Alignment between informal educator perceptions and audience expectations of climate change education

ABSTRACT

To understand the complexities of climate change on educator-visitor relationships, we compared educators' perceptions with audiences' expectations for informal science education institutions. Our findings suggest two disconnects: (a) a professional recognition that climate change education is related to institutional mission but a lack of intentional integration of this issue into programming and (b) a misalignment between what educators believe visitors “need to know” and what visitors say they “need to know.” These findings indicate institutions' need to discuss how climate change topics integrate with ongoing education efforts and how to best approach messaging and support staff to meet audience expectations.

Funding

This research is part of an NSF-funded regional collaborative project (MADE-CLEAR NSF 1043262).

Notes

1. Queried museums have shared a consistent estimate of about a 25% “open” rate of e-mails, and of those opened, usually 3%–10% respond.