Toward an agenda for advancing research on science learning in out-of-school settings

The question, "What constitutes a reasonable, useful agenda for research into science learning in out-of-school, free-choice environments?" has surfaced with increasing frequency over the past 10 years or so. One event that helped move the agenda forward was the National Science Foundation-funded conference, "Public Institutions for Personal Learning: Understanding the Long-term Impact of Museums," held in Annapolis in 1994. The proceedings of this conference, published by the American Association of Museums (Falk & Dierking, 1995), reflected a large step forward in setting out the research issues and questions involved. Although focused on museums (a generic term including all kinds of museums, botanical gardens, aquaria, zoos, and science and other interpretative centers), the issues discussed are applicable to a wide range of non-museum contexts.