• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.32 no.7
• /
• pp.881-901
• /
• 2011

The science museum in the past satisfied visitors only by interacting them with simple objects and exhibition, while one in modern times was requested to meet the need of visitors in their engagement in educational programs. To meet the visitors' need, the science museum made efforts to train, educate, and assign docents so that they can interact with visitors and serve the educational purpose of visitation. In this study, we analyzed the strengths and weakness of docent training programs from science museums/science centers nationally and internationally, to make implication on how to design a docent training and professional program. Programs from four national and four international science centers/museums were selected as a sample for analysis. Their docent training programs were compared with the data of surveys and interviews and emails from docents and docent managers/evaluators. Artifacts and documents of the docent training programs were also collected and used to construct the validity in analyzing the data, resulting in the well-developed docent training program as the critical one for enriching science museum education. The results included; First, we need to recruit and train docents who interact visitors directly but they need to be differentiated from regular volunteers for promoting science museum education for the purpose of popularization of science. Additionally, Second, we need to develop and run docent training program where docents can experience 'informal learning' exhibition interpreting strategies through the real field from mentoring from the experienced/senior docents beyond 'formal learning' exhibition content. Third, we need to equip docents with skills to make scientific literacy possible at science museum-such as experiencing scientific ethics through scientific inquiry-which happens limited at school education.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.200-215
• /
• 2012

The revitalization of science museum depends on the number of qualified docents who can meet the museum visitors' educational needs. However, the current unstructured docent system is not sufficient to meet the goal. Forty six docents currently working in science museums were surveyed about docent training program, current working conditions, and docent professional program in order to propose a viable system providing a docent profession. Data were collected through surveys with 46 docents, interviews with two experienced docents, and several artifacts from the science museum and selected docents. The surveys consisted of 47 items asking about personal biography, docent's perception, docents training program they took, current working conditions, and supplementary professional program. The conclusion of this study is as follows; First, there must be recognition about docents who can play educator's roles which are different from those of general volunteers in terms of recruiting and training system in science museum. Second, docents need to take training and supplementary professional courses that focus on observing and educating visitors in the field. Third, we need a docent management system by employing a well structured evaluating tools. A well established docent system will bring forth the enhancement of science museum education and the increase of science popularization by providing visitors with the quality educational services.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.80-95
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study was to reduce the drop out rates and enhance the quality of docent training education program in the Nature Heritage Center by providing educational services appropriate to the docents' needs based on the docents satisfaction survey. In this research, we conducted the survey to analyze the importance-satisfaction of natural heritage docent satisfaction in natural heritage docent training programs. The subjects of this survey were 30 docent in Natural Heritage Center. To develop a questionnaire, a factor analysis was conducted, as a result, 6 factors and 22 questions were presented. They are 'curriculum and instruction', 'advice for docent', 'educational environments', 'administrative services', 'support for docents', 'docent life'. The results of t-test, there was a significant difference between importance and satisfaction of the every 22 questions, the mean score of satisfaction(M=3.87, SD=.08) was lower than that of importance(M=4.10, SD=.20). According to ISA, the items located in "concentrate here" were deduced. They are 3 items from administrative services, device for docent, curriculum and instructions. To put in concretely, They were 'lecture content(subject)', 'teaching method', 'service attitude of personnel', 'interest in a docent' Based on these results and descriptive responses from the docents, the strategies for docent satisfaction in natural heritage docents training programs were suggested.