ABSTRACT
There is growing interest in the promotion of science education. In the United Kingdom, a government-funded partnership called the Real World Science Project recognizes the importance of science to the British economy. As part of its strategy, the project aims to connect museums with schools (Renaissance South East 2009) through programmes such as Science Links in Museum Education. A significant component of this programme supports scientific enquiry, as well as the accumulation of scientific knowledge, mirroring the subtle shift in emphasis witnessed in some quarters from the public understanding of science to the public understanding of research. The primary hypothesis being tested is that curatorial staff do not possess scientific backgrounds and that this might impinge on their willingness to include science within their archaeology exhibits. Curators provided several reasons for not wishing, or not being able, to add scientific interpretations to their displays.
