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Project Descriptions

Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium: A Multi-institutional Research Project

September 1, 2003 - August 31, 2010 | Exhibitions
Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium: A Multi-institutional Research Project will create a functional taxonomy of zoo/aquarium visitors' entering knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. This taxonomy, in conjunction with data about the specific experiences visitors have during their visit, will enable investigators to understand and predict the contribution of zoos and aquariums to the public understanding of animals and their conservation. The results will clarify the role of zoos and aquariums as centers of informal learning and point to ways to strengthen their educational impact. The AZA convened a national advisory committee that commissioned and completed a thorough review, confirming a critical need to conduct more research, particularly research that attempts to ask broad questions, collect data systematically, and includes sufficient number and types of institutions to permit community-wide generalizations. Twelve AZA institutions of various sizes, geographic regions and types will participate in the study. The net result of the study will be a descriptive model of zoo and aquarium visitor learning experiences and development of a set of diagnostic tools to help zoo and aquaria staff understand and enhance the nature and extent of their public impact.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 0205843
Funding Amount: 901686

TEAM MEMBERS

  • REVISE logo
    Principal Investigator
    American Zoo & Aquarium Association
  • Bruce Carr
    Former Principal Investigator
    American Zoo & Aquarium Association
  • Cynthia Vernon
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Monterey Bay Aquarium
  • 2013 05 23 Falk headshot
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Oregon State University
  • Discipline: Education and learning science | Life science
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Exhibitions | Aquarium and Zoo Exhibits

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