| Universities are sites of learning. Museums are sites of learning. This PDE proposes that an undergraduate Museum Studies program grounded in a constructivist theoretical framework will inspire in students a knowledge and perception of the museum as a site of transformative discovery. Such an academic learning experience will more easily transfer to visitor-centered museum practice than will a traditional educational experience. Qualitative phenomenological research, focusing on one undergraduate class of 16 students, concludes that students experience the following as a result of learning within a constructivist theoretical framework. First, the data show that student-centered constructivist learning is an effective theoretical strategy for teaching Museum Studies content. Second, what is learned in the classroom can be transferred to an understanding of the museum experience. Third, through experiential discovery, students have a transformative way of knowing the meaning of ethical representation and interpretation as an expression of social justice. The research includes a comprehensive review of the evolution of the museum in its relationship to community and to the individual. The theory of constructivist education---particularly as it relates to museums---of John Dewey, George Hein, and Peter Smith provides the substantive perspective of the pedagogy used in the research classroom. Few Museum Studies undergraduate departments exist in the United States. None explicitly use a constructivist framework. The intent of this research is to inspire transformative conversation in the Museum Studies field in order to effect broader representation and relevance to visitors, as well as to inform the development of a dynamic Museum Studies academic major grounded in social justice at California State University Monterey Bay. |
