A range of sources support science learning, including the formal education system, libraries, museums, nature and Science Centers, aquariums and zoos, botanical gardens and arboretums, television programs, film and video, newspapers, radio, books and magazines, the Internet, community and health organizations, environmental organizations, and…

Previous work has established a relationship between knowledge and environmental concern. Different factors may contribute to this knowledge and animal-related leisure activities may also contribute to this knowledge. 390 participants in Leipzig, Germany were interviewed to assess their animal-related leisure activities, their demographic status…

Native Americans have long struggled to battle Hollywood stereotypes, correct the distorted "official" histories found in textbooks and museums and present their stories on their own terms. It is not surprising that a group of Native American scholars and activists is gearing up for an effort to rewrite their history to clarify the true…

The optical quality and properties of over 200 telescopes residing in museums and private collections have been measured and tested with the goal of obtaining new information about the early development of the achromatic lens (1757-1770). Quantitative measurements of the chromatic and spherical aberration of telescope objective lenses were made…

For the purpose of this essay, I examine how evolutionary theory was treated and responded to in the American Museum of Natural History's Hall of the Age of Man during the early 1900s. Specifically, I examine how the curatorial work of the museum's president, Henry Fairfield Osborn, relied on the purported use of objectivity as a means by which to…

Research in experimental and developmental psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience suggests that tool fluency depends on the merging of perceptual and motor aspects of its use, an achievement the authors call "perceptuomotor integration." Just as expertise in playing a piano relies on the interanimation of finger movements and…

"Exploring the Glass City: The Teacher's Guide to the Glass Pavilion", published in 2008 to celebrate the opening of the Toledo Museum of Art's Glass Pavilion, exemplifies the museum's multidisciplinary approach to public art museum education. This research narrative about the teacher's guide unfolds in three levels. The first,…

The urgent environmental issues of today require science-literate adults to engage in business and political decisions to create solutions. Despite the need, few adults have the knowledge and skills of science literacy. This doctoral dissertation is an analytical case study examining the science-learner identity development of Exploratorium Field…

The infrastructure for arts and cultural support in the United States is complex and adaptive. Citizens who enjoy the arts can choose from a wide array of drama, visual and media arts, dance, music, and literature available in formal and informal settings--theaters, museums, and concert halls, but also libraries, schools, places of worship,…

The goal of this study was to assess how graduate museum studies programs are meeting the current and anticipated future needs of the museum profession. A comprehensive assessment was conducted to determine the knowledge and skills most emphasized in graduate museum studies curricula and those most valued by leading museum practitioners. A total…

In museums with Indigenous objects, the exhibits present a particular representation of the culture and history of Indigenous peoples. More recently, the move toward partnerships with Indigenous communities represents a radical departure from long-held attitudes about the relationship between Indigenous people and museums. This article both…

The needs of everyday life for communication and interactivity anywhere and at anytime have led to the tremendous development of mobile devices and applications. Nowadays, we want to have access to enhanced services with high quality at indoor and outdoor environments. Smartphone is a clever new media that supports interactivity and communication…

The use of mobile devices for informal learning has gained attention over recent years. Museum learning is also regarded as an important research topic in the field of informal learning. This study explored a blended mobile museum learning environment (BMMLE). Moreover, this study applied three blended museum learning modes: (a) the traditional…

The Museum Education Association of New Zealand (MEANZ) and the National Services Te Paerangi (NSTP) set up a pilot mentoring programme for museum educators in New Zealand. The overall goals for the programme were to: (1) facilitate professional relationships between museum educators who are in need of information and assistance and those who can…

In the summer of 1970, the Smithsonian's Festival of American Folklife, an annual event on the National Mall featuring tradition bearers from around the country, premiered a new American Indian program that combined presentations of Native traditions with panel discussions of contemporary social, political, and economic issues facing Native…