|
Examining the Lens:
|
| Presenter(s):
|
| Joe E Heimlich, Ohio State University, heimlich.1@osu.edu
|
| Kevin Seymour, Center of Science and Industry, kseymour@mail.cosi.org
|
| Abstract:
Evaluation is contextually based and in free-choice (nonformal and informal) learning settings, the context is both the physical and the psychological context in which the learning occurs. For museums including zoos, science centers, parks, and living history sites, visitors have tremendously complex relationships with both the physical and psychological contexts. One rarely examined dimension of the context is the sexual identity of the visitor. The few studies of visitor and sexual identity or sexual orientation indicate that the visit is viewed very differently than it is for the normative culture.
Some studies have suggested that family and visit group composition further complicate how a visitor experiences their time in a facility or in a location. This paper explores how sexual identity of the parent affects the perceived comfort and welcome in a science center. Gay parents, lesbian parents, and hetero-normative parents were interviewed in separate groups after an invited visit to a science center. The study, under an IRB from a partner university, was conducted during a normally busy visitation period to maximize the interaction of intact family groups with other visitors. The presentation will share patterns of comfort and engagement in a variety of cultural and scientific institutions that emerged and also clear expressions of comfort and discomfort within and between groups.
|
|
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Resources: A Preliminary Evaluation of a Burgeoning GLBT program
|
| Presenter(s):
|
| Nicholas G Hoffman, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, nghoff@siu.edu
|
| Abstract:
As the GLBT population becomes more visible, their needs and issues are given more and more attention. Universities across the nation are devoting more and more resources to addressing these needs and issues. One such university recently opened the doors to an official resource center for GLBT . This center has only just begun, but an assessment was conducted for this center in hopes of determining its future. The present evaluation set out to determine the needs, expectations, and visibility of this resource center as it began its implementation. The experiences and evaluation strategies expressed in this discussion may be useful to evaluations of new programs, especially when working with sensitive subjects.
|
| |