The Potential Public of the Museum of Life: an exploratory study in schools in the northern part of the city of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract:

The present study aimed to investigate the reasons why the municipal public schools, located in nearby quarters, had not yet visited the Museum of Life. To that end, 14 public schools that had never visited the Museum were selected. The research instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire, administered by the researcher to the professionals in the management team, science teachers and pedagogical coordinators. The results indicated that these professionals have the habit of attending museums with their schools and families and that they also dedicate themselves to other cultural practices, like reading and going to the theater. They recognize the importance and value of these activities for themselves and their students. However, other external factors influence the decision-making process. The main difficulties reported by schools in carrying out complementary activities in the out-of-school environment are lack of transportation, limited budget and urban violence.

Keywords:
Science communication; Science museums; Non-formal education; Public school