In this article, Linda Snow Dockser, evaluator at the Please Touch Museum for Children, discusses research methods and findings from an evaluation of its "Play: Past, Present, and Future" exhibit. Researchers evaluated how the exhibit theme was interpreted and personalized by the audience and the extent to which the exhibit encouraged adult/child interaction.
In this article, Jeanne Vergeront, Director of Exhibits and Education at The Children's Museum in St. Paul, discusses the Museum's efforts to examine exhibit safety and implementation of a 5-part procedure to improve safety of interactive exhibits for its visitors.
In this article, Mary Stewart Miller, evaluator at the Cumberland Science Museum, discusses evaluation methods involving child visitors as well as adults. Stewart Miller shares methodology and findings from an evaluation of the museum's "Brain" exhibit, a study which involved interviewing children ages eight to thirteen.
In this article, Linda A. Black, Exhibits Planning Director at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, discusses methods and findings from the Kellogg Demonstration Project. The project directly involved museum staff in the instrument design and data collection for evaluation of the Museum's new "Mysteries in History" exhibit. Also, a computer software package known as "Looking Closely" was developed to assist with data collection and analysis.
In this article, Linda A. Black, Exhibits Planning Director at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, demonstrates the usefulness of "quick and dirty" evaluation work by sharing key findings from Dr. Robert Wolf's series of one-month "mini studies."
In this article, University of Florida researchers John J. Koran, Jr., Mary Lou Koran, and Jim Ellis present a review of research on the effectiveness of field trip experience and analyze findings for trends.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
John J. Koran Jr.Mary Lou KoranJim Ellis
In this article, Jacksonville State University researcher Stephen Bitgood presents a general overview of the literature on field trips. Bitgood reviews the four phases of school field trip programs: planning of the program, pre-visit preparation, on-site activities, and follow-up activities. Bitgood cites studies that address each of phase and acknowledges gaps in current research.
This is a brief summary of Barbara Birney's 1988 article featured in "Environment and Behavior," which discussed key findings from the formative evaluation of Brookfield Zoo's "Flying Walk" exhibit. The exhibit was designed to teach visitors the proper wing movement of birds.
In this brief article, Ruth Freeman summarizes a report of ongoing evaluation efforts of the effectiveness of the Discovery Gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Ann Cleghorn summarizes a 1993 "Museum Management and Curatorship" article written by Paulette M. McManus. The article cites findings from a study of visitor's memories as indicators of the impact of museum visits. The study analyzed visitors ages 8-50 years, who visited "Gallery 33, A Meeting Ground of Cultures in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery," an exhibition about human society and includes materials on beliefs, values, customs, and art from around the world.
In this article, Minda Borun of the Franklin Institute Science Museum discusses the museum's eighteen month study to discover visitors' misconceptions about gravity and air pressure and to develop exhibits which help people restructure these concepts and achieve an understanding of the scientific explanation. The project is intended to establish a new model for the design of effective science museum exhibits.
In this article, researchers at University of Florida present a report of a preliminary study that examined the effects of multispecies exhibits in zoological parks on visitor attention and possible interactions between factors identified as affecting visitor behavior. The study was carried out at the Jacksonville Zoo.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
John Scott FosterJohn J. Koran, Jr.Mary Lou KoranSteven StarkAnn BlackwoodHarriet Landers