Several research and evaluation studies assessing the educational impact of interactive exhibitions have been carried out during the last 10-15 years. However, the emphasis has been on the short-term educational impact of these environments due to the inherent difficulties of assessing longer-term educational outcomes and the way learning is perceived and defined. Is learning what happens during the visit, shortly after the visit or some weeks, months, years later? We know even less about how museum visits relate to other leisure activities and to the social life of visitors at large. Another area that has not been explored much is the social and economic impact of such places on their communities. There are, of course, studies or institutions that are committed to studying the impact of fully interactive spaces. Good examples are ‘Project Explore’ and the ‘Bridges to the Future Project’ summarised below, as well as research being carried out by the Institute of Learning Innovation staff (http://www.ilinet.org/).

Abrams, C., Dierking, L., McKelvey, L. & Jones, D. (1998) Year Two Report: Summative Evaluation - Girls at the Center, Girls Scouts of the USA, The Franklin Institute Science Museum, Institute for Learning Innovation, Annapolis, MD. Available online: http://www.ilinet.org/understanding/gacy2.html.

Assessing the impact of a girl-centred, inquiry based science education programme, the authors concluded that the programme affected girls’ notions and attitudes towards science. Participation in the programme helped girls find out more about the nature of science and relate it to different topics and ideas. An important aspect of the programme, contributing to its success, was the involvement of adults who acted as partners and facilitators for the girls. The programme, called Girls at the Center (GAC), was the result of the collaboration between the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia. The Institute of Learning Innovation in Annapolis, MD evaluated the programme and funding came from the National Science Foundation.

Summary of the programme and main findings of the research can be found at the Institute of Learning Innovation web site: http://www.ilinet.org/.

Freedlander Gibans, N. (Ed), (1999) Bridges to Understanding Children’s Museums, USA.

‘Bridges to Understanding Children’s Museums’ focused on the role and impact of children’s museums on the communities and the organisations they work with. It is divided into several themes related to the project: ‘children’s museums and individuals/families, children’s museums and schools, children’s museums and community, children’s museums and the field of museums’ and children’s museums in the policy context. This study and the one carried out by Please Touch Museum & Harvard University (summarised below) represent the most comprehensive studies on learning carried out in children’s museums. Both of them are the result of collaborative projects involving children’s museums and university departments. ‘Bridges to Understanding Children’s Museums’ has brought together individuals and organisations working with and trying to understand children and their families. One of the articles (by Spock & Jensen Leichter) included in this study is presented in more detail below.

For information on how to order copies of this book write to: Children’s Museums: Bridges to the Future, c/o Nina Gibans, 13800 Shaker Blvd. # 1108, Cleveland, Ohio 44120, USA.

Moreno, C. & Adams, M. (1998) ‘Understanding the Dynamics in an Organic Interactive Art Space’, paper presented at the Hands-On 98 international conference, Lisbon, Portugal.

This study shows that visitors made both cognitive and affective shifts in their understanding and perception after visiting the Art Learning Centre. This seemed to be – at least partly – due to the open-ended environment created. Changes in visitors’ understanding and perception of the subject matter were assessed through writing or drawing about their expectations and experiences before and after their visits.

For more information on this study and ways to obtain a printed copy see the section on ’Learning from interactive exhibits and activities’.

Please Touch Museum & Harvard University (1998), Project Explore, USA.

This study shows that children are more likely to learn when adults are involved in the interaction, especially when parents guide their children to the solution but do not provide it. The children gain transferable problem-solving skills. The effect of adult guiding – or ‘scaffolding’ – behaviour on children’s learning was reconfirmed by a follow up study. It is a collaborative research study between the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia and Project Zero at Graduate School of Education at Harvard University in Boston. Apart from the Please Touch Museum, the study was also carried out at The Children’s Museum in Boston and the Children’s Discovery Museum in Acton, MA.

For information on how to order copies of this book write to: Nancy Haas, Please Touch Museum, 210 North 21st St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA, or Tel: 001 215-963-0667, Fax: 001 215-963-0424.

Rasekoala, E. (1998) ‘Education Forum: African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology and the Ishango Science Clubs’, Science Education Newsletter, The British Council, October, 140, 1-4.

The article reports on the effectiveness of the Ishango Science Clubs in enhancing educational achievement and raising career aspirations among black pupils. Benefits for pupils who participated in the programmes in Manchester and Liverpool included: ‘raised academic achievement; improved grades; pupils being moved to higher-achieving sets/streams of schools; enhanced career aspirations and an increased involvement of parents in their children’s education’. The Ishango Science Clubs are community-based after-school tutorial and study support groups developed by the African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology. Different organisations – including museums – are involved or used as educational resources by the Clubs.

For more information on the impact of the Ishango Science Clubs and activities of the African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology, contact:

Elizabeth Rasekoala, The African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology, Ishango House, 44 Chester Road, Old Trafford, Manchester M16 9HA, UK. Tel: +44 161 8771480, Fax: +44 161 8771481, E-mail: AfricanNetwork@compuserve.com.

Schauble, L., Banks Beane, D, Davile Coats, G., Martin, M.W. & Sterling, P.V. (1996) ‘Outside the Classroom Walls: Learning in Informal Environments’, in Schauble, L. and Glaser (eds), Innovations in Learning: New Environments for Education, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc, USA, 5-24.

There is a growing awareness that in order to create exhibitions and programmes with a lasting impact on people’s lives, museums should forge partnerships with other organisations and community groups. Good examples are: the YouthALIVE!, a collaborative project of the DeWitt Wallance Reader’s Digest Fund, the Association of Science-Technology Centers, 40 science and children’s museums and youth groups; the after-school projects developed in collaboration with the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) and after-school community settings and the Family Math Programmes at the Lawrence Hall of Science (University of California at Berkley) involving teachers and families. Research showed that parents participating in the Family Math Programmes played math games with their children at home regularly. They also advocated changes in the school maths programme.

Copies of this book are available in UK libraries or through an inter-library loan.

Spock, M. & Jensen Leichter, H. (1999) ‘Learning from Ourselves: Pivotal Stories of Museum Professionals’, in Freedlander Gibans, N. (Ed), Bridges to Understanding Children’s Museums, USA, 41-81.

Children’s museums have the power to change lives. Exhibits and programmes have a lasting effect on visitors. Past museum experiences have influenced people in taking up a museum career later and have had therapeutic effects on visitors. The study reports on stories of learning experiences that children’s museums can offer as told by museum professionals. More information on other themes explored by this project is presented in Freedlander Gibans, Bridges to Understanding Children’s Museums, in this section of the research digest, together with details on how to get hold of the full book.

Stevenson, J. (1991) ‘The Long-Term Impact of Interactive Exhibits’, International Journal of Science Education, vol. 13, no. 5, 521-531.

Social interaction during and after the museum visit influences not only the visit itself but also how the visit is remembered. Discussions among family members enhance memories of the visit, including information about exhibits and how family members feel and think about them. Furthermore, these memories last several months after the visit was made. More information on this study is presented in the section ’Learning from interactive exhibits and activities’.

Copies of the International Journal of Science Education are available in many UK libraries or through an inter-library loan.

Wiener, L.W. (1997) ‘Head Start and Museums: Status and Opportunity – A Report on a National Survey to Investigate a New Role for Museums in School Readiness’, National Head Start Research Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 1, 187-203.

Research into the collaborations between museums and Head Start programmes provided some evidence that they have a strong positive effect in children’s development. School field trips organised by Head Start programmes often introduce children and families to the museum who are normally excluded. Head Start programmes aim to promote school readiness.

Copies of the National Head Start Research Quarterly might be found in libraries in the UK or can be ordered through an inter-library loan.