My research and evaluation work has focused on understanding how learning opportunities and experiences in out of school and informal learning environments are influenced by prior knowledge, interest, engagement and personal identity. My specific research interests include the development of children's scientific thinking and reasoning, family science learning, the relationship between interest and knowledge construction, as well as parent-child understanding of evolutionary concepts in informal learning contexts.
Palmquist, S. (2008). From dinosaurs to disciplinary understanding: Designing Natural History exhibits to support engagement with scientific practice. In K. Crowley (Chair) Thinking through the disciplines in informal and everyday settings: Ecology, Art, Robotics, and Paleontology. Session to be presented at American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Palmquist, S. & Crowley, K. (2007). From teachers to testers: How parents talk to novice and expert children in a natural history museum. Science Education, 91(5), 783-804.
Palmquist, S. D. & Crowley, K. (2007). Studying dinosaur learning on an island of expertise. In R. Goldman, R. Pea, B. Barron, & S. Derry (Eds.), Video Research in the Learning Sciences (pp. 271-286). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Palmquist, S. (2007). Fossils in focus: Designing labels to support interpretation in Dinosaur Hall. In C. Sanford (Chair) Are We Hearing Each Other? How Researchers and Museum Practitioners Talk About Visitor Data. Session conducted at the annual meeting of the Visitors Studies Conference, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Palmquist, S. & Eberbach, C. (April, 2007). Families learning through observation: Implementing quasi-experimental methods in informal learning environments. In P. Bell (Chair) Methodological Challenges and Innovations in Studying Learning in Informal Contexts. Structured poster session presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Palmquist, S. (October, 2006). Dinosaurs in their world partnership. In M. Phillips (Chair) Building Bridges: A discussion of practitioner/ research relationships in informal science institutions. Session conducted at the annual meeting of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Louisville, KY.
Palmquist, S. D. (July, 2006). Child expertise and the construction of disciplinary knowledge: Dinosaur learning during family museum visits. Informal Learning Conference, Tokyo, Japan.
Palmquist, S., Kaune, R., Godley, A., & Crowley, K. (April, 2006). Gendering the natural world through family talk in dinosaur hall. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
Palmquist, S. (2005). Mapping the conceptual landmarks in the cognitive ecology of childhood. In D. Shaffer (Chair) Islands of expertise and ARTS: Developing alternative routes to scientific understanding through informal and out-of-school learning experiences. Session conducted at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Dallas, TX.
Palmquist, S. D. (2004). Observing islands of expertise at work in dinosaur hall. In K. Crowley (Chair) Islands of expertise: An approach to exploring the cognitive ecology of childhood. Session conducted at the annual meeting of the Visitors Studies Association, Albuquerque, NM.
