Learning science the fun and creative way: coding, making, and play as vehicles for informal science learning in the 21st century

Acronym

CoM_n_Play-Science

Description of the granted funding

The CoM’n’Play-Science project aims to help Europe better understand the new ways in which informal science learning is taking place through various coding, making, and play activities that young Europeans are nowadays increasingly engaged with outside school and higher education science classrooms, beyond the formal boundaries of science education. The project investigates a wide range of loci and modes of this kind of informal science learning, including: a) learning occurring in the context of such activities intentionally organized to achieve informal science learning; b) informal science learning that occurs as a by-product of youngsters’ various coding, making, and play activities that are not intentionally meant for science learning, and which may take place either in organized contexts or independently in everyday life. Carefully positioning the research within the context of the overarching contemporary discourses on STEM/STEAM education, RRI, and science capital, the proposed project aims to shed light on the nature and impact of the informal science learning gained through coding, making and play activities. It identifies diverse practices and looks deeper into a sample of them, whereby participants of real-life activities are surveyed, observed, and gamefully engaged in intensive research. The project further explores the impact of this this kind of informal science learning on: a) formal science education and more traditional informal science learning interventions; and b) scientific citizenship, investigating in particular the attitudes, values and dispositions that young people as learners and as citizens may develop through such activities towards science, scientists, and science-related information in everyday life. The project enables the exploitation of its research findings by developing relevant guidance for practitioners and recommendations for policy making and further research, and through an overall extrovert project approach.
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Starting year

2018

End year

2021

Granted funding

256 250 €
Participant
DESIGN FOR CHANGE ESPANA (ES)
172 500 €
Participant
THE BOARD TRUSTEES OF THE SCIENCE MUSEUM (UK)
242 500 €
Participant
OVOS MEDIA GMBH (AT)
242 000 €
Participant
UNIVERSITA TA MALTA (MT)
242 500 €
Participant
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN (NL)
283 750 €
Participant
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN (DE)
306 550 €
Participant
NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU (NO)
486 665 €
Coordinator
KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (UK)
276 250 €
Participant
UPPSALA UNIVERSITET (SE)
347 500 €
Participant
IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS (EL)
241 250 €
Participant

Amount granted

3 097 715 €

Funder

European Union

Funding instrument

Research and Innovation action

Framework programme

Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

Call

Programme part
Encourage citizens to engage in science through formal and informal science education, and promote the diffusion of science-based activities, namely in science centres and through other appropriate channels (5472)
Topic
Science education outside the classroom (SwafS-11-2017)
Call ID
H2020-SwafS-2017-1

Other information

Funding decision number

787476

Identified topics

education