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Perspectives on learning through research on critical issues‐based science center exhibitions
Author(s) -
Pedretti Erminia G.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.20019
Subject(s) - exhibition , reflexivity , subject matter , context (archaeology) , sociology , science education , subject (documents) , science communication , critical thinking , engineering ethics , pedagogy , psychology , computer science , visual arts , social science , engineering , curriculum , library science , art , paleontology , biology
Abstract Recently, science centers have created issues‐based exhibitions as a way of communicating socioscientific subject matter to the public. Research in the last decade has investigated how critical issues‐based installations promote more robust views of science, while creating effective learning environments for teaching and learning about science. The focus of this paper is to explore research conducted over a 10‐year period that informs our understanding of the nature of learning through these experiences. Two specific exhibitions— Mine Games and A Question of Truth —provide the context for discussing this research. Findings suggest that critical issues‐based installations challenge visitors in different ways—intellectually and emotionally. They provide experiences beyond usual phenomenon‐based exhibitions and carry the potential to enhance learning by personalizing subject matter, evoking emotion, stimulating dialogue and debate, and promoting reflexivity. Critical issues‐based exhibitions serve as excellent environments in which to explore the nature of learning in these nonschool settings. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 88 (Suppl. 1):S34–S47, 2004