Visitor Learning at the Ohio Historical Center

Abstract

Educating museum visitors is nearly universally accepted as a central responsibility of museum people. The museum can be likened to a permanent storage battery of intellectual stimulation, a primary source of wonder and delight. A museum's atmosphere is casual, the pace and order are not forced. The visitor is free t o linger and backtrack. Museums have a tactile, kinetic, three-dimensional quality, involving more than one sense. It is rewarding to become involved with the exhibits through touching and feeling. It is nice to be able to exchange remarks about the exhibits with friends and even with strangers. The visitor is free from pedagogical bureaucracy, jargon, and doctrine. In addition, the museum's exhibits and resource materials provide opportunities for selective and uninhibited study.Most museums, however, give relatively little attention to systematic assessment of what they contribute to the education of the casual, unguided visitor whose purpose is, at least in part, recreational. Curators cannot help but wonder about the impact of their work. Does the visiting public, for instance, perceive the relationships that govern the selection and placement of objects for exhibit? Are visitors attentive to aesthetic factors in the objects and structure of exhibits such as color, form, and style? Do they formulate questions about exhibits t o themselves or each other? Do they understand trends and developments in American history and culture? Do they judge or compare exhibits according to some personal criterion? Most importantly, do they leave the museum inspired to follow up their learning with further investigation or subsequent visits? CURATOR PURPOSE OF THE STUDYThe purpose of this study was to assess to what extent visiting the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus is a learning experience and to obtain evidence of such learning. Several questions were to be asked about adult museum visitors:

Adult Learning Experiences from an Aquarium Visit: The role of Social Interactions in Family Groups

“…Nevertheless, this study found little evidence of higher order thinking about the aquarium exhibit and program content, beyond the simple recall of facts.. These results are consistent with previous studies that have concluded that adult learning in science museum settings is characteristically low on Bloom's order of taxonomy (Adelman, Falk, and James 2000;Boggs 1977;Wellington 1990). 7 M5: Well, I guess I learned at the tropical zone they have these huge catfish and I didn't know that they eat fruits and berries, so I guess I learned that.…”

“…This type of learning is characterized by a strong sense of appreciation and recognition of marine life diversity and exceptionality, by the acknowledgment of the unique experience of being close to nature, and by the development of an emotional link with marine animals, particularly mammals. These outcomes support the notion that informal environments are settings that effectively foster affective responses among visitors (Boggs 1977;Falk and Dierking 2000;Wellington 1990).…”

“…Stehlik asserts that the family is a valid environment for adult learning to take place, since experiencing community and a sense of belonging can provide a catalyst for adult learning to develop (2003). Prior studies have demonstrated that adults learn cognitively as a result of a museum visit (Adelman, Falk and James 2000;Boggs 1977;McManus 1993). Others have indicated that adults within a family group context show learning-and-teaching-associated behaviors (Borun, Chambers and Cleghorn 1996;Diamond 1986).…”

Analysis of a natural history exhibit: Are dioramas the answer?

“…A significant difference in mean knowledge gain scores were found between the control (Brown, 1979;Peart, 1982;Stronck, 1983) and with that of other researchers (Boggs, 1977;Griggs, 1981;Screven, 1976;Shettel, 1973). These results also concur with other research in that although some knowledge was gained, it was precious little gain.…”

A relação museu/escola: teoria e prática educacionais nas visitas escolares ao Museu de Zoologia da USP

“…21 "Os museus proporcionam o seu mais frutífero serviço público justamente ao oferecer uma experiência educacional no seu mais amplo sentido: promovendo a habilidade de viver produtivamente numa sociedade pluralista e de contribuir com as resoluções dos desafios com os quais deparamos como cidadãos globais" (AAM, 1992: 6). 22 Flexer e Borun, 1984. 23 Boggs, 1977. Os pesquisadores constataram que a visita e a palestra produziam o mesmo grau de aprendizagem de conceitos de física, mas que a visita ao museu foi mais interessante e divertida para os estudantes. O ganho de uma visita ao museu, portanto, não está fundamentado na eficácia da transmissão de conteúdos, mas sim na relação entre prazer, entusiasmo e aprendizagem da ciência -os chamados ganhos afetivos (BORUN, op.cit;SCREVEN, 1991 (ALT, 1980;CONE & KENDALL, 1978;DIXON et al, 1974;GIGUÈRE, 1985 apud ALLARD e BOUCHER, op.cit.).…”