scholarly journals Learning science in informal environments: people, places and pursuits. A review by the US National Science Council

2009 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. R02
Author(s):  
Paola Rodari
Keyword(s):  
Informal Education ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Learning Science ◽  
After School ◽  
Institute Of Medicine ◽  
School Activities ◽  
The Us ◽  
National Science ◽  
National Science Council

In January this year, the US saw the publication of the preview of an impressive review work on the practices and the studies concerning learning science outside schools and universities, i.e. what is referred to as informal education. The document, promoted by the National Science Council of scientific academies (National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine), is the result of the work by a committee comprising 14 specialists who collected, discussed and then organized hundreds of documents on pedagogical premises, places, practices and pursuits concerning scientific informal education. Nobody doubts that museums, magazines, after-school activities, science festivals and any other science communication offers have a positive impact on the people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. But what do we really know about what actually happens in these experiences? What sense should be given to the word “learning” in these cases? Do the different communication tools or environments have also a different impact? What factors make them more or less effective? These are the main questions the document wants to answer, carefully evaluating the present state of the art.

scholarly journals SCHOOL-AGE CARE, AN IDEOLOGICAL CONTRADICTION

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
Peter Karlsudd
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
After School ◽  
School Age ◽  
Intellectually Disabled ◽  
School Activities ◽  
After School Activities ◽  
The One ◽  
Compulsory Schools ◽  
Care System

In the doctoral dissertation "Children with intellectual disability in the integrated school-age care system" the extent and goal fulfilment of after-school recreation centre activities in 19 Swedish municipalities were studied. The study gave high marks to these centres for integrating intellectually disabled children into their activities. The empirics of the dissertation revealed, however, a number of warning signals, which indicated an increase in offering “special solutions” to these children. This article will contain a comparison between the study from 1999 and the one carried out in the spring of 2011. The two studies have followed the same question construction in order to achieve a comparison over time. The aim of study, focusing on children received into schools for the intellectually disabled was to evaluate to what extent integrated activities occurred and to look for factors with a positive impact on the quality of those after-school activities which gathered children from these and compulsory schools in the same groups. On the basis of the comparison made between the 12 years that have passed from the earlier to the later study, it must be regretfully concluded that segregated activities have gained a firm hold on the activities of after-school recreation care centres. Key words: after-school activities, inclusion, integrated, intellectual disability, school-age care system.

scholarly journals How Youth of Color Create Communities of Hope: Connecting Advocacy, Activity, and Neighborhood Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3133
Author(s):  
Anna J. Kim ◽  
Jasmine Jones-Bynes ◽  
Nisha Botchwey ◽  
Terry L. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
After School ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
School Activities ◽  
School Based ◽  
Youth Advocacy ◽  
Training Impact ◽  
School Club

The primary aim of this paper was to assess the association of after-school club characteristics with changes in physical activity, nutrition, and attitudes in students of color after participating in the “YEAH!” Advocacy-based Physical Activity Program. We examine the strengths of school-based vs. non-school based programs in promoting feelings of self-efficacy and empowerment among students learning to become more physically active—and importantly, also test the strength of how programs that are more connected (to community-based partners) may contribute to students’ optimism around policy and public health as it directly affects them. This study examined differences in the youth advocacy training impact across four after-school club types: school-based with community partnerships, school-based without partnerships, non-school-based with community partners, and non-school-based clubs without partnerships. We measured improvements in youth’s “optimism for change”, “assertiveness” and “decision-making” as related to after school activities and found that non-school-based programs with community partners showed highest positive impact.

Challenges Faced when Evaluating the Jalaris Kids Future Club

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
Maya Haviland ◽  
With James Pillsbury
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
After School ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Aboriginal Community ◽  
Community Initiatives ◽  
School Activities ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
Recent Project

Jalaris Aboriginal Corporation in Western Australia was established in 1994 to look after the needs of an Aboriginal community. The organisation's most recent project is the ‘Kids Future Club’, an after-school activities program. Jalaris has a history of evaluating their work using a participatory action research approach, but decided to approach evaluation of the Kids Future Club in a slightly different way. This article discusses the reasons for the changed approach, the efforts made to develop culturally appropriate tools for data collection, and the challenges encountered in undertaking evaluation of outcomes for individual children in the context of Jalaris and their Aboriginal community. The tensions between ethical approaches to working within the Aboriginal kinship network and undertaking evaluation that required detailed observation and data collection of individuals proved to be irreconcilable for Jalaris. Lessons learnt from this evaluation process may inform future efforts to evaluate Aboriginal community initiatives.

scholarly journals Collaboration for chemistry communication: Insights from a research-practice partnership

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (04) ◽  
pp. N01
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Kunz Kollmann ◽  
Marta Beyer ◽  
Emily Howell ◽  
Allison Anderson ◽  
Owen Weitzman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Informal Education ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Science Museums ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Public ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Perceived Relevance ◽  
Data Collections

As several recent National Academies of Sciences reports have highlighted, greater science communication research is needed on 1) communicating chemistry, and 2) building research-practice partnerships to advance communication across science issues. Here we report our insights in both areas, gathered from a multi-year collaboration to advance our understanding of how to communicate about chemistry with the public. Researchers and practitioners from science museums across the U.S. partnered with academic social scientists in science communication to develop and conduct multi-strand data collections on chemistry communication and informal education. Our focus was on increasing interest in, the perceived relevance of, and self-efficacy concerning chemistry through hands-on activities and connecting chemistry to broader themes concerning everyday life and societal impacts. We outline challenges and benefits of the project that future collaborations can gain from and illustrate how our strands of work complemented each other to create a more complete picture of public perceptions of chemistry.

scholarly journals Transport Corridors in the Russian Integration Projects, the Case of the Eurasian Economic Union

2015 ◽  
pp. 161-169
Author(s):  
O. A. Podberezkina
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Transport Project ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
International Transport ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
Regional Authorities

The article discusses the political importance of transport corridors in terms of the development of integration projects in the post-Soviet space. The world is witnessing the formation of a single market and transport and communication infrastructure, which intensifies competition among regional and world leaders, both states and non-state actors, such as businesses, markets over the routes of transporting goods. In the medium and long term the value of the control over the transport routes will increase due to the dynamics of economic development in the Asia-Pacific region. Competition for the development of projects of international transport corridors (ITC) between the leading countries in the region will increase, because the ITC entail the formation of a common political space, the reduction of tariff and customs barriers, which provides easy access to the markets of countries linked by ITCs and creates the preconditions for economic integration. The growing political importance of ITC is reflected in the fact that global leaders such as China, the US, the EU, are trying to create their own versions of international land transport corridors connecting Europe and Asia. China is trying to promote their transport project "Economic Belt Silk Road" European countries develop cooperation on ITC TRACECA with other countries of Eurasia. US also embody their interests through the implementation of the project by the ITC in Afghanistan. Transport corridors in Russia are seen as a way to integrate it into the global transportation system and logistics space. To do this, Russia needs to develop Eurasian transport corridors through its territory. As a result of the implementation of transport projects Russia will be able to ensure the transit of goods from China to Europe, which has a positive impact on the economic development of the regions through which they pass. Development of international transportation through Russia will unite many of the players on the world stage: integration associations, state, transnational corporations, business entities, regional authorities.

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