Science museum, an institution of lifelong education, educates the people through various science programs including exhibition, scientific principles and scientists' moral from children to adults. In this aspect national science museums of Korea are ...
Science museum, an institution of lifelong education, educates the people through various science programs including exhibition, scientific principles and scientists' moral from children to adults. In this aspect national science museums of Korea are inefficient because they deficits the programs for adolescents and adults compared to those for infants and children.
This study is to solve the problem which is a lack of programs for adolescents and adults at science museum. Therefore the purpose of this study is to vitalize the educational programs for adolescents at science museum, and the research subjects are as follows; first, in national science museums(Seoul National Science Museum and National Science Museum) how are the educational programs for adolescents?, and what is the problems of the programs?, second, in the science museums of foreign countries(Science Museum in England and Exploratorium in USA), how is the educational programs for adolescents?, and what is the lessons from them? third, how is the condition of science education at school?, and how is the preference and recognition of adolescents and their science teachers for school outreach programs at science museum?, forth, how were the school outreach programs developed?
The subjects in this study were 308 middle-school students and 40 science teachers from 6 schools at Seoul, Kyung-gi and In-cheon, which are choiced randomly. The methods of research are the analysis of science museum homepages on web, interviews with officials and researchers at science museum, and the surveys of students and science teachers.
Through web pages of two national science museums in Korea, the only program for adolescents is 'Meet Scientists in a Science Museum'. Education officials explained the reason lacking adolescent programs at science museum as the deficiency of their requirements.
In contrast to national science museum in Korea, the science museum in England has school outreach programs for adolescents, and Exploratorium in USA provides a lot of educational programs to adolescents.
The results of survey for adolescents are as follows; Adolescents lacked outdoor activities of science(15.3~16.9%). They were interested in science(59.7%) but recognized it difficult(34.5%). High interest in school outreach program at science museum was observed(65.3%), and interested programs were practical science(65.9%) and textbook science(39.6%). Attendance in school unit(75.6%) was more preferred at school outreach programs than that in individuals(23.7%). Science teachers in survey requred direct participation in designing(60.0%) and instructing(50.0%) of school outreach programs with curators. The teachers also prefer to attend the programs at school(72.5%) rather than go to science museum(27.5%). The teachers and adolescents selected the capters for school outreach programs, which are difficult for doing experiments in schools because of unequipped.
The summary of this study is as follows. First, the school outreach programs should include textbook sciences and practical sciences, and the programs must be developed not only by curators but by teachers and curators. Second, the place for running of programs should be both schools and science museums. Third, the managers of programs should be teachers supported by science museum, and the instructors of programs should be teachers as well as curators. Forth, the previous aquisition of programs should be via web site or direct visiting to science museum. It should be also considered for science teachers to provide experimental movies and manuals.
The programs of science museum have been developed by the officials or researchers in science museum without survey for spectators' requirements and preferences. In consequence the program developers put value on the programs for infants and children, and they cannot find the solution about the absence of programs for adolescents. Therefore this study suggested the school outreach programs of science museum to take adolescents into science museum and to assist their concern for science.
In conclusion, the science museums's outreach programs visiting schools(such as moving museum) should be considered, and these programs should be developed by the connection between schools and science museums. Also it is suggested that the network should be constituted on the web site(homepage of science museum), as the direct visiting to science museum is hard.
This study suggested the fundamental way for science museum to become a adequate institute of lifelong education by increasing its visitors from infants and children to adolescents. It is suggested that the education of adults in science museum should be considered for further study.