The Six Strands of Science Learning:
Connecting to research on learning science in informal settings
a NYS 4-H STEM article in the “Synthesizing Science” series by Nancy Schaff
In 2009, I attended a talk that Professor Bruce Lewenstein (Cornell Department of
Communication) presented on campus where I was introduced to the “Six Strands of Science
Learning.” Dr. Lewenstein is a widely-known authority on public communication of science and technology – how science and technology are reported to the public and how the public understands controversial scientific issues and "emerging technologies.” He co-chaired the
National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments. In
2009, the committee published a report 1 by the same name. This is a significant report that 4-
H Educators should be aware of, as we are planning programs, identifying desired outcomes for
STEM programs, and seeking external funding.
Informal? Non-formal?
If you are new to 4-H, you may be unfamiliar with the distinction between informal and nonformal education. In the case of federal funding, there is generally no distinction and 4-H would fall into the “informal education” category. However, it is useful to understand the distinction, as it clarifies different outcomes that could be expected. ‘Informal’ refers to learning that has less structure or direction, and is generally short-term (e.g., visiting museums or science centers). Programs like 4-H Youth Development (4-H) or Scouts fall into the ‘nonformal’ category. Non-formal youth programs are more systematic and intentional, have adult guidance, and are generally ongoing over a period of time. In either case, learning outside of school generally involves what is sometimes called “free-choice” learning, giving the learner more control over learning based on his or her interests.
In the NRC study, the committee members focused on place, or the settings where learning takes place. They looked at all types of settings beyond the “schoolhouse door,” such as the home, museums, nature centers, recreation settings, clubs, afterschool programs, community organizations, and citizen science projects. The report does not distinguish between nonformal and informal programs, but we can think of 4-H as a non-formal program that operates in informal settings.
The Six Strands of Learning Science
The NRC report emphasizes the importance of defining appropriate outcomes and identifying good measures to understand whether, how, or when learning occurs. The ‘six strands of learning’ framework is presented to define appropriate outcomes for science learning. The authors came to the conclusion that traditional academic achievement outcomes are too limited for informal learning. Rather than identifying purely academic goals or purely socialemotional goals, they chose to combine a variety of specialized science learning goals used in research and practice. Two ways that traditional academic achievement outcomes fail to reflect the defining characteristics of informal environments are identified: (1) they do not
1 National Research Council. Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2009. In print and online. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12190

encompass the range of capabilities that informal settings can promote, and (2) they violate critical assumptions about informal settings, such as their focus on leisure-based or voluntary experiences and non-standardized curriculum. This conclusion supports the wide range of criteria included for ‘Science Ready’ 4-H projects and the range of desired outcomes for STEM projects, including fostering positive youth development.
The Six Strands of Learning
Science learners in informal environments:
 Strand 1: Experience excitement, interest, and motivation to learn about phenomena in the natural and physical world.
 Strand 2: Come to generate, understand, remember, and use concepts, explanations, arguments, models, and facts related to science.
 Strand 3: Manipulate, test, explore, predict, question, observe, and make sense of the natural and physical world.
 Strand 4: Reflect on science as a way of knowing; on processes, concepts, and institutions of science; and on their own process of learning about phenomena.
 Strand 5: Participate in scientific activities and learning practices with others, using scientific language and tools.
 Strand 6: Think about themselves as science learners and develop an identity as someone who knows about, uses, and sometimes contributes to science.
The six-strand model evolved from a four-strand model presented in the NRC report Taking
Science to School.
2 By building on that model the researchers underscored an assertion that the goals of school and informal science providers overlap and complement each other. The two new strands that were added to make a six-strand model (numbers 1 and 6) are
prominent and of special value in informal learning environments. While high quality 4-H
STEM projects have the potential to have an impact on any of the six outcomes, strands 1 and 6 were added specifically to reflect outcomes in informal settings, highlighting the critical and complementary contributions that can be made by 4-H to science learning. Strands 1 and 6 align with significant outcomes for 4-H STEM projects – increased interest and the development of a science identity, which both are prerequisites to pursuit of STEM careers.
3
The NRC report and other research 4 present compelling evidence that the critical ages at which youth attitudes toward science can be influenced align with peak ages in 4-H (ages 8-13).
2 National Research Council. (2007). Taking science to school: Learning and teaching science in grades K-8.
Committee on Science Learning, K-8. R.A. Duschl, H.A. Schweinbruber, and A.W. Shouse (Eds.). Washington
DC: The National Academies Press.
3 For more on science identity and how interest often does not lead to career aspirations, see: L. Archer, J.
DeWitt , J. Osborne, J. Dillon, B. Willis, B. Wong (2010). “Doing” science versus “being” a scientist: Examining
10/11-year-old schoolchildren's constructions of science through the lens of identity. Science Education, 94 (4),
617-639.
4 C. Sneider (2011). Reversing the swing from science: Inspirations from a century of research. ITEST Convening on Advancing Research on Youth Motivation in STEM. http://www.noycefdn.org/documents/Sneider-The%20Swing%20from%20Science.pdf

The Strands are broken down more finely than the outcomes we generally articulate in 4-H, but they describe a common goal – scientifically literate youth who are more likely to pursue STEM careers and use STEM concepts in everyday life as citizens.
“There is mounting evidence that structured, non-school science programs can feed or stimulate the science-specific interests of adults and children, may positively influence academic
achievements for students, and may expand participants’ sense of future science career options”
(NRC, Learning Science in Informal Environments, p. 2).
High quality ‘Science Ready’ 4-H STEM projects meet the following criteria:
 Align with National Science Education Standards (content and/or process)
 Provide opportunities to improve STEM abilities (process skills)
 Incorporate the essential elements of Positive Youth Development
 Are led by trained, caring, adult staff and volunteers who operate from a perspective that youth are partners and resources in their own development
 Are led using an experiential approach to learning
 Use inquiry to foster natural creativity and curiosity
 Target one or more outcomes on the national 4-H Science Logic Model and consider frequency and duration necessary for youth to accomplish those outcomes
5
as someone who learns and uses science
I would be interested in your thoughts on ways we could utilize the Six Strands of Science
Learning in our efforts to plan for and document outcomes. Is the framework a useful tool for
4-H STEM projects? Can you think of ways you could use the NRC report in program planning, grant proposals, and reports? Can we translate this research into our practice?
5 Abbreviated list from Powerpoint presentation presented at Cornell University, 30 April 2009 by Bruce
Lewenstein. http://www.cornell.edu/outreach/docs/informal-science-learning.pdf