How the Affordances of Materials Affect Visitors’ Interactions with an Exhibit

May 1st, 2005 | RESEARCH

This paper reports a formative evaluation of an interactive exhibit in the Museum of Science, Boston, that encouraged visitors to create a model using everyday materials. The materials provided for visitors to create their models changed during the period of the evaluation, and visitors were observed and interviewed as they engaged with the various prototypes. Evaluation results show that the type of modeling material presented influenced the visitors' model making process and individual learning and behaviors as well as the interactions visitors had with each other.

Document

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Team Members

Christine Reich, Author, Museum of Science, Boston
Alana Parkes, Author, Museum of Science, Boston

Citation

Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 1064-5578

Publication: Visitor Studies Today
Volume: 8
Number: 2
Page(s): 13

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Tags

Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Evaluators | Families | General Public | Middle School Children (11-13) | Museum | ISE Professionals | Pre-K Children (0-5) | Youth | Teen (up to 17)
Discipline: Education and learning science | Engineering | Nature of science | Technology
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits