Abstract
Grand Valley State University Learning in national parks often occurs in the context of family groups. Understanding the motivations, needs, and outcomes of family groups is critical to engaging a substantial portion of the National Park Service (NPS) audience. This literature review was prompted by an NPS initiative to improve lifelong learning. It explores research about the nature of family learning, factors that influence it, and recommendations for enhancing it. This review uses Falk and Dierking's (2000) Contextual Model of Learning as a framework for understanding personal, sociocultural, and physical factors that contribute to family learning outcomes in free-choice settings. Recommendations for improving family learning include: tapping into the motivations of family visits, helping families converse to construct meaning, and creating physical spaces for visitors of many ages to interact. The NPS can enhance visitors’ connections to parks if park programs, exhibits, and interpretive media are effectively and deliberately designed to engage families. National parks and similar sites need to thoughtfully design education programs and exhibits to engage learners of all ages in meaningful, relevant, and memorable ways.
Highlights
In 2016, the United States National Park Service (NPS) will celebrate its centennial
While the parks are meant to be for all Americans, the National Education Council (NEC) warned, “NPS audiences do not reflect the demographics of America” (p. 11)
In addition to the recommendations above, it will be critical for the NPS to engage in research on all types of learning, including family learning
Summary
In 2016, the United States National Park Service (NPS) will celebrate its centennial. The NPS Education Advisory Board’s Life-long Learning subcommittee was asked to provide guidance about enhancing learning opportunities in parks It was from this broader scope that the subcommittee narrowed its approach to focus on using research literature to inform family free-choice learning experiences in the parks. A search for literature on underrepresented families’ use of free-choice settings yielded only a few articles (e.g., Gaskins, 2008; Honey, Augare, & Sachatello-Sawyer, 2010; Melber, 2006; Stein, Garibay, & Wilson, 2008) These studies explored cultural differences in museum behavior and strategies that worked to connect community members to one another in their learning. They will contribute to a separate paper that identifies connections between the research literature and NPS practices
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