2. Learning in the Museum George E. Hein Routledge; April 21, 1998 216 Pages Perrigo 2
3. History of Museums Display of objects for entertainment is a product of late eighteenth century Major development of museums occurred during the late nineteenth century Early museums demonstrated wealth of government Perrigo 3
4. Educational Theory Theory of knowledge (epistemology) Classified by two extremes: realism and idealism Theory of learning Also classified by two extremes: absorption and transmission Theory of teaching Pedagogy for expository—didactic education Pedagogy for stimulus-response education Pedagogy for constructivism Perrigo 4 Figures 2.2 and 2.4, p23-25
5. Early Visitor Studies Before 1900’s, almost no visitor studies Museum fatigue Discusses how museums should have fewer objects, changing exhibitions and divide museums between collections and study areas (44) Growth for museums post-war (1950’s-1960’s), but also lack of empirical visitor study publications Perrigo 5
6. Holding Versus Attracting The difference between holding-power and attracting-power is distinguished Attracting-power addresses the extent that visitors stayed to look at an object Holding-power discussed how long visitors stay looking at a single object or gallery Perrigo 6
7. The Countenance of Visitor Studies In the 1970’s, there was a rapid growth of visitor studies as a professional activity The field has produced professional museum evaluators and there are now professional organizations of museum researchers. “In the United States, the Committee for Audience Research and Evaluation (CARE) was recognized as a standing committee of the American Association of Museums in 1989 and the Visitor Studies Association, founded in 1990, had more than 350 members in 1997” (56). Perrigo 7
8. Evaluation One of the issues with evaluation is determining whether or not evaluation can be unbiased Should evaluators should be internal (employees of the organization) or external (separated from the organization) According to Hein, “…separating evaluation from the activity being evaluated” has become an acknowledged practice and has “…supported the rise of large commercial organizations that concentrate on federally funded programs” (61). Perrigo 8
9. Reliability Versus Validity Reliability versus validity Two concepts essential to all research in social sciences Validity refers to the extent to which information gathered is about the phenomena in question Reliability refers to the repeatability of a data collection method or of a measurement Perrigo 9
10. Studying Visitors The range of methods and tools available to look at human activity is very broad All methods fall into three categories: Observing what people do Using efficient speech Examining a product of human activity Perrigo 10
11. Methods of Observation One observation method is called “tracking and timing” wherein the movement of visitors in the museum is recorded or traced on the floor plan of a gallery (102) Perrigo 11 Figures 6.1 and 6.2, p102-103
12. Methods of Observation Naturalistic observation, structured observations, event-based observations, maps and floor plans, drawings, interviews, focus groups, and experience sampling Perrigo 12 Figures 6.3 and 6.4, p106-107
13. Methods of Observation Questionnaires or surveys are useful but have key disadvantages: Good questions are hard to come by Questionnaires and surveys are often unreturned Other written responses mentioned by Hein include comment cards, participant journals, and pre- and post-tests Perrigo 13
14. Evidence Learning in museums is a developmental process Given rise to two separate approaches to learning in a museum Categorizing visitors by previous experience w/ museums Categorizing visitors in terms of their general stages of development Perrigo 14
15. Evidence Learning in museums is a social process Families of higher levels of education tend to ask more questions or make more comments than do families at lower levels of education (147-148) Culture also influences learning, and effects the outcomes of any form of research on learning Socio-cultural learning is also addressed: “Socio-cultural theories (Vygotsky 1962/1978) suggest that the origins of intelligence should be sought in peoples social interaction rather than by examining the individuals with the environment” (149) Perrigo 15
16. Questions to consider How should a new (or changing) nation-state define its museums, and how can these help to define the culture of the nation? (p10) In what ways would Learning in the Museum have potentially benefitted the Anthropology Museum? Perrigo 16
17. Works Cited Hein, George E. Learning in the Museum. London: Routledge, 1998. Print. Perrigo 17
