Skip to main content
COMMUNITY:
Peer-reviewed article

Explanatory Parent-Child Conversation Predominates at an Evolution Exhibit

July 1, 2007 | Exhibitions

To investigate how parents support children's learning at an exhibit on evolution, the conversations of 12 families were recorded, transcribed, and coded (6,263 utterances). Children (mean age 9.6 years) and parents visited Explore Evolution, which conveyed current research about the evolution of seven organisms. Families were engaged with the exhibit, staying an average of 44 minutes. Parents' and children's explanatory, nonexplanatory, and evolutionary conversation was coded. Overall, substantive explanatory conversation occurred in 65% of parent utterances, whereas nonexplanatory conversation occurred in 21% of the utterances. We found substantial use of exhibit text by parents (12.9% of utterances) who read it aloud and reframed the text for their children. Parents also used evolutionary terms and evolutionary concepts (10.2%), showing that such an exhibit is a valuable way to introduce this difficult topic to elementary-school-aged children. Parents' use of explanatory conversation positively related to their children's use of explanatory and evolutionary conversation, indicating that a dialogic interchange was occurring. Parents' attitudes toward the exhibit content, particularly the issue of human evolution, related to the museum experience. Overall, this analysis shows that parents and children are having nuanced discussions and illustrates the potential of informal experiences in supporting children's learning of a complex topic.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Medha Tare
    Author
    University of Virginia
  • Jason French
    Author
    Northwestern University
  • Brandy Frazier
    Author
    University of Hawaii
  •   Judy Diamond
    Author
    University of Nebraska State Museum
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    University of Michigan
  • Citation

    Publication Name: Science Education
    Volume: 95
    Number: 4
    Page Number: 720
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Education and learning science | History/policy/law | Life science | Social science and psychology
    Audience: Families | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits

    If you would like to edit a resource, please email us to submit your request.