September 17th, 2014 | RESEARCH
Front-line educators are arguably critical to the visitor experience at museums and science centers across the country. However, little research exists to inform staff facilitation strategies or professional development efforts. In this article, we describe the results of a qualitative study of 63 staff family interactions in a science center, focusing particularly on the role of adult family members. We observed three distinct phases of interaction, during which adult family members acted as gatekeepers to deeper staff engagement. The results suggest that in order to successfully facilitate family learning, museum educators must carefully consider the role of adults and the unique social context of museums learning.
Document
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Team Members
Oregon State University, ContributorScott Pattison, Author, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
Lynn Dierking, Author, Oregon State University
Citation
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 1059-8650
Publication: Journal of Museum Education
Volume: 37
Number: 3
Page(s): 69
Tags
Audience: Adults | Families | General Public | Museum | ISE Professionals | Parents | Caregivers
Discipline: Chemistry | Physics
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits | Museum and Science Center Programs