Toward Enhanced Learning of Science - An Educational Scheme for Informal Science Institutions

Current educational operation for informal science institutions tends to bebased on the staff's experience and intuition rather than on educationaltheories or research findings. This status study sought research evidence todevelop an Educational Scheme for informal science institutions. Evidence forthis scheme came from surveys to determine specific circumstances ofeducational operations visitor behaviors and ethnographical research .The Discrepancy Model seeking gaps between the actual and desired statesguided this investigation of how the staff view the nature and status of educationaloperations. Institutional data were collected as a form of a surveyasking about actual and desired states in terms of goals and roles of staffcontents of exhibits and programs assessment and professional developmenteach for administrators and practitioners. Another investigation soughtvisitors' views of the effectiveness of the main idea for exhibit understandingeffective labels expectations toward on-site lessons and possibilities for along-term assessment. A needed direction was proposed to develop theScheme.