View Item 

Show simple item record

Explanatory parent–child conversation predominates at an evolution exhibit
dc.contributor.authorTare, Medhaen_US
dc.contributor.authorFrench, Jasonen_US
dc.contributor.authorFrazier, Brandy N.en_US
dc.contributor.authorDiamond, Judyen_US
dc.contributor.authorEvans, E. Margareten_US
dc.date.accessioned2011-11-10T15:40:13Z
dc.date.available2012-09-04T15:28:01Zen_US
dc.date.issued2011-07en_US
dc.identifier.citationTare, Medha; French, Jason; Frazier, Brandy N.; Diamond, Judy; Evans, E. Margaret (2011). "Explanatory parent–child conversation predominates at an evolution exhibit ." Science Education 95(4): 720-744. <http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/87180>en_US
dc.identifier.issn0036-8326en_US
dc.identifier.issn1098-237Xen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/87180
dc.description.abstractTo investigate how parents support children's learning at an exhibit on evolution, the conversations of 12 families were recorded, transcribed, and coded (6,263 utterances). Children (mean age 9.6 years) and parents visited Explore Evolution, which conveyed current research about the evolution of seven organisms. Families were engaged with the exhibit, staying an average of 44 minutes. Parents' and children's explanatory, nonexplanatory, and evolutionary conversation was coded. Overall, substantive explanatory conversation occurred in 65% of parent utterances, whereas nonexplanatory conversation occurred in 21% of the utterances. We found substantial use of exhibit text by parents (12.9% of utterances) who read it aloud and reframed the text for their children. Parents also used evolutionary terms and evolutionary concepts (10.2%), showing that such an exhibit is a valuable way to introduce this difficult topic to elementary‐school–aged children. Parents' use of explanatory conversation positively related to their children's use of explanatory and evolutionary conversation, indicating that a dialogic interchange was occurring. Parents' attitudes toward the exhibit content, particularly the issue of human evolution, related to the museum experience. Overall, this analysis shows that parents and children are having nuanced discussions and illustrates the potential of informal experiences in supporting children's learning of a complex topic. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 95: 720–744, 2011en_US
dc.publisherWiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Companyen_US
dc.titleExplanatory parent–child conversation predominates at an evolution exhibiten_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.rights.robotsIndexNoFollowen_US
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevelEcology and Evolutionary Biologyen_US
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevelScience (General)en_US
dc.subject.hlbtoplevelScienceen_US
dc.description.peerreviewedPeer Revieweden_US
dc.contributor.affiliationumDepartment of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAen_US
dc.contributor.affiliationotherDepartment of Psychology, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USAen_US
dc.contributor.affiliationotherDepartment of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USAen_US
dc.contributor.affiliationotherDepartment of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USAen_US
dc.contributor.affiliationotherUniversity of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68508, USAen_US
dc.contributor.affiliationotherDepartment of Psychology, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USAen_US
dc.description.bitstreamurlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87180/1/20433_ftp.pdf
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/sce.20433en_US
dc.identifier.sourceScience Educationen_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceAllen, S. ( 2002 ). Looking for learning in visitor talk: A methodological exploration. In G. Leinhardt, K. Crowley, & K. Knutson (Eds.). Learning conversations in museums (pp. 259 – 303 ). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceAsh, D. ( 2003 ). Dialogic inquiry in life science conversations of family groups in a museum. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40, 138 – 162.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceAtran, S., Medin, D., & Ross, N. ( 2004 ). Evolution and devolution of knowledge: a tale of two biologies. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 10, 395 – 420.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBanet, E., & Ayuso, G. E. ( 2003 ). Teaching of biological inheritance and evolution of living beings in secondary school. International Journal of Science Education, 25, 373 – 407.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBeardsley, P. M. ( 2004 ). Middle school student learning in evolution: Are current standards achievable ? The American Biology Teacher, 66, 604 – 613.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBenjamin, N., Haden, C. A., & Wilkerson, E. ( 2010 ). Enhancing building, conversation, and learning through caregiver–child interactions in a children's museum. Developmental Psychology, 46, 502 – 515.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBerland, L. K., & Reiser, B. J. ( 2008 ). Making sense of argumentation and explanation. Science Education, 93, 26 – 55.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBishop, B. A., & Anderson, C. W. ( 1990 ). Student conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 27, 415 – 428.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBrumby, M. N. ( 1984 ). Misconceptions about the concept of natural selection by medical biology students. Science Education, 68 ( 4 ), 493 – 503.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceCallanan, M. A., & Jipson, J. ( 2001 ). Explanatory conversations and young children's developing scientific literacy. In K. Crowley, C. D. Schunn, & T. Okada (Eds.), Designing for science: Implications from everyday, classroom, and professional science (pp. 21 – 50 ). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceCallanan, M. A., & Oakes, L. M. ( 1992 ). Preschoolers' questions and parents' explanations: Causal thinking in everyday activity. Cognitive Development, 7, 213 – 233.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceChouinard, M. M. ( 2007 ). Children's questions: A mechanism for cognitive development. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 72 ( 1 ), 1 – 129.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceClough, E. E., & Wood‐Robinson, C. ( 1985a ). How secondary students interpret instances of biological adaptation. Journal of Biological Education, 19, 125 – 130.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceClough, E. E., & Wood‐Robinson, C. ( 1985b ). Children's understanding of inheritance. Journal of Biological Education, 19, 304 – 310.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceCrowley, K., Callanan, M., Jipson, J., Galco, J., Topping, K., & Shrager, J. ( 2001a ). Shared scientific thinking in everyday parent–child activity. Science Education, 85, 712 – 732.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceCrowley, K., Callanan, M. A., Tenenbaum, H. R., & Allen, E. ( 2001b ). Parents explain more often to boys than to girls during shared scientific thinking. Psychological Science, 12, 258 – 261.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceDagher, Z. R., & BouJaoude, S. ( 1997 ). Scientific views and religious beliefs of college students: The case of biological evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 34, 429 – 445.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceDiamond, J. ( 1986 ). The behavior of families in science museums. Curator, 29, 139 – 154.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceDiamond, J., & Evans, E. M. ( 2007 ). Museums teach evolution. Evolution, 61, 1500 – 1506.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceDiamond, J., Evans, E. M., & Spiegel, A. N., (in press). Walking whales and singing flies: An evolution exhibit and assessment of its impact. Chapter to appear in K. S. Rosengren, S. Brem, E. M. Evans, & G. Sinatra (Eds.), Evolution challenges: Integrating research and practice in teaching and learning about evolution. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceEvans, E. M. ( 2000a ). The emergence of beliefs about the origins of species in school‐age children. Merrill‐Palmer Quarterly: A Journal of Developmental Psychology, 46, 221 – 254.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceEvans, E. M. ( 2000b ). Beyond Scopes: Why creationism is here to stay. In K. S. Rosengren, C. Johnson, & P. Harris (Eds.), Imagining the impossible: Magical, scientific and religious thinking in children (pp. 305 – 331 ) Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Pressen_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceEvans, E. M. ( 2001 ). Cognitive and contextual factors in the emergence of diverse belief systems: Creation versus evolution. Cognitive Psychology, 42, 217 – 266.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceEvans, E. M. ( 2008 ). Conceptual change and evolutionary biology: A developmental analysis. In S. Vosniadou (Ed.), International Handbook of Research on Conceptual Change (pp. 263 – 294 ). New York: Routledge.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceEvans, E. M., Legare, C., & Rosengren, K. S. ( 2010 ). Engaging multiple epistemologies: Implications for science education. In M. Ferrari, & R. Taylor (Eds.). Epistemology and science education: Understanding the evolution vs. intelligent design controversy.(pp. 111 – 139 ). New York: Routledge.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceEvans, E. M., Spiegel, A. N., Gram, W., & Diamond, J. ( 2009 ). Integrating developmental and free‐choice learning frameworks to investigate conceptual change in visitor understanding. VSA Articles, Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (BriefCAISE January/February, Issue 5, Article 2). Available at http://www‐personal.umich.edu/∼evansem/.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceEvans, E. M., Spiegel, A., Gram, W., Frazier, B. N., Tare, M., Thompson, S., & Diamond, J. ( 2010 ). A conceptual guide to natural history museum visitors' understanding of evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47, 326 – 353.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceFalk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. ( 2000 ). Learning from museums: Visitor experiences and the making of meaning. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceFalk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. ( 2010 ). The 95 percent solution: School is not where most Americans learn most of their science. American Scientist, 98, 486 – 493.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceFender, J. G., & Crowley, K. ( 2008 ). How parent explanation changes what children learn from everyday scientific thinking. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28, 189 – 210.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceForbes, C. T., & Davis, E. A. ( 2010 ). Curriculum design for inquiry: Preservice elementary teachers' mobilization and adaptation of science curriculum materials. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47, 820 – 839.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceFrazier, B. N., Gelman, S. A., & Wellman, H. M. ( 2009 ). Preschoolers' search for explanatory information within adult–child conversation. Child Development, 80, 1592 – 1611.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceGallup.( 2007 ). Evolution, creationism, intelligent design.Retrieved February 2, 2008, from http://www.gallup.com/poll/21814/Evolution‐Creationism‐Intelligent‐Design.aspx.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceGaskins, S. ( 2008 ). Designing exhibitions to support families' cultural understandings. Exhibitionist, 27, 11 – 19.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceGelman, S. A. ( 2003 ). The essential child: Origins of essentialism in everyday thought. Oxford series in Cognitive Development. New York: Oxford University Press.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceGood, R. ( 1992 ). Evolution education: An area of needed research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29, 10 – 19.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceGutwill, J. P., & Allen, S. ( 2010 ). Facilitating family group inquiry at science museum exhibits. Science Education, 94, 710 – 742.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHaden, C. ( 2010 ). Talking about science in museums. Child Development Perspectives, 4, 62 – 67.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHarris, P. L., & Koenig, M. A. ( 2006 ). Trust in testimony: how children learn about science and religion. Child Development, 77, 505 – 524.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHickling, A., & Wellman, H. ( 2001 ). The emergence of children's explanations and causal theories. Developmental Psychology, 35, 668 – 683.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceJungwirth, E. ( 1975 ). Preconceived adaptation and inverted evolution: A case of distorted concept formation in high school biology. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 21, 95 – 100.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKeil, F. C. ( 1994 ). The birth and nurturance of concepts by domains: The origins of concepts of living things. In L. A. Hirschfeld & S. A. Gelman (Eds.), Mapping the mind: Domain specificity in cognition and culture (pp. 234 – 254 ). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKelemen, D. ( 2004 ). Are children “intuitive theists”?: Reasoning about purpose and design in nature. Psychological Science, 15, 295 – 301.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKorn, R. ( 1995 ). An analysis of difference between visitors at natural history museums and science centers. Curator, 38, 150 – 160.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKuhn, D. ( 2010 ). Teaching and learning science as argument. Science Education, 94 ( 5 ), 810 – 824.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKuhn, D., Iordanou, K., Pease, M., & Wirkala, C. ( 2008 ). Beyond control of variables: What needs to develop to achieve skilled scientific thinking ? Cognitive Development, 23 ( 4 ), 435 – 451.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLawson, A. E., & Worsnop, W. A. ( 1992 ). Learning about evolution and rejecting a belief in special creation: Effects of reflective reasoning skill, prior knowledge, prior belief and religious commitment. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29, 143 – 166.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLegare, C., Evans, E. M., & Lane, J. ( 2011 ). Anthropomorphizing science: How does it affect the development of evolutionary concepts ? Manuscript submitted for publication.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLehrer, R., Schauble, L., & Lucas, D. ( 2008 ). Supporting development of the epistemology of inquiry. Cognitive Development, 23 ( 4 ), 512 – 529.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLeinhardt, G., Crowley, K., & Knutson, K. (Eds.).( 2002 ). Learning conversations in museums. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLeinhardt, G., & Knutson, K. ( 2004 ). Listening in on museum conversations. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLerner, L. S. ( 2000 ). Good science, bad science: Teaching evolution in the states. Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceMacfadden, B. J., Dunckel, B. A., Ellis, S., Dierking, L. D., Abraham‐Silver, L., Kisiel, J., & Koke, J. K. ( 2007 ). Natural history museum visitors' understanding of evolution. BioScience, 57 ( 10 ), 875 – 882.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceMcManus, P. ( 1989 ). Oh, yes, they do: How museum visitors read labels and interact with exhibit texts. Curator, 32, 174 – 189.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceMedin, D., & Ortony, A. ( 1989 ). Psychological essentialism. In S. Vosniadou (Ed.), Similarity and analogical reasoning (pp. 179 – 195 ). New York: Cambridge University Press.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceNehm, R. H., & Reilly, L. ( 2007 ). Biology majors knowledge and misconceptions of natural selection. BioScience, 57, 263 – 272.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferencePalmquist, S., & Crowley, K. ( 2007 ). From teachers to testers: How parents talk to novice and expert children in a natural history museum. Science Education, 91, 783 – 804.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferencePerry, D., & Tisdal, C. ( 2004 ). Going APE! at the exploratorium: Interim summative evaluation report. San Francisco: Exploratorium.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSandifer, C. ( 1997 ). Time‐based behaviors at an interactive science museum: Exploring the differences between weekday/weekend and family/nonfamily visitors. Science Education, 81, 689 – 701.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSandoval, W. A., & Reiser, B. J. ( 2004 ). Explanation‐driven inquiry: Integrating conceptual and epistemic scaffolds for scientific inquiry. Science Education, 88, 345 – 372.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSimpkins, S. D., Davis‐Kean, P. E., & Eccles, J. S. ( 2005 ). Parents' socializing behavior and children's participation in math, science, and computer out‐of‐school activities. Applied Developmental Science, 9, 14 – 30.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSpiegel, A., Evans, E. M., Frazier, B. F., Hazel, A., Tare, M., Gram, W., & Diamond, J. (in press). Changing museum visitors' concepts of evolution. Evolution: Education and Outreach.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSzechter, L. E., & Carey, E. J. ( 2009 ). Gravitating toward science: Parent–child interactions at a gravitational‐wave observatory. Science Education, 93, 846 – 858.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceTenenbaum, H. R., & Callanan, M. A. ( 2008 ). Parents' science talk to their children in Mexican‐descent families residing in the United States. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 32, 1 – 12.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceTenenbaum, H. R., Callanan, M., Alba‐Speyer, C., & Sandoval, L. ( 2002 ). The role of educational background, activity, and past experiences in Mexican‐descent families' science conversations. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 24, 225 – 248.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceValle, A., & Callanan, M. A. ( 2006 ). Similarity comparisons and relational analogies in parent–child conversations about science topics. Merrill‐Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, 52, 96 – 124.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceWellman, H. M. (in press). Reinvigorating explanations for the study of early cognitive development. Child Development Perspectives.en_US
dc.identifier.citedreferenceZimmerman, H. T., Reeve, S., & Bell, P. ( 2009 ). Family sense‐making practices in science center conversations. Science Education, 94, 478 – 505.en_US
dc.owningcollnameInterdisciplinary and Peer-Reviewed


Files in this item

Name:
20433_ftp.pdf
Size:
203.2KB
Format:
PDF
View/Open

Show simple item record

Remediation of Harmful Language

The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.

Accessibility

If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.