Bailey, Vanessa

Butcher, Kirsten R.

Davis, Merinda

Hudson, Michelle

Lane, McKenna

Larson, Madlyn

Orr, Matthew

Power, Mitchell

Velásquez-Franco, Susana

English

The University of Sydney: Sydney eScholarship Journals online

2022. J. Bobis & C. Preston (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International STEM in Education Conference (STEM 2022), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, November 23-26. University of Sydney. “ITS FACE IS SO CUTE!” ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS USING DIGITIZED MUSEUM SPECIMENS Kirsten R. Butchera, Michelle A. Hudsona, Madlyn Larsonb, Matthew P. Orra, McKenna Laneb, Susana Velásquez-Francoc, Vanessa J. Baileyc, Merinda Davisb, Mitchell J. Powerc Contact Author: Kirsten R. Butcher (kirsten.butcher@utah.edu) aDepartment of Educational Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT 84112, USA bNatural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City UT 84108, USA cDepartment of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT 84112, USA THEME:  Engaging students in STEM education BACKGROUND AND AIMS Learning with objects serves as a basis for engaging learners via personal interest and motivation (Paris & Hapgood, 2002). However, real objects and specimens often are too fragile, valuable, small, or otherwise inaccessible for regular integration in science classrooms.  This poster explores the impact of digitized museum specimens on interest, enjoyment, and engagement during online science learning. While museum collections often inspire strong visitor responses, such as “gawking in awe” or “recoiling” (Alberti, 2005), little is known how digitized specimens impact learner experiences in online learning contexts. This work examines emotional reactions during use of an online investigation with entomology specimens (see Figure 1).   Figure 1. Screenshot of a Desert velvet ant from the online entomology investigation. 2022. J. Bobis & C. Preston (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International STEM in Education Conference (STEM 2022), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, November 23-26. University of Sydney. METHODOLOGY OR PROCESS(ES) UNDERTAKEN Twenty pre-service teachers in elementary education thought aloud as they worked with an online science investigation in entomology and then completed a survey about their learning experiences and perceptions. Think aloud utterances were analyzed for instances of emotional reactions to and engagement with digitized specimens. Average ratings of interest and engagement on Likert-style survey items (1 = Strongly Disagree, 6 = Strongly Agree) also were analyzed. Additional testing is being conducted in middle school classrooms with 6th grade learners. Data from these learners will be added to the poster for conference presentation.  RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS During use of the online investigations with digitized specimens, 95.2% of participants expressed at least one instance of strong reaction or emotional engagement. Reactions included positive statements (e.g., “Its face is so cute!”) as well as negative reactions (e.g., “It’s so scary. It’s kinda freaking me out right now.”). Overall, participants agreed that they enjoyed working with the digitized specimens (M = 4.65, SD = .93), the specimens looked realistic (M = 5.3, SD = .86), and digitized specimens were an effective way to increase science engagement (M = 5.4, SD = .68). Results suggest strong potential for digitized specimens to interest and engage learners during online science investigations. REFERENCES Alberti, S. J. M. M. (2005). Objects and the museum. Isiss, 96(4), 559-571. https://doi.org/10.1086/498593  Paris, S. G., & Hapgood, S. E. (2002). Children learning with objects in informal learning environments. In S. G. Paris (Ed.), Perspectives on object-centered learning in museums (pp. 37-54). Lawrence Erlbaum. 2022. J. Bobis & C. Preston (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International STEM in Education Conference (STEM 2022), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, November 23-26. University of Sydney.   Its Face is So Cute! Engaging Students in Science Investigations Using Digitized Museum SpecimensKirsten R. Butchera,b, Michelle A. Hudsona, Madlyn Larsonc, Matthew P. Orra, McKenna Lanec, Susana Velásquez-Francoa, Vanessa J. Baileya, Merinda Davisc, Mitchell J. PoweraKey FindingsUtterances Demonstrate Strong Emotional Reactions to Digitized Specimens“Whoa! That’s cool.”“Oh! Its face is so cute!”Special thanks to NHMU collections managers, digitization experts, and scientists: Cody Beke, Christy Bills, Bryn Dentinger, Katrina Derieg, Alyson WilkinsThis project is funded by the National Science Foundation, grant #1812844. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.EPIC Bioscience goals• Educational integration of high-quality, digitized museum specimens• Students and teachers engaged by compelling, real-world specimens• Students complete online investigations: authentic, NGSS-alignedTheoretical & Research Foundations• Object-based learning for engagement (Dierking, 2002; Paris & Hapgood, 2002)• Museum collections often inspire emotional responses (Alberti, 2005)• Users value virtual museum objects (Kyriakou & Hermon, 2019)b kirsten.butcher@utah.edua cMethodMaterialsConclusionsSurvey Responses Indicate High Interest and Engagement in Digitized SpecimensWorking with Digitized Specimens Increases Reported Interest in Domain of Study Learners control specimen views—clicking to switch between dorsal, ventral, lateral, and proximal views.Online EPIC investigation. Users collect data directly from digitized specimens.20 pre-service teachers (15 female, 5 male; M age = 21) thought aloud as they completed an entomology investigation as a science learner. Zoom used to record screen & utterances.At end of session, participants completed 6-point Likert-style items on perceived interest & enjoyment.Sessions were transcribed and coded. Surveys analyzed for average agreement. Sample Survey ItemsParticipants’ self-reported perspectives were well-aligned to findings from verbal utterances.Participants reported that they found the specimens:• Engaging (M = 5.4)• Enjoyable to use (M = 4.7)• Realistic looking (M = 5.3)• Motivating in a science investigation (M = 5.3)• Likely to inspire real world action (M = 4.6). I.e., to visit the museum to see specimens in person. Before working with digitized specimens, 50% of participants reported they were “not at all interested”in entomology. After working with digitized specimens, 65% agreed they were motivated to learn more about entomology.0123456Strongly Disagree Disagree Slightly Disagree Slightly Agree Agree Strongly Agree# Participants Selecting ResponsePost-Investigation: Motivated to Learn More About Entomology024681012Not at All Interested Slightly Interested Interested Very Interested# Participants Selecting ResponsePre-Investigation: Interest in Entomology123456Engaging Enjoyable Realistic Motivating Inspire ActionAverage  Agreement (6 = Strongly Agree)• Digitized museum specimens inspire interest, engagement, and emotional reactions during science investigations.• Students perceive digitized specimens to be realistic, enjoyable, and motivating for science learning and future museum visits.• Conducting hands-on investigations with digitized specimens may inspire future interest and learning in science domains.  95.2% of participantsexpressed at least one instance of strong (positive or negative) emotional reaction while working with digitized specimens.Spiders’ eyes are very scary!I'm scared to click on the face . . the face really has been freaking me out. “It’s so scary. The velvet ant is kind of cute!Wow. I have personally never seen this velvet ant . . . very intriguing! OK, eww! The ant is freaking me out!ReferencesParis, S. G., & Hapgood, S. E. (2002). Children learning with objects in informal learning environments. In S. G. Paris (Ed.), Perspectives on object-centered learning in museums (pp. 37-54). Lawrence Erlbaum. Alberti, S. J. M. M. (2005). Objects and the museum. Isiss, 96(4), 559-571. Dierking, L. D. (2002). The role of context in children's learning from objects and experiences. In S. G. Paris (Ed.), Perspectives on object-centered learning in museums (pp. 3-18). Lawrence Erlbaum. Kyriakou, P., & Hermon, S. (2019). Can I touch this? Using Natural Interaction in a Museum Augmented Reality System. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 12, e00088. Acknowledgements

“ITS FACE IS SO CUTE!” ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS USING DIGITIZED MUSEUM SPECIMENS

https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/STEMEC2022/article/download/16032/14443

“ITS FACE IS SO CUTE!” ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS USING DIGITIZED MUSEUM SPECIMENS

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

The University of Sydney: Sydney eScholarship Journals online