Going APE (Active Prolonged Engagement) at the Exploratorium: Phase I Summative Evaluation Report

This study is the first phase of a two-part summative evaluation of a National Science Foundation-funded research/development project to investigate the development of exhibits that elicit active prolonged engagement (APE) among casual museum visitors. Naturalistic methodology was used to frame the research. Methods included unobtrusive observations, depth interviews, and tracking-and-timing. Forty-six unobtrusive observations and 35 related depth interviews were conducted on site at the Exploratorium from August 5 through 10, 2003. After all observations/interviews had been completed, additional time-at-exhibit data was collected from August 12 to 15, 2003. The appendix of this report includes the observation protocol used in the study.