‘You feel like you're a good parent if you go and do something sciencey’: the role of science centres in supporting science capital

Science centres are a common offering among cultural experiences worldwide, using interactive, hands-on experiences to engage visitors with science in fun and thought-provoking ways. Many rely on external funding, often requiring ongoing evaluation to demonstrate performance against KPIs and social value. Science centres often face barriers to evaluation, with most evaluations being conducted ad hoc and focusing on single programmes or experiences, which cannot account for all sociocultural factors that can influence visitors’ science learning experiences. We used the model of science capital as a lens through which to examine the diverse motivations of people who engage with a science centre, and how different levels of science capital relate to their motivations for engagement. Pragmatically recruiting participants from a science centre customer email database, we conducted this study using mixed methods; 658 people completed an online survey, and 17 participated in follow-up interviews. Survey results showed that people who visited the science centre had a broad range of science capital. Semi-structured interviews revealed how participants with different levels of science capital conceptualise and engage with science, and their different motivations for visiting science centres. Recommendations for science centre evaluations and future academic research are discussed.