Development of question cards for fossil exhibition and comparison of communication depending on whether to use the cards in a fossil gallery

Abstract

This study aimed at developing a set of question cards for fostering deep understanding and encouraging reasoning about fossils and analyze the characteristics of visitors' communication depending on whether to use the question cards in a fossil gallery. Through several steps, a card set consisted of nine generic questions about fossil exhibitions and guidance for using question cards were developed. Data related to visitors' communications were collected from 18 peer groups (from 5th to 9th grade) visiting the fossil gallery of Gwacheon National Science Museum. Visiting groups' interactions were videotape recorded and transcribed. 'Holding time,' the types of 'actions,' and the types of 'conversation' were analysed. Visitors' actions were divided into three categories: ‘look’, 'speech', and 'motion.' Furthermore, visitors' conversations categorized as 'speech' were subdivided into four patterns: 'enumerative,' 'consensual,' 'responsive,' and 'argumentative.' Using the question cards contributes to increase holding time and most of the visiting actions. Most of the conversation patterns also increased except the responsive pattern. In conclusion, using question cards in a fossil gallery could facilitate concentrated and meaningful visits by enhancing active verbal and non-verbal communications between exhibit and visitor or among visitors, encouraging visitors' reasoning about exhibits, and guiding visitors what and how to focus on exhibits.