Understanding Youth’s Perceptions of Science and Scientists at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Client: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences | Location: Raleigh, NC | Funding: Institute of Museum and Library Services

---

We explored the effects of interactive exhibits and a working paleontology lab on youth’s perceptions of science and scientists.

OVERVIEW

In 2024, building on our earlier formative evaluation work, we partnered with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) to explore how its now completed Dueling Dinosaurs exhibition (with a working paleontology lab) impacted youth visitors’ perceptions of science and scientists.

The exhibition aims to spark youth’s interest in science and scientists by exploring the questions and mysteries surrounding the Dueling Dinosaur fossils—Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex, which are among the most complete skeletons of their kind ever discovered buried together—giving youth the opportunity to interact with scientists as they work on the fossils.

APPROACH

We worked with NCMNS staff to administer two versions of a survey to youth (8 to 18 years) visiting NCMNS in family groups in June and July: one to youth visitors who were visiting the museum but had not visited the exhibition (pre-survey) and another to a separate sample of youth visitors who had just visited the Dueling Dinosaurs exhibition (post-survey).

CLIENT TAKEAWAYS

Survey results showed that the exhibition successfully provided opportunities for youth to engage in the scientific process and positively influenced their perception of being a scientist when they are older. Key to this were its interactive exhibits and working paleontology lab where visitors can interact with and ask questions of scientists, a unique feature not typically seen in museum exhibitions. Three-quarters of youth surveyed interacted with staff scientists, and these youth were more likely to agree with statements about the relevance of science to their lives and their interest in science and being a scientist. Most youth explained that being in a real lab where they could ask scientists questions and touch real fossils made them feel like a scientist. They also attributed this feeling to being able to perform the work of scientists while using the interactive exhibits, such as the CT scanner, microscope, and fossil dig interactives and from being prompted to use evidence to hypothesize how the “Dueling Dinosaurs” may have died. 

While many aspects of the exhibition successfully influenced youth’s perceptions of science and scientists, we also found that youth visitors as a whole do not see strong connections between science and their life and community, which was one of the museum’s core goals. This “relevance” gap presents an opportunity for NCMNS, especially because much of its youth audience are local, repeat visitors. Based on these results, staff are considering how future programs and exhibitions can push beyond the broader idea that youth can be scientists to more explicitly demonstrate how the work of NCMNS’ scientists directly impacts youth’s lives and their communities.