Book Review
Research Informing the Practice of Museum Educators, edited by Anderson, de Cosson and McIntosh
Its taken me some time to finally sit down and write this review. The reason being: I am in two minds about this publication. On the one hand, I value its intent and commend the contributing authors for their insightful analyses. On the other hand, I feel somewhat let down, and disappointed that the book does not deliver all that it promises.
The editors note that the book focuses on ‘informing, broadening and enhancing the pedagogy of museum education and the practise of museum educators.’ The fourteen chapters are organised into three sections. The first section is entitled ‘Supporting diverse audiences’. Rather surprisingly, the notion of diverse did not refer to ethnic or cultural diversity. Rather, the term is used to refer to ‘under-researched’ audiences. Thus authors Chong, Wong, Hall and Mehai discuss issues pertinent to home educators and teenagers, but also family groups. The second section is concerned with the ways in which museum educators contend with challenging topics within their practice. Calvert discusses consideration of death, Zhang explores reactions to natural history specimens and Gibbons examines treatment of First Nation communities. Hu’s study, meanwhile, explores the skills needed by practitioners to communicate controversial topics in science, whilst Masterton considers the skills required when working with children with cognitive disabilities. The final section comprises a series of accounts documenting educators’ reflexive analyses of their practice. The chapters by authors Fehr, Smedley, Petrusa, Fuchs and Sienkiewicz comprise a broad discussion of approaches employing ethnographic methodology to examine the ways in which practitioners interpret and make sense of their efforts in programing and exhibition design.
The quality of writing and the methodological rigour within each chapter is excellent. Each author displays an impressive ability to introduce the issues, to synthesise the relevant literature, and to outline the findings of their particular study in a clear and highly readable manner. But herein lies the rub, and the basis of my dilemma. The fourteen chapters each represent research conducted by a Masters level student for her dissertation at the University of British Columbia. Thus each chapter is a discrete analysis, and whilst together may address a range of concerns facing the field of museum education, each individual study focuses on one particular, often highly localised, issue. No attempt is made to draw together the various findings and identify broader themes emerging for the field. And, perhaps most worryingly given the academic provenance of this book, no attempt is made by the authors or the editors toidentify and highlight new theoretical contributions pertaining to museum pedagogy.
In sum, I would say that this book is an excellent resource for students and practitioners across the fields of museum education, arts management and visitor studies thinking about planning their first forays into academic research. Indeed, the chapters comprise a very useful template: their common structure– introduction, methodology, results, and discussion – provides a useful step-by-step guide to inform the design and subsequent reporting of research. The diverse literature explored in each chapter will also provide readers with a broad introduction to extant understandings and contemporary considerations.
However, I would also say that the repeated format of each chapter, together with their highly context-specific focus, means that the book can feel list-like and niche.More significantly, the lack of any synthesis and broader discussion about the implications of the findings limits the potential of the book to inform and enhance education practice beyond the context of these individual studies.
In the forward to the book, the editors cite museum scholar Hilde Hein who has argued that ‘in the absence of theory anything goes: there are no rational grounds for either adopting or rejecting any position’. The varied findings presented in this book arguably constitute a substantial resource from which to build new theory. But in failing to compare and coalesce findings and identify theoretical contributions, the book limits readers’ capacity to know how best to apply the various, and not insignificant insights, within their own work.
And so, how should I resolve my dilemma? What would be my recommendation?
For students and teachers of museum education practice, I would say that this book is an essential addition to any reading list. For museums with a particular emphasis on First Nations, I would also say that several of the chapters raise important issues.For museums more generally, however, I would simply say that the book is a useful resource for staff considering their own exploratory studies.Sadly, the book does not live up to its promise, and does not offer any substantive support for broadening or enhancing practice. Indeed, a rearrangement of the title would create a more apt appellation for this publication: I suggest that it be renamed Informing the Research of Museum Educators.
I end on a more upbeat note. If the quality of the individual studies included in this book represent the calibre of the typical museum education student, I can only say that the field, and the shape of things to come, looks very, very healthy.