Abstract

The contribution of non-formal science education spaces to improving the interest and understanding of science by visitors depends mainly on the mediation between the exhibition and the audience carried out by the mediators. The mediation of guided tours is a complex task that requires mobilizing different types of mediator knowledge, which shape their educational practices, and therefore the experience of visitors. That is why this work sought to characterize the perception of mediators from Brazilian science centers and museums, aquariums, botanical gardens and zoos about their knowledge. To achieve this objective, a knowledge perception questionnaire was applied to 78 mediators from different Brazilian educational spaces. This allowed us to characterize their perception of knowledge of the content, of the context, of the visitors and their learning, and of facilitation strategies, recognizing differences in these perceptions according to the years of experience of the mediator. Likewise, it allowed us to recognize three stages of professional development of mediators (insertion, stabilization and diversification), and to discuss the different training needs in these stages and their potential impact on the educational practices of mediators.