Project specification
By Anne Kahr-Højland, DREAM (University of Southern
Denmark) & Experimentarium, june 2006
Email: akh@dream.dk
Supervisor:
Prof. Kirsten Drotner, University
of Southern Denmark, co-supervisor: Carsten Jessen, Danish
University of Education
Designing and
implementing a mobile-facilitated interactive narrative in a semi-formal
learning setting.
A
study of young people’s experiences and reflections in a scientific context.
In Denmark,
a reform of the upper secondary high school in 2005 has been contributing
factor in an increased focus on educational methods and alternative learning
resources. Simultaneously the necessity of an exhaustive educational action
within the scientific field has been stressed by a dramatic diminishing custom
as regards scientific educations.
Concurrent
with the efforts with in the Danish Upper Secondary High Schools one finds an
increasing interest for the educational potential existing outside the formal
school setting, e.g. in museums and science centres. Those more in-formal -
subsequently named semi-formal – learning settings represent an emerging field,
until this point only sporadically investigated.
Through
design, use and evaluation of a mobile phone facilitated learning resource at
the science centre Experimentarium this project contributes to the emerging
field of research within learning in semi-formal learning settings.
The
learning resource which may be characterised as a virtual add-on to the
Experimentarium by way of an interactive narrative has the provisional title The Personal Exhibition.
Purpose and research
questions
The project
has as its main purpose to investigate, demonstrate and evaluate learning
processes taking place in semi-formal learning settings aiming at an outlining of
how these learning processes may be converted to scientific literacy. In this
connection I seek to answer the question of how
to design and use an interactive narrative in a semi-formal learning setting
with the aim of urging young people’s scientific interest and activate their
scientific literacy.
To
satisfy this requirement the project seeks to describe the context-based ‘decision makings’ brought into play by
The Personal Exhibition at the Experimentarium. This will be used as a foundation
for a development of a theory concerning
this sparsely described learning context. Finally I will formulate some general piece of advice and guidelines for the development and use
of learning resources within museums and other kinds of semi-formal learning
settings.
Theory
The
project combines a both user oriented and media technology oriented approach to
learning resources in semi-formal learning settings. The theoretical
background, constituting the foundational basis of first iteration of The Personal
Exhibition, thus positions itself within the cross field of the theoretical
traditions media literacy, information literacy and science literacy (Buckingham 2003; Marshall, Scheppler et al. 2003).
A new learning
resource, a new field of research
The
development of The Personal Exhibition represents a new type of learning
resource which is being developed in a relatively unexplored learning
environment. The exhibition combines genre characteristics from computer games and role play with museum learning in what I call augmented reality with an educational aim.
The use of the mobile phone as a tool for learning in this virtual extension of
Experimentarium is an attempt of minimising the distance between the user and
the information provided: thus, the visitors’ familiarity with the mobile is
utilized by using it as a transparent
medium (Ihde 1990), just as the mobile’s ability of
controlling and organizing the sequence of the interactive narrative is
utilized (Norman 1989; Dourish
2001).
This use
of mobile phones in museums and learning contexts is new. In, among others,
England, the US and Australia the use of PDA’s in exhibitions and as a tool for
learning is being explored these years (Millar and Osborne 1999; Bolter and MacIntyre 2005; Klopfer and
Squire 2005; West 2005). I am not aware of any research
result concerning the mobile phone as a technical platform for learning in
museums. Thus, due to the combined focus on young, media (mobile phones) and informal
learning processes maintained in this project, the project represents a new field of research,
empirically drawing on two different research fields each characterised by
being relatively new, namely, research in game
based learning (Gee 2003; Salen
and Zimmerman 2003; Magnussen and Jessen
2006) and museum
learning (Adams, Falk et al. 2003){Anderson, 2003 #252.
By means
of this project I seek to develop a theory which describes this special kind of
augmented reality with an educational aim
as a learning resource being peculiar in the duality which – according to Carey
– is characterizing all media. This means that the learning resource is being
described and analysed both as a technological artefact and as a meaning-making
medium {Carey, 1989 #285}.
Learning Theory
The
theoretical development will find its basis in the discussion of theories
concerning learning in different contexts – among others, ‘traditional’ museum
learning (Hein 1995; Hooper-Greenhill 1999; Griffith
2003), learning in informal contexts (Ansbacher 2002;
Anderson, Lucas et al. 2003), play and learning (Csikszentmihalyi 1997) including a discussion of the
concept of interactivity (Jensen 1998; Ryan 2001; Valeur
2004) and game based learning (Egenfeldt-Nielsen
and Smith 2004; Henriksen 2005).
The
design process will consider partly the cognitive aspects of the learning
process – among others through the use of the narrative as a structure (Mandler 1984) – partly socio cultural learning
processes, among others by structuring the sequence in a way that makes the
visitors meet each other during the exhibition. This will make the establishment
of learning communities – both between two users and user and exhibit –
possible (Jessen 1998; Säljö 2003; Wenger 2004). Thus, the exhibition is designed
on the basis of a learning approach which lies in continuation of Jerome Bruner’s
integration of the cognitive and the social/cultural aspects of the human
process of learning (Bruner 1986; Bruner 1990; Bruner 1996). This approach to learning is
integrated with the learning situation maintained at the Experimentarium – a
learning situation having interactivity
at the core.
The
project thus gathers the three aspects: interactivity,
cognition and socio cultural learning theory in one learning perspective
supported by the philosophical and educational work of John Dewey suggesting
that thinking is a product of both cognitive processes and physical actions
/experiments (Dewey 1933; Dewey 1938). Dewey – similar to Bruner - at
the same time underlines the significance of reflection with reference to
learning (Bruner 1996).
In this
project I will use Dewey’s phases of reflection as launch pad; partly by
integrating hypothesis production – designated by Dewey as an important step in
human thinking – in the exhibition, partly by looking at actions and speech as an
expression of human reflection (Dewey 1933; Wahlgren,
Høyrup et al. 2002). Similarly, I will investigate
how the mobile as a medium (Carey 1989) affects the production of
hypothesises carried out by the young visitors in relation to their
interactions with the exhibition.
The
approach to learning held in this project has as its starting point the
presumption that the act of playing is
conducive for learning – if the act
of playing is followed up by reflective processes. Motivation, playing and
engagement are all necessary factors for the process of learning (Csikszentmihalyi 1997; Jones 1998) but if enduring learning is the
objective, a level of reflection, offering each individual the possibility of
negotiating new knowledge, will be required (Karnezis 1987;
Bruner 1990; Wahlgren, Høyrup
et al. 2002; Martin and Toon 2005).
The
project also has as a significant working hypothesis that the narrative will function as an advantageous means of presentation in
the non-structured exhibition concept maintained at the Experimentarium.
Narratives are easy to decode (Turner 1996), they create a meaningful
structure and establish a framework of interpretation which is conducive for
reflection (Labov and Waletsky 1967 (1997)) (Roberts 1993; Turner 1996; Bruner 2004) (Martin and Toon
2005).
Scientific literacy
The
Personal Exhibition represents a new learning resource in a new field of
research. The educational aim does not consist in training certain skills of
the user, rather, the intention is to examine how the narrative, interactivity
and new media (‘digital experience’
cf. (Booth and Flanagan 2005)) may bring certain scientific
competences into play within young people.
The
definition of scientific competence is intensively discussed these years (Marshall, Scheppler
et al. 2003; Trefil 2003; Dolin 2006). The project seeks to define
scientific literacy as an extended concept of competences integrating
communicative aspects as elements from the theoretical traditions information literacy and media literacy will be seen as integrational parts of science
literacy. In this connection I will introduce the concept of digital experience which seeks to
integrate interactivity, new media and narrative. I bring this concept into play as a tool for
investigating the kind of learning that is required in an updated concept of science literacy.
The
definition of scientific competences stated by the Danish Ministry of Education
will be used as a starting point for the development of the Personal
Exhibition. This definition, which values the importance to the scientific
method highly, is founding the basis of the development of the basic training course in science, a newly
introduced subject in Danish Upper Secondary High Schools.
The Danish
Ministry of Education defines scientific competence as:
“Knowing,
understanding, practising and being able to take a critical view of nature,
scientific professional standards, science and technology in a variety of
relations in which these may enter into” (The Danish Ministry of Education 2004
(my translation)).
Besides,
the Ministry of Education distinguishes between four scientific sub-competences
namely empiric, representation, modelling
and ‘putting into perspective’
competences.
In the
process of designing The Personal Exhibition as a learning resource I primarily
focus on the ability of the exhibition to put the sub-competences 2, 3 and 4
into play (representation, modelling and ‘putting into perspective’), in this relation my focus will be on
how the exhibition through different interactive representations urges the
students to set up and verify hypothesises also their ability to reflect
critically upon the scientific information provided (Jewitt, Kress et
al. 2001; Dolin 2006).
Empirical research
The
empirical part of this project encompasses conceptual development and design of
The Personal Exhibition also the following implementation and evaluation of the
exhibition.
Conceptual development
and design
The
conceptual development has as its starting point a critical approach to the
present learning situation, regarding learning and playing as sizes of equivalence,
held at the Experimentarium.
In The
Personal Exhibition a semi-firm structure is added to the exhibition at the
Experimentarium, as the audience will be guided through the exhibition by means
of speak in their private mobile phones.
The
exhibition consists in three progressive levels. At the first level the
visitor’s own characteristics and abilities are tested by which a profile of
the visitor is generated; at the second level the visitor is urged to cooperate
with another visitor in the exhibition. Finally, at the third level the visitor
is confronted with who is really behind the voice providing all of the
information in The Personal Exhibition.
The interactive
narrative, which together with the mobile phones constitute an augmented
reality at the Experimentarium is being developed in a way that it:
-
provides
for both boys and girls
-
appeals
– both thematically and as regards the
style – to first graders students from Upper Secondary
High School
-
links
up – both thematically and as regards the style – with the scientific,
explorative setting maintained at The Experimentarium
-
encourages
to put up and testify hypothesis
-
urges
meetings between the visitors
-
stimulates
critical reflection
The
empirical part involves reflections concerning the concrete choices conducted
within the design process. This is done in order to compare the motives behind
the design with my later evaluations and the following re-designs. In support
of the analyses I involve summaries of design-group meetings and a homepage (www.experimentarium.dk/personlig_udstilling) established in
relation to the developmental process and confined the communication between
all participants in the design-process – e.g. the Experimentarium, Michael Valeur, UnWire and my self (cj. below).
Implementation and
evaluation of the exhibition
As soon
as the first iteration of the exhibition is ready I will use three 1.grade classes
in the subject “Scientific basic training course” to test it. The students will
not be introduced to the content of the exhibition on beforehand, but I will
observe the students in class just before the visit at the Experimentarium.
This will be done with reference to choose students for video-recordings. While
the students walk through the exhibition (duration approx. one hour) I will observe the students’ interactions with
the exhibits and with other students, I will record their conversations and also record chosen students on video-tape. In order to triangulate my
data I will make an interview with the
students who have been video-recorded just after their visit in the exhibition.
The aim is to get data about the students’ experiences and reflective processes
in the exhibition.
The visit
in the exhibition will be followed up by visit at school where I, firstly, will
make focus group interviews with the
whole of the class. Secondly, I will observe
the teaching in science with the aim of analysing the general discourse of the
class room and relate it to my data form The Personal Exhibition.
The
project has an explorative approach at the core; I involve observation, semi-structured
single-interviews and focus group interviews, as these techniques each may draw
attention to different kinds of context-based processes of meaning-making
happening in the exhibition.
After
this I analyze my data with the aim of identifying the scientific competences
of the students, such as their reflective
processes, their ability of ‘putting
into perspective’ and representation
competences and their interest in science as it is expressed through their speech
and actions.
Cooperating partners
The
participants in the project counts – besides the Experimentarium and me – Michael
Valeur (creative consultant and scriptwriter) and UnWire (technical consultant).
The
Experimentarium is responsible for the development of The Personal Exhibition
on the basis of my theoretical specifications. The completed exhibition will be
part of the permanent exhibition at the Experimentarium. Michael Valeur is the script writer, hired to write the narrative.
The script is worked out in close co-operation with the Experimentarium and me.
UnWire delivers the technical solutions by way of
mobile stands for the establishment of a mobile internet and Bluetooth also the
server that controls the whole of the exhibition at the Experimentarium
Methods
In this
project I use qualitative research methods in order to investigate the users’
learning processes seen from a constructivistic
perspective. The project is based on a systematically investigation of my
design and the visitors’ use of an interactive representational form in a
semi-formal learning setting.
Methodologically
the project combines a design-perspective with a user-oriented analysis
perspective. In the design phase I will draw on Design-Based Research (Baumgartner 2003), where-as the analysis will find
its basis in Mediated Discourse Analysis (Norris 2004; Scollon
2004). My planning of analysing both users and
media I draw on a heuristic model for planning media ethnographic research
suggested by (Drotner 2003)
Design-Based Research
Design-Based
Research (DBR) is a relatively new method of research developed by and for
researchers in learning (Baumgartner 2003). The method is being peculiar in
that it assigns importance to the three elements intervention, participation
and theory: intervention consists in
making focused changes in an already existing learning setting, participation
lies in the fact that the researcher co-operates with practicians,
and, finally, the method is theoretical
due to a theory-driven design and intervention process. Besides the method is
generating theory based on the studies of the learning setting in which the
innovation is carried out.
Thus,
the active participation of the researcher in the developmental processes is an
important aspect of DBR.
User orientated
analysis – MDA
In the
analysis of my empiric generated data I will focus partly on the user’s interest in science, partly on the competences that are brought into play
in the exhibition. Through an explorative process I will seek to find patterns
in my data which will be used as a basis for outlining analytical chategories. This will be done on the basis of discourse
analysis and Mediated Discourse Analysis (MDA) (Scollon 2001;
Norris, Guilbert et al. 2004; Scollon
2004) as I regard the actions of the visitors as
a reflection of their reflective processes.
I am
triangulating my theoretical considerations and working hypothesises in
relation to the data collected, thus, on this basis I seek to motivate
adjustments in terms of design and education. The aim is to generalise my
qualitative data in a way that I can compare the results form my investigations
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