Evaluating Family Interactions to Inform Exhibit Design: Comparing Three Different Learning Behaviors in a Museum Setting

ABSTRACT How do we know that families are learning during the museum visit itself? In order to address this question, this study focuses on three frequently evaluated indicators of during-visit learning: time spent, exhibit engagement, and interpretive talk. Each of these types of data makes certain assumptions about family learning and how it occurs. Four hundred ninety-three family interactions at 25 different children's museum exhibits were analyzed to examine what the three measures reveal about family learning behavior. When compared, the three measures were not highly correlated, suggesting that generalizing information about the family experience from a single indicator is insufficient. Looking at all three indicators simultaneously can help evaluators begin to explore the relationships between families' learning behaviors, and think about how exhibit characteristics can influence potential learning opportunities in informal settings.