This article offers a case study of "Small Acts, Big Impacts", an annual public program designed by education staff at Discovery Museum (Massachusetts, USA) to encourage children's development of empathy and social awareness. After observing unfortunate changes in visitor behavior, combined with the societal context of the global…

Despite Portugal's peripheral position in Europe, the Enlightenment successfully introduced Natural History into public education. The inclusion of geology at the University of Coimbra laid the foundation for its integration into secondary schools. Following the Liberal Revolution of 1820, the need to educate the Portuguese population grew,…

While the role of museums in citizenship education has been well documented in literature, its function within an authoritarian framework of cultural governance remains underexplored. In recent China, a museum boom has expanded both the number of institutions and the scope of educational programmes. This paper examines how the Zhejiang Provincial…

Women's Museums as a new category of museums were first initiated in Europe and North America at the beginning of the 1980s. This period is also distinguished by the activities of the UN Decade of Women. In critical relation to the UN Women's Conferences and the transnational exchanges they occasioned, Third World Feminism, decolonial, and…

This study explores the feasibility of forming detailed inferences about museum visitor behavior based on analysis of data collected via "Dr. Discovery"--a mobile question-and-answer app. We analyzed 5656 questions asked by 795 visitor groups recorded by Dr. Discovery across two museums in the American Southwest. Analysis of this data…

Science museums and similar institutions provide informal science and environmental education, both on museum grounds and out in the community. Since 2007, the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami, Florida, USA, has run Museum Volunteers for the Environment (MUVE) program, a conservation volunteer program that is also an effective…

Volunteer programs, especially those for docents, may often be overlooked as learning opportunities rather than as a strategy for program delivery. Thinking about docents first as learners themselves, and then as partners in creating learning experiences for visitors, can create a meaningful shift in the relationship. By integrating concepts from…

This paper reports on "Young Gallery Guides", a pilot program of child-led guided tours undertaken by the HOTA (Home of the Arts) Gallery on the Gold Coast, Australia. The program, which ran from July to November 2024, included nine children aged between 7 and 12. It culminated in offering some scheduled activities to the general public,…

National identity is a complex and contested issue, and it is often debated in the fields of social and cultural studies. Museum collections, and the way they are presented and interpreted, are closely linked to national identity. National museums, as symbols of national unity, can manipulate perceptions about dominant ideologies and the…

I am because we are; and since we are, therefore I am. This statement from Kenyan John Mbiti, one of the first post-colonial scholars of African philosophy and religion, provides deep insight into African modes of thought. It is also valid in a universal sense. Indeed, it reflects the theme of this 50th anniversary edition of the journal: our…

In prior research, museum attendance has been shown to positively impact educational outcomes for children, teens, and adults, yet little has been documented about who is attending and how often. This paper is the first to provide comprehensive descriptive and regression analyses to explore museum attendance among youth (5 to 18 year-olds) in the…

Science education bears the broader objective of nurturing students today to be scientifically-literate citizens of tomorrow who are able to foresee challenges, invent solutions and make responsible decisions for global issues. As a prelude to the new focus of agency in the Anthropocene, this paper presents an intervention on climate change with…

Does art museum leadership think of children in the museum as cardboard cutouts? Numbers of children in art museums are easy to get excited about; less so dealing with the reality of young people that make noise and take up space. Drawing from first-hand experience and varied sources from the fields of education, museums, interpretation, and…

This paper presents the successes and challenges of creating an online Indigenous Peoples curriculum. The website is embedded in the education section of the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve in Washington state. This project promotes unity between educators and museums. Constructivism, Community of Inquiry, New Museum Theory,…

This literature review aims to characterise mediation practices in non-formal science education settings (zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, science centres and museums) based on empirical studies published in the last 15 years and to evaluate their potential in providing visitors with an equitable and inclusive experience, considering their…