Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Debris, Diatoms, And Dolphins: Tracking Child Engagement At A Public Science Festival, Kaya Van Beynen, Theresa G. Burress

USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications

Visitors to public science festivals have a tremendous amount of free choice to decide how to navigate through the festival, as well as when, where, and how long to stop at an exhibit. This study examines how elementary-aged children individually or collaboratively engaged with festival exhibits at a public science festival in St. Petersburg, Florida. Although many exhibit activities are designed to appeal to children, no research has been done with regard to child engagement with one-day, outdoor science festivals, such as this one. Engagement can be measured by unobtrusive observation of the behavior and interactions of children. Factors that …