In this paper, Zahava D. Doering and Andrew J. Pekarik of the Smithsonian's Institutional Studies Office share an overview of efforts to assess the Smithsonian's 16 museums and 26 million visitors each year. The authors also share some general findings that address communication in exhibitions.
In this article, Lynn D. Dierking of Science Learning, inc. (SLi) discusses the summative evaluation of the Pacific Science Center's Science Carnival Consortium Project, a National Science Foundation funded program designed to assist new or developing science centers with opening and operating their institutions. The evaluation was designed to determine the extent to which the Science Carnival Consortium fulfilled its primary mission of facilitating the creation of these new science centers, as well as to assess the relative efficacy of the project as a model for future collaborative endeavors
In this article, Judy Rand reflects on her experience in developing exhibits and using visitor research to help inform these efforts. Rand reflects on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, which helped her see the needs of the visitor in a new light. She presents a "Visitors' Bill of Rights," a set of guidelines that reminds museums, exhibit planners, designers, directors, architects, and evaluators to put visitors first.
In this article, Stephen Bitgood of Jacksonville State University and editor of the Visitor Behavior, bids farewell to the journal and acknowledges the many people who contributed to the journal over the years.
In this article, Stephen Bitgood of Jacksonville State University discusses the importance of critical thinking skills and offers ten suggestions for incorporating critical thinking into exhibit design.
In this article, Ann Baillie, museum consultant, discusses the findings of a pilot study of ten family group visits to the Queensland Museum. The study aimed to construct an understanding of its members' subjective experiences of museum visiting.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Ann BaillieVisitor Studies Associaton
In this article, Roger Miles presents a case for the realist approach for the constructivist approach, in response to George Hein's constructivist theory.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Roger MilesVisitor Studies Association
In this article, George E. Hein of Lesley College clarifies his case for the constructivist approach, in response to Roger Miles' criticism of the theory.
In this article, Amy L. Cota and Ross J. Loomis of Colorado State University discuss effective exhibit labeling. They cite three studies that systematically examined different formatting techniques likely to be important in the recall of semantic knowledge.
In this article, Stephen Bitgood of Jacksonville State University discusses the differing opinions of George Hein and Roger Miles, the keynote speakers at the 1997 Visitor Studies Conference in Birmingham. Bitgood outlines Hein's case for the constructivist approach to exhibit interpretation as well as Miles's critique against it.
In this article, Kristine Westerberg discusses the Shedd Aquarium's new initiative for audience research and development and shares some preliminary findings from their initial efforts.