How do science centers perceive their role in science teaching? - An inquiry into science centers in the Region of Southern Denmark

This poster presents the data of a survey of 11 science centres in the Region of Southern Denmark. The survey is the initial step in a project which aims, on the one hand, to identify the factors which conditions successful learning outcomes of visits to science centres, and, on the other hand, to apply this identification so as to guide the interaction of science teachers and science centres. Recent literature on this topic (Rennie et. al. 2003; Falk & Dierking 2000) suggest that stable learning outcomes of such visits require that such visits are (1) prepared in the sense that the teacher has introduced the students to the theoretical content expected to be touched upon during the visits, and (2) subsequently treated in the sense that the teacher builds on the individual students’ experiences made during the visit. Typically such suggestions are conclusions drawn from surveys of visiting pupils and teachers. In the present survey we have approached the topic from the perspective of science centres. Needless to say, the science centres’ own perception of their role in science teaching plays a vital role with respect to the successfulness of such visits. The data of our survey suggest that, also from the perspective of science centres, the degree of success of such visits is crucially connected to the degree of pre- and post-visit treatment on the side of the teachers: Successful visits require planned interactions between science centres and teachers. Being an initial step, this survey is to be followed by surveys in 2007 and 2008. Here we plan to survey 6-9 classes (pupils and teachers) immediately after a visit to a science center and follow up on these classes by surveying them 6 month later again. As a whole, these surveys hopefully brings us closer to identify the factors that play a part in successful learning outcomes of visits to science centres.