The process of teachers' planning and implementation of school visits to science and technology museums

Research about informal science education focusing on teachers’ planning and participation in school museum visits is still far from being saturated. Many studies have examined the elements of effective visits at informal education settings, from a teacher&s;s perspective. It has been found that teachers’ goals for the visit are often poorly defined and lead to diminished learning experiences. Issues such as pre and post visit activities, the integration of respective visits with the classroom curriculum, and the implementation of learner-centred, inquiry-based approaches which enhance the sociocultural context of these activities are hardly found among most teachers&s;choices. The research agenda of this dissertation comprises teachers&s;perceptions of informal science education reflected in their expectations, aims and evaluation of school visits to science and technology museums, the mode of their planning respective visits regarding teachers and pupils’ roles and the content and outcome of related activities.