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Peer-reviewed article

Institutional History of an Interactive Science Center: The Founding and Development of the Exploratorium

March 1, 2009 | Public Programs, Exhibitions

This study examines the historical conditions that fostered significant reform in science education. To understand these conditions, we employ a framework drawn from the new institutionalism in organization theory to study the founding and early development of the Exploratorium—a prominent science center that greatly impacted the field of science education. We examine how the Exploratorium employed institutional resources that were available in its environment to develop a new type of organization: an interactive science center. Our findings reveal that the Exploratorium was shaped by the state, which includes all levels of government; the mass media; and the professions, including science, education, and museums. In addition, we explore the pivotal role an individual, Frank Oppenheimer, played in leveraging the institutional environment in which an organization was developing. Our findings suggest that (a) reform in science education may be more profoundly advanced by the development of a new type of organization than by “tinkering” with an existing type of organization such as schools, and (b) that interactive science centers should exercise caution in navigating the changing seas of science education by maintaining their core mission and collaborating with new types of organizations that arise in response to the changing environment.

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  • Rodney Ogawa
    Author
    University of California, Santa Cruz
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    University of California, Santa Cruz
  • 2013 07 30 s200 rhiannon
    Author
    University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Citation

    ISSN : 0036-8326
    Publication Name: Science Educator
    Volume: 93
    Number: 2
    Page Number: 269
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM | History/policy/law | Social science and psychology
    Audience: Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits

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