Evaluating Information-Based vs. Modeling Media Parental Support on Parent-Child Interactions During a Preschool Engineering Activity
This evaluation investigates how different types of media resources (informational vs. modeling of a parent-child play interaction) affect the types and frequency of questions parents and children ask during a play-based informal learning engineering activity. This evaluation project is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Children’s Museum Houston and the Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth. Participants included families with children ages 2 to 5, recruited through Children’s Museum Houston, where the evaluation took place in a naturalistic play setting designed to observe parent-child interactions during hands-on engineering activities. Evaluation findings suggest valuable implications for developing museum resources that cater to the needs of younger preschoolers, as integrating museum-based, play-focused learning environments with research expertise strengthens early childhood informal learning and family engagement.
Team Members:
- Dana DeMaster, Author, Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston
- Tricia A. Zucker, Author, Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston
- Michael Mesa, Author, Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston
- Valerie Bambha, Author, Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston
- Tiffany Espinosa, Author, Children’s Museum Houston
- Gisela Trevino, Author, Children’s Museum Houston
- Cheryl McCallum, Author, Children’s Museum Houston
CLI Faculty:
Tricia Zucker, Ph.D., Dana DeMaster, Ph.D., Michael P. Mesa, PhDPrincipal Investigator:
Dana DeMaster, Ph.D.Participating Sites:
Data collection took place at the Children’s Museum Houston, where museum visitors with children aged 2-5 years were invited to participate.
Results:
These findings are preliminary due to the small sample size within each age group but suggest that families with children as young as toddlers can be supported to explore engineering concepts. Co-viewing a model of a parent and child playing together appears helpful to supporting conversations.
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