A Study of Thai Visitors’ Learning and Engagement Behaviors in Science Museum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v54i2.3335Keywords:
Museum studies, Science communication, Human Resource Development, Lifelong learning, Visitor engagementAbstract
One of the goals for informal educational institutions, science museums included, is to provide a space for learning and inspiration. For science museums to achieve this goal, they must take into consideration a learning conducive exhibition design and visitors’ learning needs. Realizing that the current knowledge regarding Thai visitor’s learning and engagement behaviors is limited, this qualitative study attempts to investigate levels of visitor interaction with a science exhibition and contextual factors contributing to visitor interaction. Findings reveal 80 percent of participants showed engagement at a transitioning level according to Barriault and Pearson’s visitor engagement framework. In addition, interview results point to several engagement enabling factors related to an exhibition’s ability to attract visitors’ attention and aid visitors’ comprehension of exhibition’s takeaways. Overall, the findings of this study point to the need for better science communication and finding the right balance between entertainment and learning when designing an exhibition.
Downloads
References
Andre, Lucija, Tracy Durksen, and Monique Volman. 2017. “Museums as Avenues of Learning for Children: A Decade of Research.” Learning Environments Research 20: 47–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-016-9222-9.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. 2013. Communicating Science to Policy Makers. Accessed August 10, 2024. http://www.aaas.org/pes/communicating-science-policy-makers.
Archer, Louise, Emily Dawson, Amy Seakins, และ Billy Wong. 2016. “Disorientating, Fun or Meaningful? Disadvantaged Families’ Experiences of a Science Museum Visit”. Cultural Studies of Science Education 11 (4): 917–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-015-9667-7.
Aurentz, David J., Stefanie L. Kerns, และ Lisa R. Shibley. 2011. “Improving Student Perceptions of Science through the Use of State-of-the-Art Instrumentation in General Chemistry Laboratory”. Journal of College Science Teaching 40 (6): 12–17. https://doi.org/10.2505/3/jcst11_040_06.
Barriault, Chantal, and David Pearson. 2010. “Assessing Exhibits for Learning in Science Centers: A Practical Tool.” Visitor Studies 13 (1): 90–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/10645571003618824.
Besley, John C., and Andrea H. Tanner. 2011. “What Science Communication Scholars Think About Training Scientists to Communicate.” Science Communication 33 (2): 239–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547010386972.
Bitgood, Stephen. 2013. Attention and Value: Keys to Understanding Museum Visitors. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315433455.
Bitgood, Stephen. 2014. “Exhibition Design That Provides High Value and Engages Visitor Attention.” Exhibitionist, no. spring’14, 6–11.
Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Bruyas, Anne-Marie, and Michaela Riccio, eds. 2013. Science Centres and Science Events: A Science Communication Handbook. Milano: Springer Milan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2556-1.
DiClemente, Carlo C., and James O. Prochaska. 1982. “Self-Change and Therapy Change of Smoking Behavior: A Comparison of Processes of Change in Cessation and Maintenance.” Addictive Behaviors 7 (2): 133–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(82)90038-7.
Falk, John. 2016. “Museum Audiences: A Visitor-Centered Perspective.” Loisir et Société / Society and Leisure 39 (3): 357–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/07053436.2016.1243830.
Falk, John H., and Leslie M. Adelman. 2003. “Investigating the Impact of Prior Knowledge and Interest on Aquarium Visitor Learning.” Journal of Research in Science Teaching 40 (2): 163–76. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.10070.
Falk, John H., and Lynn D. Dierking. 2000. Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning. California: AltaMira Press.
Falk, John H., Lynn D. Dierking, and Marianna Adams. 2006. “Living in a Learning Society.” In A Companion to Museum Studies, edited by Sharon Macdonald, 323–39. Malden, MA, USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470996836.ch19.
Falk, John H., and Lynn D. Dierking. 2019. “Reimagining Public Science Education: The Role of Lifelong Free-Choice Learning.” Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research 1 (1): 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-019-0013-x.
Falk, John, and Martin Storksdieck. 2005. “Using the Contextual Model of Learning to Understand Visitor Learning from a Science Center Exhibition.” Science Education 89 (5): 744–78. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20078.
Hein, George. 1991. Constructivist Learning Theory. Institute for Inquiry. Accessed July 9, 2024. http://beta.edtechpolicy.org/AAASGW/Session2/const_inquiry_paper.pdf
Hein, George E. 1998. Learning in the Museum. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203028322.
Liebenberg, Linda, Aliya Jamal, and Janice Ikeda. 2020. “Extending Youth Voices in a Participatory Thematic Analysis Approach.” International Journal of Qualitative Methods 19 (January):1609406920934614. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920934614.
Jitsuchon, Somchai. 2012. “Thailand in a Middle-income Trap”. TDRI Quarterly Review 27 (2): 13–21. https://tdri.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/t5j2012-somchai.pdf
Jakobsson, Anders, and Eva Davidsson. 2012. “Using Sociocultural Frameworks to Understand the Significance of Interactions at Science and Technology Centers and Museums.” In Understanding Interactions at Science Centers and Museums: Approaching Sociocultural Perspectives, edited by Eva Davidsson and Anders Jakobsson, 3–21. Rotterdam: SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-725-7_2.
National Strategy Secretariat Office. 2018. “Thailand National Strategy 2018-2037.” Accessed July 8, 2024. https://alro.go.th/uploads/org/admin_sys/download/article/article_20181029101644.pdf (in Thai)
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council. 2017. "The Thirteenth National Economic and Social Development Plan (2023-2027)." Accessed July 5, 2024. https://www.nesdc.go.th/ewt_dl_link.php?nid=6422. (In Thai)
Office of the Education Council. 2017. “Thailand Education Scheme in Brief (2017-2036).” Accessed July 8, 2024. http://www.onec.go.th/index.php/book/BookView/1540. (In Thai)
Sjøberg, Svein. 2010. “Constructivism and Learning.” In International Encyclopedia of Education, 485–90. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-044894-7.00467-X.
Sperling, Marko, Matthias Grünke, and Christin Coeppicus. 2019. “Graphic Organizer: An Efficient Tool for Learning-Disabled Students in a Museum.” The International Journal of the Inclusive Museum 12 (4): 57–66. https://doi.org/10.18848/1835-2014/CGP/v12i04/57-66.
Utz, Jenifer C., Candice M. Rausch, Laurie Fruth, Megan E. Thomas, and Frank van Breukelen. 2007. “Desert Survivors: The Design and Implementation of a Television Program to Enhance Local Scientific Literacy.” Advances in Physiology Education 31 (1): 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00030.2006.
Wertsch, James V. 1988. Vygotsky and the Social Formation of Mind. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Public Licensing Terms
Copyright and Licensing Policy
The Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Science publishes all content under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
Copyright
All published articles in the Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Science are the copyright of the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University. Authors transfer all rights to the journal upon acceptance of their manuscript for publication.
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License
Under this license:
-
Attribution (BY): Users must give appropriate credit to the authors, the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, and the Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Science, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. They may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses them or their use.
-
NonCommercial (NC): Users may not use the material for commercial purposes. Commercial use requires prior written permission from both the authors and the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.
-
NoDerivatives (ND): If users remix, transform, or build upon the material, they may not distribute the modified material. Adaptations of the work require prior written permission from both the authors and the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.
Open Access Statement
The Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Science provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, in accordance with the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Self-Archiving Policy
Authors may archive the final published version, preprints, or postprints of their articles in institutional repositories or on their personal websites, provided that they acknowledge the original publication in the Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Science with a complete citation and a link to the journal's website.
Permissions
For any use beyond those covered by the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, please contact:
Editorial Office
Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Science
Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University
Email: cusocscij@gmail.com
For more information about the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, please visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
