Determining Social Science Research Needs in Interpretation: A Case Study

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to report and analyze the results of two nominal group sessions that sought to determine the social science research needs and priorities of the Harpers Ferry Center (HFC), a unit in the National Park Service (NPS) dedicated to the creation of interpretive media, as perceived by HFC personnel and individual NPS site interpretive personnel, respectively. The Nominal Group Technique, or NGT (Delbecq & Van de Ven, 1971), is a collective decision-making technique that has been used widely within recreation research to determine and prioritize concerns of practitioners, including research agenda items (Ewert, 1990). This study indicates that those involved in different aspects of interpretation have different perspectives on social science needs. Not only do such groups need to understand each other's perspectives and contributions better, but this study also suggests that their collaboration is critical to the crafting of well-rounded social science research agendas in interpretation.

Keywords

Social science research Nominal Group Technique interpretation National Park Service communication media

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