InformalScience.org: Research Resources

These publications disseminate academic research in peer–reviewed or editorially referred journals about informal learning and science education.

Curator: The Museum Journal
Written by museum professionals for museum professionals, Curator: The Museum Journal provides a forum for exploration and debate of the latest issues, practices, and policies in museum administration, research, exhibition development, visitor studies, conservation, education, collection management, and other subjects of current concern to the community.

Daedalus
Daedalus was founded in 1955 as the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and draws on the intellectual capacity of the American Academy, whose Fellows are among the nation's most prominent thinkers in the arts, sciences, and humanities.

Environment and Behavior
Environment and Behavior analyzes and records the influence of environment on individuals, groups, and institutions. Featured are topics such as: beliefs, meanings, values and attitudes of individuals or groups concerning various environments such as neighborhoods, cities, transport routes and devices, or recreational areas, evaluation and effectiveness of environments designed to accomplish specific objectives, interrelationships between human environments and behavioral systems, planning, policy, and political action aimed at controlling environments and behavior.

International Journal of Science Education
The International Journal of Science Education bridges the gap between research and practice, providing information, ideas, and opinion. It serves as a medium for the publication of definitive research findings. Special emphasis is placed on applicable research relevant to educational practice, guided by educational realities in systems, schools, colleges, and universities.

Journal of Museum Education
The Journal of Museum Education promotes and reports on theory, training, and practice in the museum education field. Journal articles, written by museum, education, and research professionals, explore such relevant topics as learning theory; visitor evaluation; teaching strategies for art, science, and history museums; and the responsibilities of museums as public institutions.

Journal of Research in Science Teaching
Journal of Research in Science Teaching, the official journal of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, publishes reports for science education researchers and practitioners on issues of science teaching and learning and science education policy.

Journal of the Learning Sciences
Published by LEA and in its 14th volume in 2005, JLS is a multidisciplinary forum for the presentation and discussion of important ideas that can change the understanding of learning and teaching.

Museum and Society
Museum and Society was launched in March 2003 as an independent peer-reviewed journal which brings together new writing by academics and museum professionals on the subject of museums. It is both international in scope and at the cutting edge of empirical and theoretical research on museums. Museum and Society is an interdisciplinary journal with a wide-ranging interest in all issues associated with museums and other places of public culture concerned with collecting, exhibiting, and display.

Museum Management and Curatorship
Museum Management and Curatorship is a peer-reviewed, international journal for museum professionals, scholars, students, educators, and consultants that examines current issues in-depth and provides up-to-date research, analysis, and commentary on developments in museum practice. The Journal encourages a continuous reassessment of the disciplines governing the establishment, care, and understanding of museum collections. It also covers administration, archives, communications, conservation, diversity, ethics, globalization, governance, interpretation, leadership, purpose/mission, planning, public service, and technology.

Open Museum Journal
The Open Museum Journal (OMJ) publishes scholarly and applied research and commentary on museums. It is intended as a space where issues of interpretation, the politics of representation, and the practices of collecting, exhibition development, and public programs can be discussed. OMJ's brief is to provide an opportunity for dialogue between those with an interest in researching museums and those working in them. Its purpose is to provide a platform for stimulating dialogues across the theory/practice divide.

Science Education
Science Education publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring internationally in science curriculum, instruction, learning, policy, and preparation of science teachers with the aim to advance knowledge of science education theory and practice.

Visitor Studies
Visitor Studies is a bi-annual, peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles focusing on visitor research, visitor studies, evaluation studies, and research methodologies. The Journal also covers subjects related to museums and out-of-school learning environments, such as zoos, nature centers, visitor centers, historic sites, parks, and other informal learning settings.

EurekAlert!
EurekAlert! is an online, global news service operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. EurekAlert! provides a central place through which universities, medical centers, journals, government agencies, corporations, and other organizations engaged in research can bring their news to the media. EurekAlert! also offers its news and resources to the public. EurekAlert! features news and resources focused on all areas of science, medicine and technology.

Nature
Nature is a weekly international journal publishing peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance, and surprising conclusions. Nature also provides rapid news and interpretation of topical and coming trends affecting science, scientists, and the wider public.

New Scientist
New Scientist has reported on science and technology since 1956. It aims to bring readers the latest advances in a stimulating, lively and authoritative way. With New Scientist magazine, every week readers receive a comprehensive round-up of the latest science and technology news, reports, developments, and research.

Science
Science is a journal of original scientific research, global news, and commentary.

These non–peer–reviewed publications feature articles of interest to informal learning practitioners and may include advertist reviews and commentary, book reviews, technical articles, and other essays of interest to the profession.

Dimensions
The Association of Science–Technology Centers' bimonthly news journal, ASTC Dimensions, offers in–depth analysis on current issues, along with news briefs from ASTC and member museums, a calendar of events, and other resources for science centers and museums.

The Exhibitionist
The Exhibitionist features articles on exhibit theory and practice, exhibit reviews and commentary, book reviews, technical articles, and other essays of interest to the profession.

Hand to Hand
Hand to Hand is the Association of Children's Museums' quarterly journal which highlights national issues and trends in the youth museum field. Articles include interviews with key individuals, program overviews, and museum profiles.

Museum
For 87 years, the American Association of Museums' (AAM) award-winning, bimonthly flagship publication, the magazine Museum News, has been known as a resource for museum professionals on issues and developments in the field. The magazine has been revamped with a new design and a new name—Museum—that represents its mission to highlight the full scope and value of museums.

Museums Journal
Museums Journal is a source of news and information for the museum and gallery sector. Every month it includes news, profiles, comment, and analysis as well as features on working practices, museum politics, and ethical debates. It is also a source of information about the latest jobs, published twice a month in its recruitment pages. Museums Journal also includes exhibition and book reviews and courses and training.

These non–peer–reviewed publications are often published by professional associations and feature industry news and articles of interest to practitioners.

Aviso
The American Association of Museums' monthly e-newsletter, Aviso, reports on museums in the news, federal legislation affecting museums, upcoming seminars and workshops, federal grant deadlines, and AAM activities and services.

Ecsite-uk e-newsletter
Ecsite-uk: the UK Network of Science Centres and Museums, represents over 50 science centres in the UK and a similar number of discovery centres in museums, botanic gardens, aquariums, and zoos. Ecsite-uk was set up in April, 2001 to give the expanding sector a strong national voice and to be the point of reference for the work of science and discovery centres.

Education & Human Resources (EHR) News
The mission of EHR is to achieve excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels and in all settings (both formal and informal) in order to support the development of a diverse and well-prepared workforce of scientists, technicians, engineers, mathematicians, and educators and a well-informed citizenry that have access to the ideas and tools of science and engineering. The purpose of these activities is to enhance the quality of life of all citizens and the health, prosperity, welfare, and security of the nation.

The Informal Learning Review (ILR)
The Informal Learning Review (ILR) is Informal Learning Experience, Inc.'s instrument for bringing their research and understanding of the informal learning industry to the field in a broad fashion.

Museum Education Monitor (MEM)
Museum Education Monitor (MEM) tracks and records research and resources in museum education worldwide. The aim of MEM is to help create a "road map" to new and current learning in museum education. Its goal is to enhance the development of theory and practice in the field by both academics and museum workers. Subscription required.

These governmental policy reports influence the National Science Foundation's overall direction and funding decisions.

American Competitiveness Initiative
Keeping a competitive edge in the world economy requires focused policies that lay the groundwork for continued leadership in innovation, exploration, and ingenuity. America's economic strength and global leadership depend in large measure on the Nation's ability to generate and harness the latest in scientific and technological developments and to apply these developments to real world applications. These applications are fueled by: scientific research, which produces new ideas and new tools that can become the foundation for tomorrow's products, services, and ways of doing business; a strong education system that equips the workforce with the skills necessary to transform those ideas into goods and services that improve lives and provide the Nation with the researchers of the future; and an environment that encourages entrepreneurship, risk taking, and innovative thinking. By giving citizens the tools necessary to realize their greatest potential, the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) will help ensure future generations have an even brighter future.

Board on Science Education: Learning Science in Informal Environments: A Review of the Research Past, Present, and Future
With sponsorship from The National Science Foundation, The National Research Council (NRC) through the Board on Science Education (BOSE) will conduct a comprehensive synthesis of research on science learning in informal environments. This consensus study will draw together the disparate informal science literatures, synthesize the state of knowledge, and articulate a common framework for the next generation of research on informal science learning.

FY 2007 Performance and Accountability Report
The fiscal year (FY) 2007 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) informs the President, Congress, and the American people of how well the Department of Commerce has managed its finances and programs. The report combines detailed information regarding the Department's audited financial statements, as required by the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, and its performance results, as required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

National Science Board: National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the U.S. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System
This action plan lays out a structure that will allow stakeholders from local, State, and Federal governments, as well as nongovernmental STEM education stakeholder groups, to work together to coordinate and enhance the Nation's ability to produce a numerate and scientifically and technologically literate society and to increase and improve the current STEM education workforce. A coherent system of STEM education is considered essential to the Nation's economy and well-being.

National Science Foundation: Investing in America's Future: Strategic Plan FY 2006-2011
The President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) has provided new vision for sustaining the nation's competitive edge through innovation, exploration, and ingenuity. The NSF Strategic Plan addresses this changing landscape and new vision, and will ensure continued leadership in this new era.

National Science Foundation: Transformative Research
The National Science Board unanimously approved a motion to enhance support of transformative research at the NSF. Additionally, the Board approved a change to the Intellectual Merit Review Criterion specified in Part I of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide: the Grant Proposal Guide to specifically include review of the extent to which a proposal also suggests and explores potentially transformative concepts.

Report of the Academic Competitiveness Council
Officials from federal agencies with education programs aimed at improving America's competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) engaged in a yearlong endeavor to assess their programs' success and to identify areas for improvement for current and future programs. This effort, carried out by the Academic Competitiveness Council (ACC) and led by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, lays the groundwork for sustained collaboration among STEM education programs across federal agencies that will greatly strengthen America's competitiveness.

Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (Executive Summary)
In a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated federal effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness and pre-eminence in these areas. This congressionally requested report by a pre-eminent committee makes four recommendations along with 20 implementation actions that federal policy-makers should take to create high-quality jobs and focus new science and technology efforts on meeting the nation's needs, especially in the area of clean, affordable energy.

Science and Engineering Indicators: Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding
This overview of the National Science Board's Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 describes some major U.S. and international science and technology (S&T) developments. It focuses on trends since about 1990, although it occasionally takes a longer view. Although Americans express strong support for science and technology (S&T), most are not very well informed about these subjects. The public's lack of knowledge about basic scientific facts and the scientific process can have far-reaching implications.

Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8
What is science for a child? How do children learn about science and how to do science? Drawing on a vast array of work from neuroscience to classroom observation, Taking Science to School provides a comprehensive picture of what we know about teaching and learning science from kindergarten through eighth grade. By looking at a broad range of questions, this book provides a basic foundation for guiding science teaching and supporting students in their learning.

For more publications, see evaluation resources.

These are topical mailing lists, accessible either through email or website archives.

Informal Science Education Network-ASTC Listserv
The Informal Science Education Network (ISEN) offers an environment for the exchange of ideas and knowledge regarding informal science education.

Building the Field of Digital Media and Learning
The MacArthur Foundation launched its five-year, $50 million digital media and learning initiative in 2006 to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. Answers are critical to developing educational and other social institutions that can meet the needs of this and future generations. The initiative is both marshaling what is already known about the field and seeding innovation for continued growth.

Blogs are websites that contain posts about topical commentary and news while wikis are websites in which the community can contribute material to a body of topical knowledge.

Assembly... of the Museums Australia education group
Assembly... is an organ of the education group within Museums Australia. Members of the group support and advocate learning as a core function of museums and cultivate best practice in museums by sharing news, ideas, and experience of programs and research.

The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)
Founded in 2007 with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), CAISE serves as a focal point for communication and knowledge-building across the informal science education field.

Charlie's European Museum Crawl
This blog describes Charlie Trautmann's travels to European science centers and museums during a 3-month sabbatical leave from his home museum, the Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY during the period July to October, 2007. The goal of this effort was to better understand how European museums are treating topics related to the environment, sustainability, and climate change and the role they see themselves playing as they portray these topics to their audiences.

ExhibitFiles
The goal of ExhibitFiles is to provide the people who make museum exhibits with convenient access to resources that can be used to improve their work. ExhibitFiles is a creation of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, an international organization of science centers and museums.

How We Learn: Research, News & Perspectives
This blog provides a stream of information on how people learn. The focus is on cognitive, sociocultural, developmental, and neurobiological research and related news.

Infed (the informal education homepage)
The aim of this website is to provide a space for people to explore the theory and practice of informal education and social action learning. They want to encourage educators and animateurs to develop ways of working and being that foster association, conversation, and relationship.

Informal Learning on Wikipedia
This is a Wikipedia article on the definition of informal learning.

Museum 2.0
Museum 2.0 explores ways that Web 2.0 philosophies can be applied in museum design. Nina Simon started the Museum 2.0 blog in November of 2006 to explore the ways that the philosophies of Web 2.0 can be applied in museums to make them more engaging, community-based, vital elements of society.

MuseumBlogs.org
MuseumBlogs.org is a directory of museum and museum–related blogs as well as a space for re-postings. The purpose of the site is to raise awareness and increase the authority of blogs focusing on museum issues.

The Museum-Ed Blog
Museum-Ed strives to meet the needs of museum educators by providing tools and resources by and for the museum education community. Museum-Ed is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing museum educators opportunities to ask questions, to exchange ideas, to explore current issues, to share resources, to reflect on experiences, and to inspire new directions in museum education.

MuseumsWiki
This is a wiki for museums, set up by Jonathan Bowen. It is intended for museum personnel to participate in populating this wiki with museum-related material, perhaps more detailed than suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia, for example.

These are additional resources related to informal science education.

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
ERIC provides free access to more than 1.2 million bibliographic records of journal articles and other education-related materials and, if available, includes links to full text. ERIC is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

The National Science Digital Library
The National Science Digital Library (NSDL) was created by the National Science Foundation to provide organized access to high quality resources and tools that support innovations in teaching and learning at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

For more online resources, see evaluation resources.

These are membership groups, usually non–profit, which exist to promote and professionalize a field or discipline.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
The American Association for the Advancement of Science, "Triple A-S" (AAAS), is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson, and professional association.

American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, developing standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. They are working towards ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present, and future.

American Public Gardens Association
Founded in 1940 as the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA), the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) adopted a new name in 2006. The APGA is committed to increasing the knowledge of public garden professionals throughout North America through information sharing, professional development, networking, public awareness, and research so they have the tools to effectively serve visitors and members.

Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
They are women technologists who use technology to connect their communities. They create technology because it is intelligent, creative, and driven. They aim to lead with compassion and a belief in inclusion. They develop competitive products and find solutions to problems that impact lives, the nation, the world. Working with men that believe in their mission, they are working to change the world for women and technology.

Association of Children's Museums
The Association of Children's Museums (ACM) is an international professional organization representing and advocating for its member institutions. Membership ranges from children's museums, to large collections-based institutions dedicated to serving young visitors through a variety of interactive exhibits, to groups that are in the planning phases of opening a children's museum. ACM provides its members with information about developments in the field, professional practices, and funding initiatives. It provides direct access to training and professional development. Additionally, ACM strives to be an effective voice for children at a public policy level.

The Association of Nature Center Administrators
ANCA is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization formed in 1989 to promote leadership and quality management for the nature center profession. Through its members and services, ANCA provides a network where environmental learning center administrators can exchange information and ideas. ANCA also develops and shares professional training opportunities and aids environmental education organizations through direct technical assistance.

Association of Science — Technology Centers
The Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) is an organization of science centers and museums dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. ASTC encourages excellence and innovation in informal science learning by serving and linking its members worldwide and advancing their common goals. ASTC provides professional development for the science center field, promotes best practices, supports effective communication, strengthens the position of science centers within the community at large, and fosters the creation of successful partnerships and collaborations.

Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of accredited zoos and aquariums in the areas of animal care, wildlife conservation, education, and science.

The British Interactive Group (BIG)
The British Interactive Group (BIG) is a not-for-profit organization for all people involved in interactive or hands-on science communication activities. They particularly welcome people starting out on their hands-on career.

The Environmental Design Research Association
The Environmental Design Research Association advances and disseminates behavior and design research toward improving understanding of the relationships between people and their environments.

Group for Education in Museums (GEM)
The Group for Education in Museums promotes education as a core function of museums, encourages the exchange of information, ideas, and research relating to the practice of museum education, fosters the highest standard of educational practice, promotes the role of museums in formal and informal learning, and promotes professionalism in the educational work of museums.

The Informal Learning Environments Research Special Interest Group
The purpose of ILER- SIG is to further educational research in informal learning environments such as science centers, museums, zoos, aquariums, and nature centers, and to promote a community of practice interested in establishing and maintaining informal learning environments conducive to better understanding of teaching and learning.

Museums Association
Museum-Ed strives to meet the needs of museum educators by providing tools and resources by and for the museum education community. Museum-Ed is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing museum educators opportunities to ask questions, to exchange ideas, to explore current issues, to share resources, to reflect on experiences, and to inspire new directions in museum education.

National Association for Interpretation
The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) is a professional organization dedicated to advancing the profession of heritage interpretation.

National Association for Research in Science Teaching
The National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) is a worldwide organization of professionals committed to the improvement of science teaching and learning through research. Since its inception in 1928, NARST has promoted research in science education and the communication of knowledge generated by the research. The ultimate goal of NARST is to help all learners achieve science literacy.

Night Sky Network
The Night Sky Network is a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy clubs bringing the science, technology, and inspiration of NASA's missions to the general public.

Partnership for a Nation of Learners
The Partnership for a Nation of Learners wants to help museums, libraries, and public broadcasters work together to address local needs, increase civic engagement, and improve the quality of life in their community.

The Regional Alliance for Mathematics and Science Education
The mission of the Regional Alliance is to support K-12 mathematics and science improvement efforts by providing professional development opportunities and technical assistance, disseminating information, and promoting collaboration.

Sally Ride Science
The mission of Sally Ride Science is to empower girls to explore the world of science. They do this by creating science programs and publications for girls and their parents, teachers, and future employers. Their goal is to increase the number of girls who are technically literate and who have the foundation they need to go on in science, math, or engineering.

Society for Amateur Scientists
Since its founding in 1994, SAS has been the only non-profit research and education organization dedicated to helping people enrich their lives by following their passion to take part in scientific adventures of all kinds. They educate, advocate, kibitz, and build networks of like-minded people to further the ethical pursuit of science and scientific research.

Visitor Studies Association
VSA is a professional organization focusing on all facets of the visitor experience in museums, zoos, nature centers, visitor centers, historic sites, parks, and other informal learning settings. They are committed to understanding and enhancing visitor experiences in informal learning settings through research, evaluation, and dialogue. Their vision is for a world where lifelong learning is embraced, and where learning in informal settings benefits individuals, communities, and society at large.

These are organizations which conduct and disseminate research but which are not open for membership.

Australian Museum Audience Research Centre (AMARC)
The Australian Museum Audience Research Centre (AMARC) undertakes a broad range of visitor research and evaluation projects.

Center for Children & Technology
Since 1980, EDC's Center for Children and Technology (CCT), a non-profit research and development organization, has explored the roles that new technologies can play in young people's lives.

Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International
CTL's mission is to improve learning and teaching through innovation and inquiry. CTL research and development activities contribute to the knowledge base on effective learning and teaching and embody research insights in the innovative design, use, and assessment of interactive learning environments.

The Children's Environments Research Group
The Children's Environments Research Group (CERG) provides a link between university scholarship and the development of policies, environments, and programs that fulfill children's' rights and improve the quality of their lives. CERG has two major overlapping strands of work. The first is a focus on the planning, design, and management of children's physical environments. The second is a broader concern with fulfilling the rights of children, sometimes without a specific focus on the physical environment, such as their work on the development of parents' and children's understanding of children's rights and of children's experience with violence.

Harvard Family Research Project
Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) strives to promote more effective educational practices, programs, and policies for disadvantaged children and youth by generating, publishing, and disseminating their and others' research. HFRP was founded in 1983 at the Harvard Graduate School of Education by its director, Heather B. Weiss, Ed.D.

Institute for Learning Innovation
Established in 1986 as a not-for-profit learning research and development organization, the Institute for Learning Innovation is dedicated to changing the world of education and learning by understanding, facilitating, advocating, and communicating about free-choice learning across the life span. The Institute provides leadership in this area by collaborating with a variety of free-choice learning institutions such as museums, other cultural institutions, public television stations, libraries, community-based organizations such as scouts and the YWCA, scientific societies, and humanities councils, as well as schools and universities, striving to better understand, facilitate, and improve their learning potential by incorporating free-choice learning principles.

For more organizations, see evaluation resources.

See Calendar section

These are graduate degree programs in informal science education, learning sciences, and museum studies.

Informal Science Education

King's College London

Oregon State University

University of California, Santa Cruz

Learning Sciences

Indiana University

Michigan Technological University

Northwestern University

Stanford University