Museum Guides’ Views on the Integration of the Nature of Science While Addressing Visitors’ Experiences: The Context of Ecological and Evolutionary Issues

Abstract

AbstractA major goal of natural history museums (NHMs) is to shape visitors’ worldviews about science allowing them to learn about the research process, its characteristics, and the people behind it. In this context, developing visitors’ understanding of the nature of science (NOS) is an underlying educational objective. To date, little is known about how, if at all, museum guides integrate NOS during guided tours while addressing visitor expriences. The current research attempted to fill this lacuna by studying the views of NHM guides with a focus on tours about ecological and evolutionary topics. The research participants were museum guides (n = 15) working in four NHMs in Israel. The study used a qualitative approach. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews in which the guides were asked to reflect retrospectively on their practices during guided tours. Utilizing the content analysis method, the data were analyzed through the lens of the family resemblance approach to NOS and visitors’ satisfying experiences in museums. The study’s findings revealed that museum guides refer primarily to the visitors’ cognitive experiences while integrating mainly epistemic-cognitive aspects of NOS.