How can we know about the museum education practice in Brazil in times of Covid-19 pandemic? Report of a collaborative research

Abstract

This experience report describes the development of a survey carried out with Brazilian museum educators, which aimed to comprehend their employment status and experiences during the first months of Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil, particularly during the closure of museums to public visits. The research process was collaborative and voluntary, developed in two rounds between April and June of 2020. The survey received responses from 266 people from all five regions of Brazil. In this text, we report the methodological challenges, reflecting on the possible causes for the research weaknesses and present data regarding employment status, as well as the expectations of museum educators in the face of the new context resulting from the pandemic. The research emphasizes the educators’ perceptions of the need for training to implement digital/remote educational actions. By bringing together the methodological reflection and the research data, we intend to contribute to the epistemological development of research on museum educators in Brazil.