Parent-Child Interactions in a Free Choice Learning Setting: An Examination of Attention Directing Behaviors

This researcher analyzed parent-child attention-directing interactions observed in a museum. The questions addressed were as follows: Do certain exhibit types elicit more attentional behaviors than others? Do frequencies of attentional behaviors vary as a function of age of children (family type)? Do frequencies attentional behaviors vary as a function of sex of parent-child dyads (dyad type)? Data for 56 families on 13 types of attentional behaviors were collected and analyzed, utilizing a 4 (exhibit type) x 3 (family type) x 4 (dyad type) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures on the first factor, to determine the effect of exhibit type, family type, and dyad type on frequencies of these behaviors. It was hypothesized that exhibit type would influence the frequency of attentional behaviors, with more behaviors observed in participatory exhibits. It was also hypothesized that the frequency of attentional behaviors would vary as a function of family type, with families with older children exhibiting more behaviors than families with younger children or families with a combination ages. The frequency of attentional behaviors was also expected to vary as a function of dyad type, with fathers and mothers more likely engaging in exhibit-related and setting-related behaviors with sons than with daughters. Generalizability analysis established instrument reliability for a subset of 15 families and significant results were observed for 4 of the 13 attentional behaviors (p $<$.05). Significant three-way interactions were obtained for the two questioning variables analyzed, indicating that the effect of exhibit type, family type, and dyad type on questioning is complex. A significant three-way interaction was obtained for one of the two explanation variables. A significant main effect for exhibit type was obtained for the non-interaction variable. Results indicated that questioning is a dominant behavior in the family museum experience and is influenced by exhibit type, dyad type, and family type in a complex fashion reinforcing the interactive nature of variables in these settings. The findings contribute to theory regarding family behavior in free choice learning settings and provide insights to museum professionals designing exhibits and programs for the family audience. This abstract was written by the author, and was obtained from ProQuest Digital Dissertations.