Abstract:

Nowadays we see an increase in science communication activities, but not the same trend on the assessment of those activities.

Since its inception, the Porto Planetarium - Ciência Viva Center (PP-CCV) aims to interconnect science communication activities, with science education (for primary and secondary schools). However, a 2016 analysis revealed that, even though the science communication component was well developed, the educational one was lacking. Therefore, the PP-CCV conceived, developed and implemented a new educational strategy. In this work we present one component of the assessment of that strategy.

For that purpose, we used a questionnaire and several participant observations and interviews. The focus of this work is the questionnaire which was based on one from Ciência Viva (the Portuguese Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture), to which we added items strongly related to PP-CCV specific activity. A first version of the questionnaire was analysed by an expert and then used to conduct a pilot study, for instrument validation. The questionnaire was hosted on an online platform and sent, after each school visit, to all the teachers that accompanied their students. We obtained 270 answers to the questionnaire. An analysis framework with categories was produced for the open-ended questions, from which the content analysis was made. A statistical analysis was made for the close-ended questions.

The results show that 80.7% of the teachers were happy about the way they were welcomed and 85.2% were happy about the way they were accompanied throughout the activities. The most appreciated was the planetarium shows, but the hands-on laboratories, which complement these shows, were also highlighted. Both activities were considered assets for teachers’ classes, with the hands-on laboratories graded with an average of 4.4 and the immersive show with 4.7 (in a 1 to 5 scale). Those activities were also seen as well framed in the syllabus, rating the exact same 4.2 on average. Therefore, 97.4% teachers state that they would return to PP-CCV, with their students and 72.2%, with their families.

The most positive aspects of the planetarium shows were the visual component, its framework in the syllabus, the interactivity with the students and the performance of the science communicators. Most visitors (71.4%) thought there were no negative aspects in the shows: the only thing pointed out was that PP-CCV should consider a longer duration for it (8.9%). Teachers more frequently (42.9%) mentioned, as the most positive aspect of the hands-on laboratories, the possibility for students to carry out experiments by themselves. The performance of the science communicators was also praised (22.9%). More frequently (48.4%) visitors stated that the laboratory activity had no negative aspects. The most frequent negative aspect mentioned was the high number of students per group (12.9%).

These results revealed how we can, effectively, connect science education and science communication, using outreach structures already established in research units. For that, it is necessary for those institutions to understand the school curricula in depth, to design their activities with it in mind. That will be the foundation for us to build upon: i) what students should know, to what is scientifically relevant to them to know; ii) from science education to science communication - from the curricula to the most up-to-date scientific knowledge and processes.

Keywords:

Science education, Science communication, Planetarium, Hands-on activities, Astronomy.