What Do They Want From Us?Understanding the Needs ofHomeschoolers in Museums

Miriam Musco

SciencenterIthaca, NY

February 2011

What are our impression of homeschoolers?

From Mean Girls, 2004.

Definitions

A homeschooler is a child who is not enrolled in a public or private school, butis instead educated mainly by one or both parents.

Those parents who teach their children at home are home educators.

A religious home educator or Christian home educators are those who incorporate their faith into their child’s education.

Religious home educator are not monolithic – they exhibit varying degrees of religious and political conservatism, although some generalization can be madegeographic location.

Background - HomeschoolingThere were 1.5 million homeschooled children in 2007 (from the National Center for Education Statistics).

75% of home educators reported attending weekly religious services.

36% of home educators said that providing “religious and moral instruction” was theirmain reason for taking their children out of mainstream schools (from homeschoolresearcher Brian D. Ray).

One previous study was done on homeschoolers in museums, but only looked atsecular homeschoolers.

Background– Religion and Museums

- It is general consensus among museum professionals that museums exhibit and speak about religion only in terms of its iconography, as an aspect of a culture, or asa historical phenomenon.

- In other words, museums are not in the business of proselytizing.

- But, museums should also not shy away from presenting religious topics for objectiveexamination.

Background - Creationism-Creationism posits that Genesis is a literal and accurate description of the creation ofthe universe. Accordingly, the universe is around 6,000 years old and every specieswas created uniquely by God.

-As a corollary, Intelligent Design says that the Universe can be billions of years old,but God did intervene to separately create each species.

-Creationists point out that evolution and the Big Bang are theories and take this tomean that these are just guesses or opinions.

-Creationists also argue that scientific evidence can be interpreted differently by different people, depending on your worldview.

-Some Creationists argue that God makes the universe seem old and appear to be the product of the Big Bang and evolution, but this is all a test of faith.

Background – Theories and the Scientific Process

-A theory is “a well‐substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses” (according to the National Academy of Sciences).

-In order to be scientific, a theory must be falsifiable and must invoke natural processes.

-Among scientists, evolution and the Big Bang are regarded as complete and well-substantiated explanations for the origin and diversity of life. Scientists who “disagree” with evolution are in the extreme minority, and evoke non-scientific theories to support their arguments.

Survey Methods

Sample #1

Administered toEducation Network of

Christian HomeschoolersOf New Jersey

Edison, NJ

54 surveys collected

Sample #2

Administered to GreaterSmokies Christian Home

Educators

Franklin, NC

31 surveys collected

Many of the comments and requests made by these religious home educators canbe applied to all homeschoolers, with the exception of comments made aboutscience and evolution.

Neither survey mentioned evolution or any other religious topic.

I studied Christian homeschoolers who distinguished themselves from secular homeschoolers by attending Christian homeschool conferences.

Survey Questions

How do Christian homeschoolers feel about museums?

What kinds of programs would they like to see offered in museums?

In what ways are their responses to museums different thanthe responses of secular homeschoolers?

Findings

One of the first questions asked was how often respondentsvisited museums:

On average, the NJ survey group visited museums 3-4 times a year.

The NC survey group visited an average of 1-2 times a year.

By contrast, research into the museum-going habits of secular homeschoolers found that 44% visited museums 6-12 times a year, and 23% visited museums more than twice a month.

FindingsWhat are the positive outcomes of visiting museums?

- hands-on learning

- museums helped make curriculum connections

- personal attention from staff

- introduction to new subjects

Are homeschool programs meaningful?

42% said yes12% said somewhat25% said no21% said there were no museum programs suitable for homeschoolers

FindingsIs your children’s unique education respected in museums?

65% said yes19% said no16% felt respected part of the time or were unsure

As a homeschooler, do you feel welcome in museums?

58% felt welcomed all the time15% felt welcomed some of the time5% never felt welcomed22% were unsure

FindingsWhat type of museums do homeschoolers feel most satisfied with:

39% liked children’s museums25% liked science museums25% liked history museums7% liked natural history museums4% liked art museums

And least satisfied with:70% said art museums10% said history museums10% said children’s museums5% science museums5% said natural history museums

Studies of secular homeschoolers found the same results, withthe exception that they enjoyed art museum as much as any other museum.

Findings

What are the negative outcomes of visiting museums?

47% said none

Those who did report complained of needing to keep children quiet

the cost of visiting

attitudes of other visitors

not being supported in schooling choice

How do homeschoolers hear about museums?

27% heard from a homeschool group22% heard through word-of-mouth17% heard from a museum newsletter or website34% were not aware of homeschool programs

Findings

When asked for suggestions on museum programs, home educators wanted:

More staff interactionMore hands-on activitiesPre- and post-visit activitiesAccess to teacher resources

Evolution was mentioned on 13 surveys – on 9 NJ surveys andon 4 NC surveys, despite the fact that no mention of either evolution or religion was made on any survey question.

Better information on scheduling

Staff better trained to adapt to homeschoolers

From a number of surveys: “less preaching”

ConclusionsHomeschoolers enjoy visiting all types of museums except art museums.

This is likely because the most often cited positive outcome was hands-onexperiences, but art museums rarely allow for this.

Museums are doing an adequate job of serving homeschoolers, but since every respondent gave suggestions, there is room forimprovement.

Homeschoolers need to be told about programs, most effectivelythrough homeschool groups or mass emails.

The fact that 13 respondents mentioned evolution unpromptedsignals that this is a topic of concern among Christian homeschoolers, and may even result in their lower museum attendance rate, compared to secular homeschoolers.

Recommendations – For All Museums

Train staff and volunteers in the needs and philosophies of homeschooling. Set aside one staff member as a homeschool liaison.

Provide pre- and post-visit materials on the museum’s website or by email.

Try to schedule programs for the afternoon, after school groups have left.

Make museum visits for homeschool families affordable, either by offering per-familyrates or “homeschool memberships”.

Market directly to homeschool groups by email and by attending conferences.

Don’t separate by age, find ways for older and younger children to work together.

Recommendations – For Science Museums

Offer labs and workshops specially designed for a homeschool audience.

Offer a variety of themes for these workshops, according to the content of the museum or the neighborhood in which the museum is located. Don’t repeat themes too often, because if your program is successful you’ll have the same Homeschoolers attending month after month.

Incorporate behind-the-scenes tours and technology tours.

Recommendations – For History Museums

Offer activity stations. These activities should allow children to replicate activitiesfrom the periods the museum covers.

When possible, establish a teaching collection so that children can handle periodpieces.

If a teaching collection is not available, use realistic props to enhance activities.

Recommendations – For Art Museums

Establish tours that go beyond looking and listening – allow children to discuss anddebate pieces, write their own narratives, draw and ask many questions.

Create programs that take place in the galleries, so children can be connected to theart.

Don’t just tell children the rules – explain why the rules are in place.

Allow parents to “preview” the collections to avoid any objectionable material.

Create some way for children to take the museum back with them – through inexpensive prints, at-home activities, or electronic access to the museum’s collection.

Recommendations – On Creationism

Don’t push evolution – hearts and minds will not be changed by a single visit.

Maintain scientific integrity – God is not hypothesis.

Use less loaded terms when interacting with a religious homeschool group. For example, use “adaptation” instead of “evolution”.

Present other aspects of biology, like an animal’s environment or how its fossil wasdiscovered.

Create a standardized statement about why the museum talks about evolution and not God.

Use this as a opportunity to talk about the scientific method and what constitutes a theory.

Research your homeschool groups beforehand, to see whether they are religious and to what extent.

Questions?