Adult-child science language during informal science learning at an aquarium

ABSTRACT

This pilot study explored whether and how adult science language was related to the science language that children used during informal science learning at an aquarium and tested a methodological approach to assess informal learning in biological science contexts. We observed and audio recorded children and their parents while exploring a live animal aquarium exhibit. Verbatim language transcripts were coded for science, technology, mathematics, and biological (STMB) language. Results confirmed a methodological procedure that can be applied reliably to identify and categorize adult-child science talk that includes biological language. Findings also revealed that science process and biological-environmental science talk occurred most frequently in parent-child conversations; math and technology talk, while present, was much less prevalent. Results showed that parents who used more science language while talking in the aquarium had children who also used more science language (p = .009). This study contributes much needed insight into young children’s experiences in aquaria and how such experiences expose children to scientific processes and facilitate families’ informal participation in doing science and thinking scientifically. Implications for designing informal learning environments (ILEs) to promote children’s STMB learning are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Informal learning environment
• Family
• Discourse
• Museum
• STEM
• Biology

Highlights

• Parent-child language in an aquarium was audio-recoded and analyzed.

• Associations between adult and child science talk in an informal learning environment were tested.

• Parents who talked more about science had children who talked more about science.

• A coding system for reliably analyzing STEM and biology talk was developed.

Acknowledgements

We thank the families who participated in the study and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA for their partnership. We also thank Heidi Alvarado, Jo Brunton, Eva Drexler and Lizbeth Millan for their assistance in data collection as well as Claudine Maloles, Jacqueline Juarez, and Cindy Vu for their assistance with data management and entry. This study was funded, in part, with support from CSULB Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and a Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity Award. Funding sources had no involvement in the research at any stage.

Notes

¹ Context data were missing for one family group due to lost record of observations.