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Graduation Term

Summer 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Gregory Braswell

Committee Member

Jordan Arellanes

Abstract

Children’s museums are designed to promote children’s interests and curiosity, and to effectively communicate STEAM topics (Avraamidou & Osborne, 2009; Wilson-Lopez & Gregory, 2015). STEAM emphasizes the education of science, technology, engineering, art, and math in early childhood, an adaptation of STEM that emphasizes creative learning, encouraging children to take the lead in their education. I collaborated with a local children’s museum on an outreach program that promoted early STEAM education and parental engagement, as well as confidence in being part of their children’s education. The study consisted of a quantitative survey collection (N = 71) and qualitative interviews (N = 32) to examine the implications of the outreach program in promoting parent-child engagement in STEAM learning. The outreach program found that its ability to encourage children's creativity and social communication skills promoted greater confidence in parents to engage with their children, particularly in STEAM, which in turn encouraged further engagement. The museum was found to be positively perceived by parents as an essential resource in their ability to educate their children on STEAM, with outreach activities providing them the opportunity to provide learning within the home.

Access Type

Thesis-ISU Access Only

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD.1763755358.673668

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Available for download on Friday, September 10, 2027

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