College of Education Faculty Member Explores How Parents Support Science Learning at Home

 College of Education Faculty Member Explores How Parents Support Science Learning at Home

Julianne Wenner, an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, has embarked on a pioneering study aimed at exploring how parents support and enhance science learning at home. In an age where the importance of family involvement in education is increasingly recognized, Wenner's research seeks to uncover the various ways in which families contribute to their children’s scientific exploration and learning outside the traditional classroom environment.

Wenner's study takes the form of an innovative survey designed to understand the specific practices and strategies parents employ to foster a love of science in their children. This survey collects valuable data regarding the engagement of families in science education, with the goal of providing insights that can help shape educational practices both at home and in the classroom.

Understanding Parental Engagement in Science Learning

The survey, which was distributed to families in Dorchester School District 4 and the School District of Pickens County, was designed to gather information about how parents incorporate science into their daily routines. Parents who opted to participate answered a series of questions about their involvement in their children’s science education, sharing the different ways they make scientific exploration a part of everyday life.

“The overall purpose is to develop a reliable survey tool that helps schools understand what science learning is already happening at home,” said Wenner. By collecting and analyzing this data, she hopes to provide schools with a deeper understanding of the important role parents play in fostering their children’s scientific curiosity. This data will ultimately allow educators to build upon students' existing knowledge and interests, creating a more holistic and engaging learning experience.

Inspiring Stories from Parents

The survey responses were rich with inspiring stories of parental involvement, revealing a diverse range of activities that families use to foster their children's love for science. Many families have naturally integrated science learning into their daily lives, using creative approaches that make science both fun and accessible.

One parent shared that their child was incredibly passionate about science, engaging in activities such as outdoor gardening, conducting experiments based on educational programs from ETV, and frequently searching for answers to science-related questions on Google. This child’s interest in science even extended to collecting interesting rocks, a hobby that became a beloved family activity, highlighting how science learning can easily be woven into everyday life.

Another parent, a nurse by profession, shared how her background in healthcare naturally led to incorporating science learning at home. Her son, always eager to learn alongside her, became involved in her studies, asking to participate in every step of her work. To nurture his curiosity, the mother regularly purchased at-home chemistry kits, which her son loved and always asked for more of during their trips to Target. The family’s home also featured a study skeleton with internal body parts, providing a hands-on learning experience that allowed mother and son to explore human anatomy together. This story showcases how a parent’s profession and interests can play a significant role in influencing and encouraging a child’s love of science.

Survey Participation and Incentives

The response to the survey was overwhelming, with over 300 families from both Dorchester School District 4 and the School District of Pickens County participating. In order to encourage greater participation and further promote parental involvement in their children’s science learning, Wenner offered a range of incentives for families who completed the survey. These incentives included a prize drawing with 25 $50 gift cards, 15 $100 gift cards, and five iPads to be distributed to lucky participants. Furthermore, schools that achieved a participation rate of at least 20% in the survey were rewarded with $1,000 worth of science supplies for their classrooms.

These incentives helped boost participation rates while also reinforcing the importance of fostering a strong connection between home and school science education. By offering rewards that benefited both the families and the schools, Wenner created an engaging environment that encouraged parents to take an active role in their children's science learning.

Strengthening the Link Between Home and School

The ultimate goal of Wenner's research is to bridge the gap between home and school science education, strengthening the link between the two. By collecting data from families and analyzing how parents support their children's science education at home, Wenner aims to provide schools with actionable insights on how to better support their students’ science learning.

This survey not only demonstrates the importance of parental involvement but also serves as a reminder that learning does not end when the school bell rings. Families are often the first teachers in a child’s life, and by understanding how they contribute to science education, schools can better tailor their curricula to meet students where they are. This could involve creating opportunities for parents to become more involved in classroom activities, offering workshops that teach parents how to integrate science into their daily routines, or providing resources that allow families to explore scientific concepts together at home.

The findings of Wenner’s study will be instrumental in helping educators recognize and value the significant role that parents play in shaping their children’s scientific interests. By leveraging the insights from this research, schools will be able to build strategies that further engage parents in supporting science learning, creating a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to education.

Implications for Future Education

The results of Wenner's research will have broader implications for education, particularly in how we view the role of parents in supporting science learning. Wenner’s study highlights the fact that science education doesn’t only take place in classrooms—it happens everywhere. Whether it’s a child conducting an experiment at home or a parent sharing their professional knowledge, science learning is a collaborative effort that extends beyond the school walls.

In the future, Wenner hopes that her research will lead to more schools adopting strategies to actively involve parents in their children’s education. This could include creating programs that teach parents how to support science learning at home, hosting family science nights that encourage hands-on exploration, or simply fostering a greater dialogue between teachers and parents about how to best support students in their science education journey.

Conclusion

Julianne Wenner’s research into parental involvement in science learning provides valuable insights into the powerful role that families play in shaping their children's education. By using an innovative survey tool to gather data from parents, Wenner has opened the door for more targeted, collaborative approaches to science education that engage both teachers and families. The stories and experiences shared by parents who participated in the survey reflect the many ways in which science can be integrated into everyday life, and they serve as a reminder of the importance of nurturing a child’s curiosity both inside and outside of the classroom. With these insights, Wenner hopes to contribute to a more integrated and supportive educational environment, where science learning thrives both at home and in school.