ABSTRACT

Informal education and outreach can be highly effective at shifting public opinion and action on climate change, particularly in rural areas where climate change may be avoided in regular school curricula. Small and mid-sized museums in more rural areas can serve as important sources of climate change content, even when they are not primarily science museums. However, there are perceived and actual barriers that museums must overcome in order to incorporate this content. In this study, we interviewed staff members of small to mid-sized museums in rural Michigan to learn more about their attitudes and experiences with climate change. We present a summary of common challenges to incorporating climate change in rural museums, along with an overview of how partnerships can overcome these barriers using theory-based science communication approaches.

摘要

非正式教育和外展可以非常有效地改变公众对气候变化的看法和行动，特别是在农村地区，在那里，常规学校课程可以避免气候变化。更多农村地区的中小型博物馆可以作为气候变化内容的重要来源，即使它们不是主要的科学博物馆。然而，博物馆必须克服感知和实际障碍才能纳入这些内容。在这项研究中，我们采访了密歇根州农村中小型博物馆的工作人员，以更多地了解他们对气候变化的态度和经验。我们总结了将气候变化纳入乡村博物馆的常见挑战，并概述了合作伙伴如何使用基于理论的科学传播方法克服这些障碍。