Researchers: Paula Kenny (PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation)

Research Summary: The Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation operates seven sites across PEI that have the potential to be great resources for schools in the province. This research proposes that the Museum can support the Social Studies curriculum at a number of different grade levels. Furthermore, the integration of components related to actual artifacts would greatly enrich the delivery of material to the students, increasing their engagement and helping them to attain targeted outcomes. The hypothesis is that the integration of museum visits into the social studies curriculum will positively affect student outcomes. The research proposes to demonstrate that the inclusion of material culture artifacts improves students' learning outcomes compared to those students who do not have the occasion to interact with actual artifacts and/or visit museum sites.

Although there is anecdotal evidence to support the premise of this proposal, the consultations and field work planned for this project would provide a more rigorous study of the topic and make data available for study by interested parties. Some of those who might be interested in these results are the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Museum, teachers in other jurisdictions, and educators in other cultural institutions. The project has potential to provide insights into other curricula such as art and science. Both of these subjects would lend themselves to similar enrichment. The establishment of positive relationships between better outcomes and the integration of material culture artifacts would encourage key stakeholders to promote this activity. Both the Museum and the Department, as key stakeholders, could be encouraged to pursue  these visits. Many teachers already attempt to undertake this type of program without the benefit of formalized integration.

This research could stand as a pilot for future application of the proposed method of integrating artifacts into the social studies curriculum. The study will be centred on the local school system permitting immediate application of the information. The integration of the museum component will be in the context of the PEI school system, eliminating the need to pilot the application of off-shore findings.

Consultations with staff at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development would be in the form of key informant interviews. Teachers would also be consulted through a forum and interviews, and possibly as an expert panel. A more extensive literature review would be completed and used to inform the proposed field work.

The main component of the study is the introduction of a museum visit for a sample of the student population. Approximately six teachers at the intermediate level, who teach the same material to more than one class, will be invited to take part in the study. The fact that they have multiple classes will allow for a control group of a significant size. Seven or eight classes should provide a sample of 200 students. The subject material will be presented by the teacher in the normal manner with the addition of a pre-visit activity by the teacher for the sample group to prepare them for the visit. The museum visit will present the historical items in the context of the curriculum and in their cultural context. The assessment, conducted in the classroom, will use the same instrument for the sample and the control groups.