Research to Understand and Inform the Impacts of Ambient and Designed Sound on Informal STEM Learning

研究了解并了解环境和设计声音对非正式 STEM 学习的影响

• 批准号: 2215101
• 负责人: Martha Merson
• 金额: $ 199.86万
• 依托单位: TERC Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2026-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2215101&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Research; Understand; Inform; Impacts; Ambient

This Research in Service to Practice project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to (a) advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments; (b) provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; (c) advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and (d) engage the public of all ages in learning STEM in informal environments. This project is designed to support collaboration between informal STEM learning (ISL) researchers, designers, and educators with sound researchers and acoustic ecologists to jointly explore the role of auditory experiences—soundscapes—on learning. In informal STEM learning spaces, where conversation advances STEM learning and is a vital part of the experience of exploring STEM phenomena with family and friends, attention to the impacts of soundscapes can have an important bearing on learning. Understanding how soundscapes may facilitate, spark, distract from, or even overwhelm thinking and conversation will provide ISL educators and designers evidence to inform their practice. The project is structured to reflect the complexity of ISL audiences and experiences; thus, partners include the North Park Village Nature Center located in in a diverse immigrant neighborhood in Chicago; Wild Indigo, a Great Lakes Audubon program primarily serving African American visitors in Midwest cities; an after-school/summer camp provider, STEAMing Ahead New Mexico, serving families in the rural southwest corner of New Mexico, and four sites in Ohio, MetroParks, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the Center of Science and Industry.Investigators will conduct large-scale exploratory research to answer an understudied research question: How do environmental sounds impact STEM learning in informal learning spaces?  Researchers and practitioners will characterize and describe the soundscapes throughout the different outdoor and indoor exhibit/learning spaces. Researchers will observe 800 visitors, tracking attraction, attention, dwell time, and shared learning. In addition to observations, researchers will join another 150 visitors for think-aloud interviews, where researchers will walk alongside visitors and capture pertinent notes while visitors describe their experience in real time. Correlational and cluster analyses using machine learning algorithms will be used to identify patterns across different sounds, soundscapes, responses, and reflections of research participants. In particular, the analyses will identify characteristics of sounds that correlate with increased attention and shared learning. Throughout the project, a team of evaluators will monitor progress and support continuous improvement, including guidance for developing culturally responsive research metrics co-defined with project partners. Evaluators will also document the extent to which the project impacts capacity building, and influences planning and design considerations for project partners. This exploratory study is the initial in a larger research agenda, laying the groundwork for future experimental study designs that test causal claims about the relationships between specific soundscapes and visitor learning. Results of this study will be disseminated widely to informal learning researchers and practitioners through workshops, presentations, journal articles, facilitated conversations, and a short film that aligns with the focus and findings of the research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项服务实践项目的研究由推进非正式 STEM 学习 (AISL) 计划资助，该计划旨在 (a) 推进非正式环境中 STEM 学习设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解 (b)提供多种途径来扩大 STEM 学习体验的获取和参与；(c) 推进对非正式环境中 STEM 学习的创新研究和评估；(d) 让所有年龄段的公众在非正式环境中学习 STEM。旨在支持非正式之间的合作STEM 学习 (ISL) 研究人员、设计师和教育工作者与声音研究人员和声学生态学家共同探索听觉体验（音景）在非正式 STEM 学习空间中的作用，对话促进 STEM 学习，是体验的重要组成部分。在与家人和朋友一起探索 STEM 现象时，关注音景的影响对学习具有重要影响，了解音景如何促进、激发、分散甚至压倒思考和对话，将为 ISL 教育者和设计师提供证据。该项目的结构反映了 ISL 受众和体验的复杂性；因此，合作伙伴包括位于芝加哥多元化移民社区的北公园村自然中心 (North Park Village Nature Center)，这是一个主要服务于五大湖奥杜邦 (Great Lakes Audubon) 游客的项目。中西部城市；课后/夏令营提供商 STEAMing Ahead New Mexico，为新墨西哥州西南角农村的家庭提供服务，并在俄亥俄州、MetroParks、哥伦布动物园和水族馆、富兰克林公园温室和植物园设有四个地点花园、科学与工业中心。研究人员将进行大规模的探索性研究，以回答一个尚未研究的研究问题：环境声音如何影响非正式学习空间中的 STEM 学习？研究人员和从业者将描述和描述不同室外的声景。研究人员将观察 800 名参观者，跟踪吸引力、注意力、停留时间和共享学习情况。除了观察之外，研究人员还将与另外 150 名参观者一起进行有声思考访谈，其中研究人员将与参观者一起行走。并在访问者实时描述他们的体验时捕获相关笔记。使用机器学习算法进行相关和聚类分析将用于识别研究参与者的不同声音、音景、反应和反射的模式。在整个项目中，评估人员团队将监控进展并支持持续改进，包括与项目合作伙伴共同制定的文化响应研究指标的指导，并将记录项目进展的程度。项目影响能力建设，并影响项目合作伙伴的规划和设计考虑。这项探索性研究是更大的研究议程的第一步，为未来的实验研究设计奠定了基础，该设计测试了特定声景与游客学习之间关系的因果关系。通过研讨会、演讲、期刊文章、便利对话和与研究重点和发现相一致的短片，向非正式学习研究人员和从业者广泛传播。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用这基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。