Ecosystems Exhibition The Extreme Zone

This report presents findings of a summative evaluation by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) of the Extreme Zone section in the Ecosystems exhibition, a project funded by the National Science Foundation at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. RK&A conducted in-depth interviews with adult, drop-in visitors to examine the degree to which the Extreme Zone meets its educational objectives: one sample was interviewed prior to entering the Ecosystems exhibition and a separate sample was interviewed after experiencing the exhibition. RK&A scored interviewees' responses using a rubric to assess the degree to which 18 learning objectives were achieved and conducted statistical analyses comparing the pre-visit (control group) and post-visit (treatment group) samples. In total, RK&A conducted 228 interviews in October and November 2010. The appendix of this report inclues a interview protocol, questionnaire, and scoring rubric.