ABSTRACT
Children spend an increasing amount of time in informal learning environments such as
museums, but there has been little research on how those experiences contribute to their
social and cognitive development. We consider several areas for future research that have
potential for informing parents and educators about the dynamics of experiential learning
including object-centered learning, inquiry-guided learning, aesthetics and artistic
appreciation, and learning to use technology. The cumulative experiences in these novel
and motivating contexts may shape children’s thinking, values, aspirations, group
membership, and identities throughout their lives. Studies of children in informal learning
environments can complement traditional research on children in homes and schools and
provide a broader variety of everyday contexts to examine motivation, socialization, and
reasoning. Research on children in these diverse contexts represents an integration of
contextualized theories of practices with constructivist theories of meaning-making (Paris
& Ash, in press). The new field of research is pragmatic and ecological with reciprocal
benefits for understanding children’s development and promoting their learning.
