This paper discusses how museums can encourage chaperones to facilitate deeper experiences for students during field trips. The authors describe how the California Science Center's ThinkSCIENCE! Pathways field trip program addresses this issue. Pathways asks chaperones to become facilitators by using "chaperone sheets," sets of materials containing gallery-specific questions, activities, and points of interest to help chaperones engage students in discussion. This article cites findings from a rigorous formative evaluation of these chaperone sheets and the program in general.
This article discusses a study that examined the perceptions of students of Punjab, India regarding their interest in, perceived knowledge of, and perceived importance of various science topics. The study was conducted to help inform the development of exhibitions and education programs for the new "Pushpa Gural Science City." The study demonstrates that the outcomes of front-end studies are not always clear-cut, and that museums still must ultimately struggle with their own philosophies about the curriculum they display and interpret in the light of the outcomes of front-end studies they
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David AndersonZuochen ZhangSudeep ChatterjeePhil AldrichRandi Robin
This paper reports findings from a study that evaluated the impact child-centered discovery trolleys have on 4-8 year old children's museum experiences. The Queensland Museum developed a set of resource trolleys to introduce young visitors to museums and their collections. Findings from this study add to the body of knowledge on this topic and may have important implications for designing museum experiences that stimulate children's interest in museums and increase learning outcomes. A copy of the questionnaire used in the study is included in the appendix of this paper.
In this article opening the Museum Education's early learning issue, Guest Editor Sharon Shaffer frames museums as important epicenters of learning for young children, particularly at a time when confidence in U.S. schools is at a near all-time low. She makes the case that museums are a prime location for research on how young children learn, while emphasizing that collaboration between museums and other informal, as well as formal, learning settings is important for making new discoveries about learning.
This paper discusses the methodologies, key findings, and implications of a research project that examined the effectiveness of exhibits for making children understand scientific concepts. The two-part study was conducted at Nehru Science Centre (Bombay, India).
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Vijay JavlekarVisitor Studies Association
In this paper, Douglas Hoy of the National Museum of Natural Sciences the impact of new admission fee guidelines from a comprehensive study commissioned by the Canadian government. Hoy presents an overview of the new fees program enacted in June 1988 and its influence on museum attendance throughout Canada.
In this paper, Conny Graft presents a brief overview of the interpretive planning process used on larger projects at Colonial Williamsburg as well as lessons learned from one specific program. Graft provides insight into the challenges of planning interpretations and evaluating live interpretive programs.
This paper discusses the programs, specifically field trip programs, for young children at art museums. The author explains how programs can teach the aesthetics of art (looking, distinguishing, loving) to young children and offers suggestions on how to run a successful program.
This paper discusses the Museum Impact and Evaluation Study, a research collaborative originated by the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and made up of nine museums from across the country. The intent of the study was to reach toward understanding the long-term outcomes of museums visits, focusing on the relationships that develop between visitors and museums and exhibits within museums over time. This overview provides a summation of the project's scope, research process, plan, and current status.
This paper explains the Interactive Experience Model, which encompasses the actions that the visitor is engaged in during a museum visit. This model is useful for thinking about issues related to museum learning and provides a framework for understanding the totality of the museum experience--a socially, cognitively, kinesthetically, and aesthetically rich experience.
This paper deals with two major audience research projects. One is a community perceptions study conducted by telephone with citizens of St. Louis city and county in 1990 by the Missouri Botanical Garden. The second is a year-long on-site visitor study at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. Both studies were designed, analyzed, and interpreted by Marilyn G. Hood of Hood Associates. Dr. Hood will present the settings in which these two projects were accomplished and describe how they were carried out; Ernestina Short, Community Liaison for the Missouri Botanical
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Marilyn G. HoodErnestina ShortG. Donald Adams
This paper is based on presentation given at a participatory session at the Visitor Studies Conference with the aim of creating a descriptive list of the qualities and conditions that lead to a positive museum experience (PME). This article sorts, names, and discusses the characteristics generated by the group.