Abstract
Interpreters play the role as the bridge between museum visitors and exhibits. The competence of interpreters especially influences visitors learning in the museum. This study focused on the National Museum of Natural Science in Taiwan to investigate interpreters' perceptions about 1) the educational goals of science museum, 2) the function of interpreter in the science museum, 3) the requirements for a competent interpreter, and 4) the interpretation as a professional. Interpretive methods including open-ended questionnaires, interviews, and observation were used in gathering the data. The results revealed interpreters recognized the goal of science museum was mainly to transfuse scientific knowledge to the visitors. Although instructional skills were employed to motivate museum visitors, most of interpreters didn't regard the importance of affective objectives in informal science learning. Interpreters also thought science museum should build a firm relationship with both 'the public' and the school systems. Interpreters expected they could become more professional. However, they also mentioned training policy, welfare problems, and clarified job description should be solved first.
| Keywords: | Informal Science Education; Public Understanding of Science; Museum Education |
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