Brains On Research!
Kids are filled with wonder and curiosity. As the adults around them, it’s our job to nurture and encourage them, but we may not always know the best ways to do that. We can help with these studies:
Brains On from American Public Media teamed up with the Science Museum of Minnesota, with funding from the National Science Foundation, to launch two groundbreaking scientific studies looking at how families use podcasts and how to spark creative educational interactions.
Although this study focused on listeners of Brains On, we feel that a lot of the findings would be helpful for others looking to use podcasts as a fun, informal way to educate kids and families. There are plenty of insights here that could help creators design engaging and effective kids’ audio content and for parents to interact more with their kids.
Brains On the Move
The latest study (completed summer 2025) looked at how you can turn an everyday car ride into a fun opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering and math with podcasts! It’s all about what we are calling “joint media engagement,” kids and adults listening, inquiring and learning together.
Click here for the Brains On! Parent Guide that offers tips for adults on how to help kids get the most out of listening to a science podcast on the road, or watch our Parent Webinar here to get ideas first-hand from Molly, Marc, Sanden and their expert guests..
If you want more information about the study and its findings, or if you are a producer or content creator, check out our Brains On! Content Creator Guide for details on how specific design features of Brains On prompt family members to engage verbally with the content and lead to meaningful conversations.
Podcasts Promote Learning
Our first joint study (2019) was designed to explore who is listening to Brains On, why they were listening and what impacts listening had on their lives. We looked at things like how families choose which episode to listen to, where the listening happens, how families engage with the content while listening and what kids do with the information they learn. Check out our Research Summary for an overview of what we learned from this important research.
Although this study focused on listeners of Brains On, we feel that a lot of the findings would be helpful for others looking to use podcasts as a fun, informal way to educate kids and families. There are plenty of insights here that could help creators design engaging and effective kids’ audio content.
The research was carried out in three phases.
PHASE 1: Analysis of Secondary Data (Click Here)
Phase 1 was a review of a sample of secondary data in the form of audience comments and feedback gathered by the Brains On team and posted by listeners online. This analysis provided initial insight for other phases of the research in relation to who is listening to Brains On, why they listen, how they engage with the podcast, and potential impacts of listening.
PHASE 2: Listener Survey (Click Here)
Phase 2 was an online survey of Brains On listeners, with a focus on understanding Brains On’s core audience of kids ages 5 - 12. It explores demographics, motivations for listening and listening habits.
PHASE 3: Family Interviews (Click here)
Phase 3 was group interviews with listener family groups that include members of the core audience. This is focused on understanding the breadth of impacts Brains On might have on listeners, from an increased awareness of science-related jobs to more instances of thinking in scientific ways. The interviews also helped to uncover what features of the podcast may play a role in leading to various science-related impacts.
Brains On Coronavirus Research!
In early 2020, Brains On teamed up with researchers at the Science Museum of Minnesota,
with funding from the National Science Foundation, to launch a study on how children’s science podcasts like ours, as well as the larger informal science education field, can provide families with science-based information to help ease children’s worries during the COVID-19 pandemic and support pandemic-related family conversations. Science Museum of Minnesota researchers gathered data from Brains On listener families at two key times during the pandemic, June 2020 and January 2021. Find out what they learned below!
Stage 1: June 2020
The first stage of research revealed important insights into the kinds of questions children were asking during the early months of the pandemic, the worries they had, and the types of support caregivers were seeking to be able to engage in discussions with their children about the COVID-19 pandemic specifically, and the science behind viruses and preventative health measures more broadly.
You can access the full report here and the executive summary here.
Stage 2: January 2021
The second stage of research revealed important insights into the kinds of questions children were asking a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the worries they had at that point of the pandemic, and the types of support caregivers still needed to be able to discuss pandemic-related topics with their children.
You can access the full report and the executive summary here.
Comparisons of June 2020 and January 2021 Findings
In April 2021, the Science Museum of Minnesota and Brains On conducted a webinar to discuss findings from both stages of the research, as well as share how Brains On used the research findings to develop their episodes. Find out what we shared by watching our webinar recording and viewing our slides.
Researchers also compared children’s questions, worries, and information needs at these two time points of the pandemic (June 2020 and January 2021). Find that research summary here.
Brains On Specific Findings
In June 2020, researchers also examined the role of the Brains On podcast in supporting children and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study provided insight into how Brains On episodes helped to increase children’s coronavirus knowledge, ease their pandemic-related worries and fears, and support pandemic-related family conversations.
You can access the research summary here.
Additional Resources
As part of this work, the Science Museum of Minnesota also compiled a resource guide of articles and web pages with tips on how to talk about pandemic-related topics with children.
We also used the research findings to inform the development of some of our coronavirus episodes and videos. You can find all of our coronavirus episodes and resources here.
If you have questions about this research study, please contact Dr. Amy Grack Nelson, Evaluation & Research Manager at the Science Museum of Minnesota. She can be reached at agnelson@smm.org.
Additional Brains On Research
Before the pandemic, our friends at the Science Museum of Minnesota did some research about Brains On in general (with funding from the National Science Foundation). They studied things like who listens to Brains On, why they listen, and what impacts does the podcast have on children who listen to the show. Learn more here!