Examining the Roles of Science Museum Facilitators in Academic Research

ABSTRACT

Research into teaching and learning in science museums has led to innovations in pedagogy, exhibits, and educational programming. Science museum facilitators play a critical role in advancing the educational missions of their institutions, yet the roles that these facilitators have in academic research projects aimed at understanding learning within the context of their museums vary widely. In this systematic review, 40 articles and book chapters were reviewed for how science museum facilitators participate in reported research and design activities. The findings suggest that facilitators take on a variety of roles within research projects, from simply being talked about in the context of professional development programs, to taking active roles as co-designers and co-researchers in their institutions. Increasing opportunities for facilitator agency and voice within academic research may improve scholarly understanding of facilitators’ experiences, pedagogies, and institutional constraints, thus improving the designs of exhibits, educational programming, and professional development opportunities.

KEYWORDS:

• Science museum
• facilitators
• educators
• research participation
• facilitator agency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Ash, Lombana, and Alcala, “Changing Practices, Changing Identities as Museum Educators,” 24.

2 Afonso, Afonso, and Rodrigues, “Towards an Effective Use of Language”; Hayward and Hart, “The Value of Educators.”

3 Dragotto, Minerva, and Nichols, “Is Museum Education ‘Rocket Science’?”

4 Pattison et al., “The Impact of Facilitation by Museum Educators”; Tran, “Teaching Science in Museums,” 200.

5 Philip, Bang, and Jackson, “Articulating the ‘How,’ the ‘For What,’ the ‘For Whom,’ and the ‘With Whom’.”

6 Ash, Lombana, and Alcala, “Changing Practices, Changing Identities as Museum Educators.”

7 Bang and Vossoughi, “Participatory Design Research and Educational Justice”; Esmonde and Booker, Power and Privilege in the Learning Sciences; Philip, Bang, and Jackson, “Articulating the ‘How,’ the ‘For What,’ the ‘For Whom,’ and the ‘With Whom’.”

8 National Research Council, Learning Science in Informal Environments.

9 Kumar, Tissenbaum, and Berland, “What Are Visitors up To?”; Reisman, “Using Design-Based Research in Informal Environments.”

10 Köseoğlu et al., “Investigation of Science Teachers’ Professional Development Needs”; Shaby, Ben-Zvi Assaraf, and Tal, “A Student’s-Eye View.”

11 Martin and Tamez, “Explainers – New Energy for the Museum.”

12 Kim, Kang, and Martin, “Exploring Informal Science Education.”

13 Gupta and Negron, “There Is No ‘Off Button’ to Explaining”; Motto, “Peer Learning.”

14 Ash, Lombana, and Alcala, “Changing Practices, Changing Identities as Museum Educators”; Ash and Lombana, “The REFLECTS Model of Action”; Bevan and Xanthoudaki, “Professional Development for Museum Educators”; Harlow and Skinner, “Supporting Visitor-Centered Learning”; King and Tran, “Facilitating Deep Conceptual Learning”; Tran, Gupta, and Bader, “Redefining Professional Learning for Museum Education.”

15 Ash, Lombana, and Alcala, “Changing Practices, Changing Identities as Museum Educators.”

16 Mohabir et al., “From Explaining to Engaging Visitors.”

17 Ash and Lombana, “The REFLECTS Model of Action.”

18 Afonso, Afonso, and Rodrigues, “Towards an Effective Use of Language to Explain Light in the Museum.”

19 Krange, Silseth, and Pierroux, “Peers, Teachers and Guides.”

20 Pattison and Dierking, “Exploring Staff Facilitation That Supports Family Learning.”

21 Tran, “Teaching Science in Museums.”

22 Letourneau, McMillan Culp, and Wells, “Engaging Caregivers in Making.”

23 Pattison et al., “The Impact of Facilitation by Museum Educators”; Tran, “Teaching Science in Museums.”

24 Ji, Anderson, and Wu, “Motivational Factors in Career Decisions.”

25 Refvem et al., “The Next Generation of Science Educators.”

26 Piqueras and Achiam, “Science Museum Educators’ Professional Growth.”

27 Durksen et al., “Conducting Research in a Medical Science Museum.”

28 Wang and Agogino, “Learning about Learning and Engineering.”

29 Piqueras and Achiam, “Science Museum Educators’ Professional Growth.”

30 Eikeland and Stuedahl, “Co-Designing a Controversy-Based Educational Programme in a Science Centre.”

31 Beheshti et al., “Co-Designing Learning Dashboards for Informal Educators.”

32 Piqueras and Achiam, “Science Museum Educators’ Professional Growth.”

33 Wang and Agogino, “Learning about Learning and Engineering.”

34 Ibid.

35 Letourneau, McMillan Culp, and Wells, “Engaging Caregivers in Making,” 48.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) [752-2019-2664].

Notes on contributors

Stephanie Hladik

Stephanie Hladik is an Assistant Professor in the Centre for Engineering Professional Practice and Engineering Education, Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba. She holds a PhD in Educational Research, specializing in Learning Sciences. In her research, she learns from and with facilitators in informal STEM education settings, such as science museums, and engages in co-design for more equitable teaching and learning in STEM.