T<i>he Effect of Visitors ‘ Agendas on Museum Learning</i>

TLDR

Museum learning is influenced by visitors’ pre‑visit agendas, which are defined by motivations and strategies. The study directly tested how different museum visit agendas affect visitor learning. The authors developed agenda‑measurement and Personal Meaning Mapping tools and applied them to 40 randomly selected adults visiting the National Museum of Natural History’s Geology, Gems and Minerals exhibition. Visitor agendas significantly affected the amount, content, and manner of learning, supporting the education‑versus‑entertainment debate.

Abstract

Abstract It has been argued that visitors' pre‐visit “agendas” directly influence visits. This study attempted to directly test the effects of different museum visit agendas on visitor learning. Two new tools were developed for this purpose: (1) a tool for measuring visitor agendas; and (2) a tool for measuring visitor learning (Personal Meaning Mapping). Visitor agenda was defined as having two dimensions: motivations and strategies. Personal Meaning Mapping is a constructivist approach that measures change in understanding along four semi‐independent dimensions: extent, breadth, depth, and mastery. The study looked at 40 randomly‐selected adults who were visiting the National Museum of Natural History's Geology, Gems and Minerals exhibition. Visitor agendas did significantly impact how, what, and how much individuals learned. Results are discussed in terms of the current debate about education vs. entertainment.