This report was requested by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA), Office of Education in July 2009 to evaluate the Informal Education Program. The goals of the evaluation were twofold: (1) to gain insight into its investment in informal education; and (2) to clarify existing distinctions between its informal education…

As part of a pilot program, the researchers sought to develop an instrument that would effectively measure the nature awareness of students. With this information, the researchers correlated nature awareness scores and science averages. According to Salomon and Perkins' theory of transfer, experiences in one situation can influence experiences in…

This study was an exploration on the various issues related to recognition, accreditation and validation of non-formal and informal learning to open up avenues for lifelong learning and continuing education in Nepal. The perceptions, experiences, and opinions of Nepalese Development Activists, Educational Administrators, Policy Actors and…

Plants are essential to life on Earth and yet are often deemed invisible by the human populace. Botanic gardens are an under-researched educational context and, as such, have occupied a peripheral arena in biology education discussions. This article seeks to readdress this absence and present the case for a more sustained use of informal learning…

Recent research suggests that there is a general lack of a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) presence in teacher preparation programs. There is also evidence that teachers obtain a majority of their CALL knowledge from informal sources and personal experience rather than through formalized preparation. Further, graduates of these programs…

Following up on an earlier national survey study of Canadian teachers' formal and informal learning, this study had 13 Ontario secondary teachers keep detailed logs of their day and evening activities, along with notations about what they may have learned as a result of engaging in each activity, for 7 consecutive days in late 1999, and again in…

Informal science programs play an important role in reinforcing the fact that science and mathematics are not difficult to master. This report is based on a survey of informal science programs supported by the National Science Foundation and exemplary programs in science and mathematics supported by the U.S. Department of Education. The survey…

In 1992, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) launched a 3-year project titled Natural Resources for Equity in Science: Connecting Museums and Community Groups, also known as Project MOSAIC (Museums Offering Science Assistance in the Community). This manual and accompanying video, designed by Project MOSAIC, covers…

This guide was prepared as a tool useful for informal education venues (4-H, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.), science clubs and related programs, and can be adopted for formal education settings. An exciting and productive study in rocket science can be implemented using the selected activities for the above-mentioned…

This report summarizes priorities that Ontario teachers assigned to different professional learning activities and the extent to which they had participated in professional learning. Information came from a mailed survey of 599 teachers, randomly selected across the province, in 1999. Teachers read a list of 13 learning activities and rated them…

In 1998, as part of a larger national study examining informal learning practices across the general population, Canadian elementary and secondary teachers were surveyed regarding their practices and attitudes related to their own ongoing learning. The 753 respondents described any informal learning experiences in the past year within their…

This guide focuses on appropriate techniques for the evaluation of electronic media educational programs. Such evaluation helps to provide the educator with the feedback that is missing whenever there is no direct contact with students, and also with information on the relative worth of an educational program. The four-part publication includes:…

One of two reports on the 1985 Home Information Technology Study (HITS), a national survey conducted to provide insights into the role played by educational technologies in out-of-school learning, this volume provides current estimates of the availability and accessibility of information technologies and related program materials in American…

One of two reports on the 1985 Home Information Technology Study (HITS), a national survey conducted to provide insights into the role played by educational technologies in out-of-school learning, this volume provides current national estimates of the nature and extent of non-school learning by children, adolescents, and adults, and examines the…

A study explored how adults felt their 4-H experience contributed to their selection of advanced education and/or a career and helped them with leadership skills in their occupations or community activities. To obtain data, a questionnaire was mailed to former 4-H members aged 25 to 35 in northeast Nebraska; 318 questionnaires were returned.…