Science Museums and their Relationship to the Use of Scientific Reasoning Skills: A Systematic Review

Abstract

A broad consensus in the literature shows the importance of museums as informal learning environments, because they promote inquiry, exploration, scientific curiosity, the acquisition of knowledge and the development of scientific reasoning skills through social interactions. This systematic review aims to analyze how the methodological characteristics reported in studies conducted in science museums demand the use of scientific reasoning skills in school-aged children. The literature search was conducted in EBSCO and Web of Science (WOS) with published articles between 2013 and 2023 and was focused on empirical studies. As a result, it was identified that: (1) methodologically, the studies tend to use both qualitative and quantitative approaches, with limited use of mixed approaches. In addition, a varied use of research designs is reported (e.g. experimental, descriptive, observational and correlational); (2) Not all studies were carried out with the own resources of the science museum (exhibits), but rather, with situations designed and introduced to the museum by the researchers to address specific purposes (3) the main reasoning skills that science museum studies demanded in school-aged children were: causal explanations, predictions, inferences, cognitive planning and evaluation of evidence; and (4) the main theoretical approaches on which science museum studies are based were: cognitive development, learning processes and instructional processes.