Family theme parks, happiness and children’s consumption : From roller-coasters to Pippi Longstocking

Cardell, David

doi:10.3384/diss.diva-121549

Cited by 12 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 96 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In the beginning of this article, we mentioned that few studies on theme parks undertaken previously have actually followed children's visits in situ (Cardell, 2015;Hjemdahl, 2003). This study thus supplements the previous research and adds to it a focus on the theme park as an educational environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

“A Gunpowder-Smelling History Lecture”?—Learning at a Wild West History Theme Park

Svensson

Samuelsson

2020

The Social Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lately, theme parks have emphasized the learning and edutainment aspects of their business. This has created new opportunities for theme parks and schools to cooperate. Research has shown that learning at science centers, a similar form of learning arena, tends to be out of context and that the learning outcomes are meager. High Chaparral, in southern Sweden, is a theme park primarily focusing on the American 1870s. With 160,000-170,000 visitors each year, the theme park is one of the largest arenas for history communication in Sweden, alongside traditional cultural heritage institutions. This paper presents an analysis of students, mainly aged 10-12 years, visiting the park. In the park, the children are presented with various fact-and skills-oriented activities. While the children enjoy the activities, they do not align the presentations with their school history education. Rather, the children relate them to their own everyday life experiences, and the idea of 1870s America they take from the park is, to a high degree, informed by popular TV and movie Westerns. While the theme park seems fun for the children, the findings of this analysis show that the park's theme is not easily connected to the Swedish history curriculum for the studied group of students. In particular, the park does not align with the constructivist ideals of the Swedish curriculum. This does not mean that learning possibilities are absent. The park contains multifaceted leaning opportunities, but given the park's present focus, these are not fully developed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, studies on theme and amusement parks have, with few exceptions (cf. Cardell, 2015;Hjemdahl, 2003), seldom also taken the visitor's perspective into account.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“A Gunpowder-Smelling History Lecture”?—Learning at a Wild West History Theme Park

Svensson

Samuelsson

2020

The Social Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Up until recently, research on family holiday consumption mainly focused on adult perspectives (Stilling Blichfeldt et al, 2011;Wu et al, 2010). This is why there is a need for further recognition of children's positions (Schänzel and Yeoman, 2014), because they have both a direct and an indirect impact on family holiday consumption (Cardell, 2015;Gram, 2007;Wu et al, 2010).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…'Downs' are sometimes dealt with, after the trips, through humour by turning poor experiences into good stories. This in turn creates a sense that, in hindsight, the downs of a holiday can not only be turned into a good story but also become signs of family togetherness (Gram et al, 2018; see also Cardell, 2015).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research shows, among other things, the connections between holiday consumption and money and the social construction of the family (cf. Cardell, 2015;Gram et al, 2018;Hall and Holdsworth, 2016). To further this discussion, and by drawing upon a theoretical framework acknowledging the idea that money is both produced by and productive of social relations (Zelizer, 2005), this qualitative article focuses on the social meanings that money is given when planning and conducting an adoption return trip.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Adoption return trips: Family tourism and the social meanings of money

Gustafsson

2020

Tourist Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Through a focus on the planning and making of family adoption return trips, this paper explores how the social meanings of money are entangled with family-making practices and family holidays. Adoption return trips are a global phenomenon, and travel agencies offer tailored adoption return-trip packages marketed as a type of family tourism. The new trend towards conducting adoption return trips as a family when children are still young is growing and has implications for families’ finances because return trips are expensive endeavours. Still, families prioritise these trips, raising them above purely economic values so they stand out as ‘priceless’. The empirical material consists of interviews with 10 Swedish transnational adoptive families. The analyses show that family adoption return trips, despite their original features, are yet one more way of doing family holidaying. Money becomes an important contribution for understanding how family life is being done in and through parental, child and family-holiday ideals, as well as family intimacy.

show abstract