Active Learning in a Child Psychology Course: Observing Play Behavior at a Children’s Museum

The primary goal of this paper is to describe an innovative active learning experience (i.e., class trip to a children’s museum) aimed at expanding child psychology students’ knowledge of the developmental benefits of play. A secondary goal is to present preliminary data about the impact of this experience on students’ learning by examining scores of a pre /post knowledge assessment for students who went to the museum (N？=？30; 27 female) and a comparison group who did not (N？=？31; 29 female). Students who visited the museum demonstrated significantly greater improvement on the knowledge assessment relative to the comparison group. In response to an open-ended question, trip group students indicated that the museum experience helped them to better understand the role of play in children’s development and ways in which play behavior varies by age. Limitations of the empirical results related to the sample characteristics, scope of the knowledge assessment, and the nature of the museum trip are highlighted, along with a call for more rigorous future research on this topic