ABSTRACT
Since many school groups that visit museums, zoos, and other informal science learning centers are usually there for only a short time, it is important to maximize the benefits of that learning experience. Many research studies suggest that precuing students (exposing them to carefully designed curricular materials before a learning experience) can be an effective instructional strategy for acquiring new knowledge (Novak, 1976, 1977; Ausubel, 1960; Koran and Baker, 1979; Koran and Koran, 1973; Kuhn and Novak, 1970; Barnes and Clawson, 1975; Pizzini and Gross, 1978). Three recent studies by University of Minnesota staff and students on precuing, involved a museum visit, a zoo field trip, and a field trip to an arboretum. This paper reviews these studies and offers recommendations for the development of precuing materials.
