WAYFINDING FOR NOVICE ART MUSEUM EDUCATORS: A POST-INTENTIONAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION by Ashley Ann Mask Dissertation Committee: Professor Olga Hubard, Sponsor Professor Mary Hafeli Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education Date ———————— 20 May 2020 — Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Teachers College, Columbia University 2020 ABSTRACT WAYFINDING FOR NOVICE ART MUSEUM EDUCATORS: A POST-INTENTIONAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION Ashley Ann Mask Over the last four decades, museum education in the United States has developed into a legitimate and respected profession. However, for those who want to become art museum educators, the path is neither clear nor smooth. Those in the profession often face low pay, limited career growth opportunities, and a lack of job security. Despite these realities, the museum education field continues to attract people. Yet, there is scant literature about novice art museum educators, specifically about how they find their way as they enter the profession. Utilizing a post-intentional phenomenological methodology, this qualitative study explores the phenomenon of wayfinding, defined as how someone orients themselves to the museum education profession and the ways they navigate the opportunities and challenges they encounter. The research questions guiding this study include how wayfinding took shape for five art museum educators with less than two years of work experience, what they went through upon entering the profession, and what helped them navigate their way. Phenomenological research methods, including three one-on-one interviews with each participant over six months and a focus group with all of the study participants, were employed to gather rich descriptions of their lived experiences. The research materials were placed in dialogue with concepts that resonated with wayfinding as described by the study participants, including self-identity, agency, and relational autonomy. Findings illuminate how (un)welcoming these novice art museum educators found museum spaces, how their sense of self intersected with their wayfinding, how they enacted agency, and how they drew upon relationships with other people. Insights into the unique experiences of novice museum educators of color, the empowering effects of agency, the varying roles of mentoring and peer support, and the value of pausing to reflect on lived experiences are shared. While the findings are limited to the educators in the study and are not representative of the field at large, this study provokes and produces new ways of understanding wayfinding for novice art museum educators. As the field of museum education continues to evolve, this study offers pertinent insights to university instructors who teach museum education courses, education supervisors in art museums, people who are interested in a museum education career, and art museum educators already working in the field. © Copyright Ashley Ann Mask 2020 All Rights Reserved !ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the five novice art museum educators in the study, and art museum educators everywhere. !iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am forever thankful to my friends and family, who continue to encourage me onward, in this and all of my endeavors. To my museum friends, such as Alexa Fairchild and David Bowles and many others, who listened to me talk about this research for so many years, and always showed genuine interest. To my family for always remaining curious about what I was up to with all of this. And especially, to my husband, who throughout the journey offered me excellent writing advice and chocolate whenever I needed it, and my daughter, who at three years of age already understands what it takes to write something of this magnitude, giving up prized playtime with her mama, so that I could “work with all the letters on the computer.” I am indebted to so many teachers, professors, and advisors, not only from Teachers College, but also from the University of Montevallo, University of Delaware, Bank Street College of Education, and beyond. There are too many to name, but a few much be acknowledged individually for the powerful roles they played in helping me arrive here: Leslie Bedford, who modeled what strong leadership in the museum education field could really accomplish, Janet Rassweiler, who counseled me through many obstacles I encountered as I made my way in the field, and Claudine Brown, who listened and advised with such care and precision as to make me all the more careful and precise in my subsequent actions. May her memory be a blessing. To Scott Stephens, who continues to be a cherished mentor, long after teaching me printmaking as an undergraduate and regardless of the years that go by between our correspondence. To Mark Vagle, for personally welcoming my questions, confusion, and risk-taking in the name of post-intentional phenomenological research. And finally, from the Art and Art Education program at Teachers College: Thank you to Judith Burton, for initially making a place for me, and to Mary Hafeli, Iris Bildstein, and Richard Jochum, who not only expanded my thinking on all things academic, but also broadened my !iv understanding of just how warm and caring an academic environment can be. To Lori Custodero, who always said such wise and thought-provoking things, and inspired me to draw on my creative and imaginative side even as I pursued the intellectual. And most importantly, to Olga Hubard, whose work in the museum education field inspired me to pursue my doctoral studies in the first place. She has become an exceptional mentor and guide, colleague and friend. I am eternally grateful that during the final push of this project, it was as if Olga was walking right alongside with me. For all of my ideas that come through clearly and convincingly in this writing, it is thanks to her. A.M. !v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I – INTRODUCTION …………………………………..….………………………… 1 Background to the Problem ……..……………….…………………………………. 3 Wayfinding ……………….…………………….………………………..…. 6 Purpose of the Study .…………………….………………………………… 7 Significance of the Study …………….……………………………….…… 8 Type of Study ..……..………………………………………………………………… 9 Organization of the Chapters ………………………………………………………. 10 Key Terms …………………………………………………………………………… 11 Chapter II – REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE …………………………………………… 14 Introduction ……….….……………………………………………………………… 14 Art Museum Educators …………………………………………………………….. 14 What Is the Art Museum Profession? ….…………..………………………… 16 How Are Art Museum Educators Trained? ..….……………..……….. 17 What role do internships play in training art museum educators?.…..………………………..…21 What Is the Place of Museum Educators in Museums? ….……..………… 22 How Are Educators Involved in Current Equity Work Taking Place in American Museums? ..….……..……………..……………….. 25 What Do Museum Educators Have to Say?..…..…..……………………….. 27 Novice Classroom Teachers ………….…………………………..……………..… 30 What Is It Like to Transition from Pre-Teacher to Teacher? ..……………… 30 What Role Does Student Teaching Play in the Transition Process? ……………………………….…….……..… 32 How Does Environment Influence Professional Identity in the Early Years of Teaching? ….…………………………………..……….. 34 Once Teachers Are Working, What Helps Them to Survive and Thrive? ………………………………….. 36 !vi What Role Do Teacher Induction Programs Play in Helping Teachers Survive and Thrive? ……..……………………… 38 Millennials in the Workplace ..……………………..………………..…………….. 39 Conclusion ..…………………………………………………………………..……… 41 Chapter III – METHODOLOGY AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ……………… 42 Introduction ………………………..….……………………………………………… 42 Phenomenology as Philosophy …………………….……………..……………….. 42 Post-Intentional Phenomenology .…..…………….……………………………….. 45 Post-ing Intentionality …….……………………..……….……………….…… 47 On the Type of Study …………..………..…………………………………….. 48 Design of the Study ……………………….…..……………….………………….… 49 Identify a Post-Intentional Phenomenon in Context(s), Around a Social Issue ……….……….…….…………………….…………… 50 Participant Recruitment and Selection ….……….………….……….… 50 Participants ….………….…………..….…….….………….……….…… 53 Devise a Clear, yet Flexible Process for Gathering Phenomenological Material Appropriate for the Phenomenon Under Investigation …………. 54 Interviews .……….……..….………………….………….……………… 55 Positioning within the phenomenological attitude ….….………. 56 Interview protocol .……………..………………….….…………… 58 Reflective Journal …………………………..……………………….…… 59 Focus Group …………….…………………..……..………………..…… 61 Make a Post-Reflexion Plan …….………………………..……………..…… 63 Initial Post-Reflexion Statement ……..………………………………… 66 Explore the Post-Intentional Phenomenon Using Theory, Phenomenological Material, and Post-Reflexions ………………………….. 69 Narratives .……….……………………..……….………………..………. 70 Points of Contact ..………..……………………………………….…..… 71 Further Analysis ……..…………………………………………….…..… 72 !vii Craft a Text that Engages the Productions and Provocations of the Post-Intentional Phenomenon in Context(s), around a Social Issue …….. 74 Aspects Not Covered in the Study ……..……….………………………………..… 74 Conclusion ..……..…………………………..………………………………..……… 76 Chapter IV – FIVE NOVICE ART MUSEUM EDUCATORS IN NEW YORK CITY .…… 77 Introduction ..………………..……………………………..…..…….……………… 77 Narrative Inquiry as a Point of Entry .………..………….………..………..……… 78 Five Novice Art Museum Educators in New York City ……..…………………….. 79 Conclusion ……………………………….…………………………………………. 100 INTERLUDE: CONCEPTUAL COMMITMENTS ……….………………..…………….…103 Self-Identity ……….………………..………….………………..………………..…. 103 Self-Agency