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Research Case Study

Organizational Approaches to Systemic DEAI Change in the Informal Science Education Field

July 23, 2021 | Public Programs, Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks

Framing: Broadening participation and achieving equitable outcomes has been a core goal of the science museum field for over two decades. However, how to make progress has proven an intractable problem.

Methods: Focusing on five organizations who officially committed to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) by participating in a national professional development program, the researchers investigate how science museums attempt to enact internally-focused change via a mixed methods case study.

Findings: While these organizations considered a variety of structurally focused change possibilities, the reality of tensions involving power hierarchies, organizational history, and dominant culture workplace norms resulted in change attempts that were limited in scope and constrained impact on museum staff.

Conclusions: These findings reaffirm the need for visions of systemic change in order for DEAI organizational change efforts to take root and flourish. Limitations and needs for future research are discussed.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • REVISE logo
    Author
    Science Museum of Minnesota
  • 2015 Fall PI Days 9081 copy 2
    Author
    Science Museum of Minnesota
  • IMG 1600
    Author
    Science Museum of Minnesota
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    Science Museum of Minnesota
  • Citation

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: AISL
    Award Number: 1612640
    Resource Type: Research | Research Products | Research and Evaluation Instruments | Interview Protocol | Observation Protocol
    Discipline: General STEM
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators | Learning Researchers
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops
    Access and Inclusion: Ethnic/Racial | Asian Communities | Black/African American Communities | Hispanic/Latinx Communities | Indigenous and Tribal Communities | Pacific Islander Communities | Immigrant Communities | Women and Girls | LGBTQIA | People with Disabilities | English Language Learners | Low Socioeconomic Status

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