科學博物館展示的兒童尺度：人性因素探討

An Exhibition Yardstick for Children in Science Museum: an Exploration of Human Elements

十九世紀末期，以兒童為本位的教育思想興起，才使得兒童教育受到重視。在此之前的教育，只想把成人所有的成績，強迫兒童去學習，而不考慮他們身心的發育程度，也不管那些學問是否他們所能了解，那些教材是否摧殘壓抑了兒童的靈機（朱經農，民61）。當時的博物館亦復如是。對兒童來說，那不是一個友善、親近的環境：燈光昏暗、展示櫃過高、色彩單調、材質冰冷、說明文字艱澀難懂等等，這些問題到了1889年美國出現了全世界第一座以兒童博物館為名的布魯克林兒童博物館後才逐漸受到重視。二十世紀初，史密森機構（Smithonian Institution）旗下的博物館開始成立兒童館，在台灣，一些大型的博物館也多設立有兒童展示專區，如國立自然科學博物館的「幼兒科學園」、國立科學工藝博物館的「兒童科學園」等等。

Child education was not really given much attention until the end of the 19th century when children were first recognized as a basis for education. In the century that has passed since then, museum exhibitions for children have emphasized a feeling of comfort and safety in the materials and the environment of such exhibitions, while seeking to attract the curiosity and interest of children as they pass by so that they gain a better learning experience from viewing the exhibitions. In order to satisfy these needs many factors involving personnel, materials, sites and other aspects must be considered, including the needs themselves and the basic inner nature of people. In other words, museum exhibitions must be based above all on people, with an understanding as to the many different types of children and the variables associated with them.