ERIC Number: EJ1134574
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2154-8455
EISSN: N/A
Exploring Research Themes in Public Engagement within a Natural History Museum: A Modified Delphi Approach
Seakins, Amy; Dillon, Justin
International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, v3 n1 p52-76 2013
The primacy of the research question in designing studies affords an opportunity for enhancing collaborations between researchers and "practitioners". This paper describes the use of a modified Delphi technique to co-generate research questions for a collaborative research study co-funded by a university and a natural history museum. Nine staff from the "Science" and the "Public Engagement" groups took part in a process which involved an initial workshop followed by 2 email rounds of ranking potential research themes. The process enabled the museum staff to engage with the relevant literature and to share ideas and priorities for a doctoral research study. As a result, the modified Delphi technique is proposed as a tool for bridging research and practice, building on earlier discussions and research agendas in the field, to identify research themes of importance to practitioners and stakeholders and not only to scholars and academics.
Descriptors: Museums, Universities, Research and Development, Theory Practice Relationship, Delphi Technique, Educational Research, Natural Sciences, Science Education, Workshops, Questionnaires, Institutional Cooperation, Research Design, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (London)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A