Applied Research and Zoo Education: The Evolution and Evaluation of a Public Talks Program using Unobtrusive Video Recording of Visitor Behavior

Moss, Andrew; Esson, Maggie; Bazley, Sarah

doi:10.1080/10645571003618733

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Following the experience at Wild Sea, there was a relatively high level of willingness to change future behaviour (with mean scores > 75 for both groups on a scale from 1 to 100) to support marine conservation. not just static displays) as potential facilitators of stronger conservation outcomes (Visscher et al, 2009;Weiler & Smith, 2009;Moss et al, 2010). eating sustainable seafood), there was a trend towards a significant difference for other behavioural support (including donations), with show visitors reporting a greater willingness to change future behaviour than exhibit-only visitors.…”

Section: Previous Support For Conservation Behaviour and Behavioural mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…museums), may be missed by visitors (Falk, 2005;Ross & Gillespie, 2009). for conservation of African elephants Loxodonta africana: Swanagan, 2000), more effectively increase visitor attentiveness (Moss et al, 2010), develop visitor knowledge (Anderson et al, 2003;Visscher et al, 2009) and enhance attitudes (Miller et al, 2013), facilitating a deeper level of interpretation, which may lead to greater learning (e.g. Moreover, animal shows or keeper presentations can increase visitor conservation support (e.g.…”

Section: Zoo-and-aquarium-based Conservation Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ballantyne et al, 2007;Patrick et al, 2007). Visscher et al, 2009;Moss et al, 2010) and is worthy of further exploration. This is consistent with previous research that suggests zoological facilities provide free-choice learning opportunities which can enhance visitor understanding (Anderson et al, 2003;Tisdell & Wilson, 2005;Pearson et al, 2013Pearson et al, , 2014.…”

Section: Overall Visitor Learning and Knowledge About Mwementioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine wildlife entanglement and the Seal the Loop initiative: a comparison of two free‐choice learning approaches on visitor knowledge, attitudes and conservation behaviour

Mellish

Pearson

Sanders

et al. 2016

International Zoo Yearbook

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Marine debris poses a significant threat to marine wildlife. Given human action is responsible for this litter, reducing debris in the marine environment and rates of marine wildlife entanglement (MWE) (i.e. marine animals that are trapped in debris, such as fishing nets or plastic) rests on public education and action. This study investigated the effectiveness of the Seal the Loop (STL) initiative at Melbourne Zoo, Australia, which was designed to meet these aims. The research used visitor surveys following a visit to a fur‐seal exhibit and/or educational fur‐seal show experience (n = 180 visitors). The findings from this study suggest that participants understand the causes and effects of MWE after visiting the fur‐seal exhibit and/or watching the STL show, with both groups accurately appraising that MWE presents a significant risk to marine wildlife (mean = 84·28/100, sd = 17·97, and mean = 88·61/100, sd = 13·39, respectively). However, between‐group differences also emerged, with show visitors more likely to report learning something new, more likely to be familiar with the STL programme and its aims, displaying more positive attitudes towards marine animals and their conservation, and reporting both a higher willingness to change their future behaviour to support marine conservation (P = 0·052) and a higher perception that their individual action could make a difference (P < 0·05). This study adds to the literature regarding how interactive shows with storytelling can complement traditional static displays, as well as informing our understanding of the interplay between public knowledge/attitudes/behaviours in relation to marine debris and marine‐conservation issues. It is hoped this research will contribute to the ongoing development of education initiatives at zoos and aquariums to enable them to achieve their conservation missions.

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Section: Previous Support For Conservation Behaviour and Behavioural mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Zoo-and-aquarium-based Conservation Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overall Visitor Learning and Knowledge About Mwementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Marine wildlife entanglement and the Seal the Loop initiative: a comparison of two free‐choice learning approaches on visitor knowledge, attitudes and conservation behaviour

Mellish

Pearson

Sanders

et al. 2016

International Zoo Yearbook

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show abstract

“…However, as noted in the RSPCA (2007) report, prior published research on zoos often eschews fundamental questions about zoos' abilities to deliver effective engagement of visitors with science and conservation and focuses instead on dependent (outcome) variables such as satisfaction, "stopping power," "implicit connectedness to nature," and visitor behavior within the zoo (Moss et al 2010a(Moss et al , 2010b, which are assumed to provide some proxy information about educational impact. For example, previous studies have focused on independent (causal) variables such as viewing area size (e.g., Moss et al 2008), visitor density (Moss et al 2007), relative credibility of different zoo-based personnel (e.g., Fraser et al 2008) and "identity-related motivations" (Falk et al 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Children's Conservation Biology Learning at the Zoo

Jensen

2014

Conservation Biology

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2Millions of children visit zoos every year with parents or schools to encounter wildlife 3 firsthand. Public conservation education is a basic requirement for membership in 4 professional zoo associations. However, in recent years there has been increasing 5 criticism of zoos from animal rights groups for failing to demonstrate their averred 6 value for public understanding of conservation and related biological concepts such as 7 animal adaptation to habitats. Indeed, no full-scale study to date has rigorously 8 assessed conservation biology-related learning for the key zoo audience of children. 9The present study represents the largest (n=2839) investigation of the educational 10 value of zoo visits for children aged 7-15 reported worldwide. This research evaluates 11 the relative learning outcomes of educator-guided and unguided zoo visits at London 12 Zoo, both in terms of learning about conservation biology (measured by annotated 13 drawings) and changing attitudes towards wildlife conservation. Results show 41% on 14 educator-guided visits and 34% of children on unguided visits evinced conservation 15 biology-related learning. Negative changes in children's understanding of animals and 16 their habitats were more prevalent in unguided zoo visits. Overall, this study offers 17 evidence of the potential educational value of visiting zoos for children. However, it 18 also suggests that zoos' standard unguided educational provision is insufficient for 19 achieving the best outcomes for visiting children. The study supports a theoretical 20 model of conservation biology learning that frames conservation educators as 21 toolmakers developing conceptual resources to enhance children's scientific 22 understanding. 23

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“…This research is usually undertaken to answer the question 'is the exhibit/facility achieving its objectives?' Research ranges from a focus on visitors' recall of facts or 'change' in attitude Moss, Esson, & Bazley, 2010;Visscher, Snider, & Vander Stoep, 2009), to more complex work that investigates short term impact on visitor knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, especially regarding conservation (Hayward & Rothenberg, 2004;Swanagan, 2000;Wagner, Chessler, York, & Raynor, 2009). …”

Section: Visitor Research In Zoos and Aquariumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the implications of cultural diversity for environmental learning at an African aquarium

Mann¹

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Zoos and aquariums, which are visited by over 700 million people each year, can play a vital role in exposing and sensitising visitors about the importance of environmental conservation and encourage them to engage in environmentally responsible behaviours after their visit. To attract visitors, zoos and aquariums offer a range of experiences that focus on the viewing of live animals. These may include animal presentations, personal interactions between staff and visitors, opportunities to physically interact with the animals and, most commonly, the use of interpretive signage. Most zoo and aquarium experiences are aimed at increasing visitors' awareness of, interest in and concern for environmental issues. To improve the design of visitor experiences, research is needed to evaluate the impact of a visit on visitor environmental learning outcomes, which are a major part of the zoo and aquarium raison

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Applied Research and Zoo Education: The Evolution and Evaluation of a Public Talks Program using Unobtrusive Video Recording of Visitor Behavior

Cited by 19 publications

References 23 publications

Marine wildlife entanglement and the Seal the Loop initiative: a comparison of two free‐choice learning approaches on visitor knowledge, attitudes and conservation behaviour

Marine wildlife entanglement and the Seal the Loop initiative: a comparison of two free‐choice learning approaches on visitor knowledge, attitudes and conservation behaviour

Evaluating Children's Conservation Biology Learning at the Zoo

Exploring the implications of cultural diversity for environmental learning at an African aquarium

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