An Evaluation of One Day Science Activities at a Natural History Museum

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of science activities held over one day at the natural history museum in a rural part of Turkey. Students’ expectations were determined before science activities were held in the museum and students' learning experiences and teachers' views on the process were examined after the science activities. Primary (5th graders, n=53) and middle school (6th, 7th, and 8th graders, n=72) students and their teachers (n=8) participated in the activities. According to the results, the activities had a positive impact on the primary and middle school students, in that they learned about the components of nature and acquisition of deepen experiences and more positive emotions. While prior to the science activities, the students expected to focused activities of observations and examinations, they emphasized the activities in which they conducted to collect and analyse fossils more strongly after the completion of activities. Students’ teachers stated that science activities in the museum increased the active participation and interest of the students compared to the classroom environment and enabled them to gain sensitivity towards the environment and science. The instructional activities in this study can easily be replicated through similar programs in any natural history museum in Turkey or anywhere else in the world.

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