Summative Evaluation of “Island of the Sharks”

A summative evaluation in Jersey City, New Jersey at the Liberty Science Center’s IMAX® Dome Theater was carried out with adult (18+ years) viewers. A quasi-experimental separate-sample pretest/posttest design was used. "Island of the Sharks" made a positive impact on sample adult audience member’s knowledge of topics presented in the film and was reportedly moderately or very interesting to 81% of the adult sample. A second summative evaluation involving three classes from each of two middle schools was carried out with seventh grade students. A quasi-experimental pretest/posttest nonequivalent comparison group design was used with middle school students to evaluate the film and ancillary schoolroom activities. One group viewed only the film, whereas a another group performed seven student-centered activities at school and then took a field trip to view the film. Two-thirds of student viewers rated the film as very or moderately interesting. Viewing the film significantly increased science knowledge, but experiencing activities prior to the film did not significantly impact interests or knowledge beyond what students learned from the film alone.