In this article, Marilyn Hood of Hood Associates debunks seventeen common misconceptions held by museum professionals. Topics include visitor behavior, visitation trends, and evaluation methods.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Bill Ford discusses findings from three studies that suggest that self-reports are often inaccurate if they are not validated. There are often differences between stated preferences of visitors and their actual behavior.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood responds to nine commonly misconceptions about evaluation. Bitgood cites recent research findings related to visitor evaluation theories and approaches in museums/zoos.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood responds to seven commonly-held beliefs about visitors. Bitgood cites recent research findings to explain visitor behavior in museums/zoos.
In this article, Marilyn Hood, Ph.D. of Hood Associates investigates the public's perception of museums. Hood examines about 200 clippings that mention the word "museum" and sorts these clippings under four main topics: (1) something is deficient/unworthy/to be avoided because it is a museum; (2) something is positive/worthwhile/beneficial because it is not a museum; (3) generally uncomplimentary references; and (4) generally complimentary invocations.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood discusses an evaluation study of a "Falling Feather" gravity-themed exhibit at a science museum. Bitgood shares key findings from the evaluation, which revealed several problems with the exhibit.
In this article, researchers from Jacksonville State University and the Center for Social Design discuss a study that attempted to use questions as label-reading prompts in a new way. Questions were written on a sheet of paper and made available as a handout to visitors at the Birmingham Zoo and Anniston Museum of Natural History. The answers to the questions could be found in the exhibit labels.
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Stephen BitgoodDonald PattersonArlene Benefield
In this article, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Don Thompson summarizes a portion of a dissertation research project that focuses on the relationship between people's educational background and their perceptions of exhibits. In particular, visitors were asked to rate photographs, under varying conditions, of exhibit objects (mounted animals) from the Anniston Museum of Natural History.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Valerie Cox summarizes a 1991 paper in "Visitor Studies: Theory, Research & Practice," written by C. Vance and D. Schroeder. Cox summates findings from the researchers' investigation of linking visitor learning styles (based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) with exhibit types. The subjects of this study were visitors to the "Rain Forest: Exploring Life on Earth" exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum.
In this article, Jacksonville State University's Kay Allen summarizes a 1988 paper in "Curator" written by J. Diamond, A. Smith, and A. Bond. Allen outlines key findings from a study of 14,961 visitors over a three month period as they visited the California Academy of Sciences Discovery Room, which features a collection of games, objects, and exhibits.
In this article, the Center for Social Design's Don Thompson summarizes a 1988 paper written by K.D. Hirschi and C.G. Screven featured in the "ILVS Review." Thompson summates findings from the researchers' investigations of the use labels which ask questions. The study was conducted with family groups of visitors to five different exhibits at the Milwaukee Public Museum.
In this article, the Center for Social Design's Don Thompson summarizes a 1985 article written by E. Feher and K. Rice featured in "Curator." Feher and Rice suggest that the museum can be a valuable environment in which to study learning processes. Thompson describes key findings from the researchers' investigation of the role of naive, or preconcieved notions, on learning which takes place at museum exhibits. The researchers interviewed school children at two exhibits centered around the principles of light and vision.