Competencies of Science Centre Facilitators

Abstract

In the era of globalization, the structures of non-formal science education, such as science centre, plays an important role in nurturing interest in science. At the same time, the interactive exhibitions reinforce understanding of science concepts. This is where the science facilitators play a significant role. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the level of science facilitators’ competencies in science centre based on the perceptions of science teachers. This study involved 202 science teachers who completed a survey designed to elicit their perceptions on the level of science facilitators’ competencies. The sample was chosen through random sampling. The questionnaire was based on three main domains: pedagogical
content knowledge, personal development and learning assistance. Results from the descriptive analysis showed that the level of competencies among the science facilitators was at a moderate level for all domains i.e pedagogical content knowledge (mean = 2.61), personal development (mean = 2.78) and learning assistance (mean = 2.78). The findings from multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that there was no difference in the perceptions between the teachers who had visited and who had never visited the Science Centre towards the level of competencies of the science facilitators. This suggests that science centres need to improove the competencies of the science facilitators based on the three domain.