Explainers' perceptions of visitors' learning at an Interactive Science and Technology Centre

Abstract

This paper reports part of a larger study into the learning of the general public during visits to an interactive science centre. Much previous research on visitors' learning has focused on students, whereas the explainers, who have most interaction with visitors, have rarely been used as a data source. Reported here are the views of a representative sample of explainers from a science centre. Data were collected through interviews and conclusions scrutinised by a wider group of explainers. The findings suggest that explainers believe that first, visitors have fun at the centre; second, learning is not the main purpose of the visit; third, their own role is to facilitate understanding of the exhibits, not to teach; fourth, learning occurs when visitors relate experiences at the centre to experiences in the outside world; fifth, analogies facilitate understanding; and sixth, incidental learning, unrelated to the intention of an exhibit, often occurs.