STUDY EFFICACY PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM AT BOSSCHA OBSERVATORY

• Main Author: GUSTINA PURWATI (NIM: 20315005), FERA
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/22142
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Bosscha Observatory, the only sizable astronomical observatory in Indonesia plays a singular role in research, education, and public service in astronomy. One of the public service programs is public visit. This program has been a popular choice by public to learn about astronomy through learning the information from the astronomers and seeing the astronomical instruments directly. In this thesis we present our study on the efficacy of this education program during public visits at Bosscha Observatory. This is to measure the impact on public such as enjoyment, awareness, and motivation to learn more about astronomy or science in general. We also evaluate the main components of the public visits program including facilitators, media and material delivered as public talk. The instrument that we use are questionnaire, interview, observation, and comparative study. The questionnaire was constructed using information on the observatory program objective stated by the program manager, visitors’ expectation, and previous evaluations. Eventhough the number of sample and this evaluation instrument still need to be improved, our preliminary study could identify positive mark on the facilitator, media and material, and the impact that public feel after the visits. From this study we found an acute lack of in-depth curiosity as the underlaying problem. Comparative studies to three relevant informal science education facilities show similar problem. We found that the quality of public service is crucial in fixing the problem, particularly in a more engaging communication skill, and vivid multimedia presentation.