importance of empowering caregivers with effective strategies. The findings advocate for a holistic approach to early childhood education, acknowledging the symbiotic relationship between play-based learning, caregiver involvement, and children\u27s successful transition to formal schooling. The dissertation concludes by offering recommendations for further research, emphasizing the importance of longitudinal studies, diverse socio-economic considerations, and the continuous development of guidance resources. Ultimately, this research provides a foundation for shaping inclusive and effective early education policies, ensuring all children have equitable access to quality learning experiences, and setting the stage for a brighter educational future

Culture and Tradition at School and at Home

Non peer reviewe

Making Space for Makerspace: How Adding a Makerspace can Benefit Art Museum Education Programming

In this capstone project, I advocate for adding makerspaces to art museum education programming. I review the foundational educational concepts of a makerspace which help explain why it is a modern strategy to increasing visitor learning. This includes John Dewey’s theories of experience and education, Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory, George Hein’s studies of museum visitor behavior, and the physiological science of learning. I then propose four key terms essential for visitor learning, and explain how makerspaces successfully incorporate them. The four key terms are: 1. multiple intelligences, 2. direct experience, 3. inquiry based and open ended learning, and 4. dynamic physical space. I conclude with my recommendations for an art museum interested in creating and maintaining a makerspace, using several examples from museums of all types that currently offer makerspaces as part of their programming

How Museum Educators Build and Carry Out Their Profession: An Examination of Situated Learning Within Practice

This study explores the ways and means that museum educators build their expertise to practice museum education. A qualitative methodology was utilized in this examination, incorporating aspects of grounded theory and phenomenological research. Fifteen museum educators in science-related museums in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who worked extensively with teachers, were selected as respondents

Teaching Artists Research Project

There have been remarkable advances in arts education, both in and out of schools, over the last fifteen years, despite a difficult policy environment. Teaching artists, the hybrid professionals that link the arts to education and community life, are the creative resource behind much of this innovation. Their best efforts are redefining the roles the arts play in public education. Their work is central to arts organizations' strategies for civic engagement and diverse audiences. Excellent research has shown that arts education is instrumental to the social, emotional, and cognitive development of thousands of young people. But little is known about teaching artists. The Teaching Artists Research Project (TARP) deepens our understanding of world of teaching artists through studies in twelve communities, and it will inform policy designed to make their work sustainable, more effective, and more meaningful. A dozen study sites were selected where funding was available to support exploration of the local conditions and dynamics in arts education: Boston, Seattle, Providence, and eight California communities (San Francisco/Alameda County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Salinas, and Humboldt County). A thorough literature review was conducted, and NORC conducted stakeholder meetings and focus groups, identified key issues and began designing a multi-methods study that would include surveys for both artists and program managers as well as in-depth interviews of stakeholders -- teaching artists, program managers, school officials, classroom teachers and arts specialists, principals, funders, and arts educators in a wide variety of venues.There are no professional associations and no accreditation for teaching artists, so a great deal of time was spent building a sample of teaching artists and program managers in every study site. The survey instrument was developed and tested, and then fielded on-line in the study sites sequentially, beginning in Chicago, and ending with the southern California sites. To assure a reliable response rate, online surveys were supplemented by a telephone survey. Lists of potential key informants were accumulated for each site, and interviewers were recruited, hired, and trained in each site. Most of the interviewers were teaching artists themselves, and many had significant field knowledge and familiarity with the landscape of arts education in their community. The surveys collected data on some fundamental questions:Who are teaching artists?Where do they work? Under what terms and conditions?What sort of education have they had?How are they hired and what qualifications do employers look for?How much do they make?How much experience do they have?What drew them to the field? What pushes them out?What are their goals?Qualitative interviews with a subsample of survey respondents and key informants delved deeply into the dynamics and policies that drive arts education, the curricula and pedagogy teaching artists bring to the work, and personal histories of some artists. The interviews gathered more detailed information on the local character of teaching artist communities, in-depth descriptions and narratives of teaching artists' experiences, and followed up on items or issues that arose in preliminary analysis of the quantitative survey data. These conversations illuminated the work teaching artists believe is their best and identified the kinds of structural and organizational supports that enable work at the highest level. The interview process explored key areas with the artists, such as how to best develop their capacities, understand the dynamics between their artistic and educational practice, and how to keep them engaged in the field. Another critical topic explored during these conversations was how higher education can make a more meaningful and strategic contribution toward preparing young artists to work in the field. The TARP report includes serious reflection on the conditions and policies that have affected arts education in schools, particularly over the last thirty years, a period of intense school reform efforts and consistent erosion of arts education for students. The report includes new and important qualitative data about teaching artists, documenting their educational background, economic status, the conditions in which they work, and their goals as artists and educators. It also includes new insights about how learning in the arts is associated with learning in general, illuminating findings from other studies that have suggested a powerful connection between arts education and positive outcomes for students in a wide range of domains