Date of Award

4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Levell, Samantha

Area of Concentration

Animal Wellbeing and Conservation

Abstract

Informal science institutions such as aquariums play a critical role in shaping students’ engagement with and understanding of scientific concepts, particularly outside traditional classroom settings. This study addresses a gap in existing research by examining curriculum design rather than solely student outcomes, focusing on middle school programs at Mote Marine Aquarium. A theory-aligned rubric grounded in the Four-Phased Model of Interest Development, intrinsic motivation, three-dimensional learning, and the Contextual Model of Learning was developed and applied to evaluate three lessons: Marine Ecology, Ocean Technology, and Marine Biomedical. The analysis assessed inquiry-based learning, real-world connections, reflection, collaboration, and support for interest progression. Findings indicate that the curricula strongly promote engagement, creativity, and active participation through hands-on, authentic scientific experiences. However, opportunities for structured reflection, personal relevance, and student-directed inquiry were limited, constraining deeper conceptual understanding and sustained interest development. These results suggest that while experiential learning is a key strength of informal science education, maximizing long-term impact requires intentional integration of reflection, personal connection, and open-ended inquiry, offering a practical framework for improving curriculum design in informal STEM environments.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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