Museums, Conversations, and Learning/Museos, Conversaciones y Aprendizaje/ Museus, Conversações e Aprendizagem

• Main Author: Gaea Leinhardt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2014-07-01
• Series: Revista Colombiana de Psicología
• Subjects: 178 groups of visitors were interviewed and recorded during their visits to museums. Three clusters of elements were shown to influence learning: the identity of the visitors; their response to the learning environment; and their explanatory engagement during the visit. A structural equation model using these variables fit well. Further examination revealed that not all conversational behavior was supportive of learning; some actions; such as making frequent personal connections; were detrimental to learning; additionally; informal learning; conversation; museums; science education; aprendizaje informal; conversación; museos; educación científica; aprendizagem informal; conversação; museus; educação científica
• Online Access: http://www.revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/psicologia/article/view/41000/45639

In this study, 178 groups of visitors were interviewed and recorded during their visits to museums. Three clusters of elements were shown to influence learning: the identity of the visitors, their response to the learning environment, and their explanatory engagement during the visit. A structural equation model using these variables fit well. Further examination revealed that not all conversational behavior was supportive of learning; some actions, such as making frequent personal connections, were detrimental to learning; additionally, silent contemplation was modestly associated with learning. This paper discusses these findings through the experiences of four couples whose outcome measures placed them at the extreme high or low end of the learning distribution.