Abstract
We studied how interactions with interpretative science centre staff impacts the learning behaviours and engagement levels of visitors who engage with exhibits at Science North (Sudbury, Canada). This study uses the Visitor-Based Learning Framework. The tool consists of seven discrete learning-associated behaviours that visitors show when engaging with exhibits, which are grouped into three categories of engagement: Initiation, Transition, and Breakthrough. These categories reflect increasing levels of engagement and depth of the learning experience. We studied forty-seven Science North exhibits, and 4,835 visitors to analyse the impact of unstructured facilitation in a naturalistic setting. We compared visitor Engagement Levels with and without a facilitator present. We determined that the presence of staff has a statistically significant impact on the percentage of visitors that engage in Breakthrough behaviours. When a facilitator is present, more visitors reach the Breakthrough Level of Engagement (p < 0.001). In the second phase of the study, we explored what facilitators do and say through thematic analysis to uncover common patterns of facilitator actions and comments. Our findings showed that facilitators employed strategies and methods that can be grouped in four categories or Facilitation Dimensions: Comfort, Information, Reflection, and Exhibit Use. These dimensions encompass different strategies and techniques of facilitation, that are used in a variety of situations and sequences. Our study goes beyond anecdotal evidence to show that staff-visitor interactions have a positive impact on visitor engagement with exhibits and therefore, potentially on visitor learning from exhibits. Our findings can be used to inform not only training programs but also managerial decisions and considerations around resource allocation. We suggest that facilitators are a fundamental asset for institutions that prioritize visitor engagement, one that should be given top priority when considering areas for investing.
Highlights
There is no doubt that learning science is not restricted to spaces and contexts traditionally recognized for this function
The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact facilitators have on the level of engagement of visitors as they interact with exhibits using the Visitor-Based Learning Framework (Barriault and Pearson, 2010; Barriault and Rennie, 2019)
For visitors who interacted with a facilitator, the percentage who only reached Initiation is lower (21.4%) than for visitors who did not interact with a facilitator (42.5%)
Summary
There is no doubt that learning science is not restricted to spaces and contexts traditionally recognized for this function. Among the many opportunities to learn science outside of school settings, museums and science centres have a special place because of their potential to provide meaningful and unique experiences to each visitor (Stocklmayer and Rennie, 2017). These learning spaces are considered “informal” and are often described as environments where one can engage in “free-choice learning” (Falk, 2001; Falk and Dierking, 2012). Scholars in this field widely agree that understanding how people engage in science diverse contexts, such as science centres, “requires pushing the notion of learning science well beyond the limits of cognitive concepts, and reaching into the realms of interest, enthusiasm, motivation, and the social context of learning” (Rennie, 2012, p. 198)
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