Museum Studies Commons^™

How Museum Educators Build And Carry Out Their Profession: An Examination Of Situated Learning Within Practice, Elsa B. Bailey

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study explores the ways and means that museum educators build their expertise to practice museum education. A qualitative methodology was utilized in this examination, incorporating aspects of grounded theory and phenomenological research. Fifteen museum educators in science-related museums in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who worked extensively with teachers, were selected as respondents.

A Case Study In Museum Change: Power, Authority And Community Connected Exhibitions, Marilyn Cathy Solvay, Ph.D.

Educational Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation is a study of museum change and examines the power of objects along with the authority of traditional exhibitions and the development of community-connected exhibitions. Community-connected exhibitions are explored to provide insight into reshaping the museum organization into a multicultural institution.

Method: A case study of a community-connected exhibition, "Becoming Americans: The Shapiro Story: 1898-1928," was conducted at Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, an outdoor history museum. Interviews were held with 25+ project participants: museum staff project team members, Shapiro family members, community members at large, and representatives from other community cultural institutions. This qualitative research project …