Dialogic Inquiry of Family Conversations in Museum Exhibits Designed for Family Engagement

Abstract

This study builds on previous museum research investigating family engagement, interaction and exchange of knowledge in museum exhibits. Family dialogue was gathered and analyzed at the New England Aquarium (NEA), USS Constitution Museum (USS), and the Boston Children’s Museum (BCM). Specifically, we asked the question: “What types of learning are demonstrated through family discourse in museum and aquarium exhibits?” After identifying dialogical patterns through pilot research, our team created six coding categories to track types of learning. These coding categories were: command/exclamation; making connections; reinforcement/coaching; naming; explanation; and housekeeping. Results were analyzed to provide insight into general family learning patterns in museums and exhibit-specific responses. For instance, in addition to different types of collective knowledge construction by families in museums, parents were found to be teaching social and lifeskills, and demonstrating effective learning strategies for their children. A discussion of dialogue observed in each museum exhibit further explores which elements of the exhibit design may have been encouraging unique learning and interaction, and what opportunities this presents for further research.