“Disorienting, fun or meaningful?”: looking beyond the boundaries of the museum

Abstract

A growing body of research highlights how informal science learning environments (ISLE’s) can alter modes of participation in science for youth who are traditionally marginalized in science (Calabrese Barton and Tan in J Learn Sci 19(2):187–229, 2010). While these findings reveal successful examples of ISLE’s potential to bridge science and everyday life in powerful ways for traditionally marginalized youth, questions remain regarding the equitable access to designed learning environments such as museums for youth and families from these same communities (Feinstein and Meshoulam in J Res Sci Teach 51(3):368–394, 2014). In their article, Archer, Dawson, Seakins and Wong aptly attend to equity issues in designed ISLE’s and the notion of altering participation for youth and families from traditionally marginalized communities. In this response, I extend the conversation beyond the boundaries of the museum by (1) looking deeper into the issue of access and accessibility by discussing the collective experiences of marginalized youth across contexts and its impact on science participation and (2) arguing that altering participation requires transforming conceptions of learning and doing science that are often employed when designing and analyzing learning experiences for youth from traditionally marginalized communities.