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Research and Evaluation Instruments

Going APE (Active Prolonged Engagement) at the Exploratorium: Phase 2 Summative Evaluation

September 1, 2004 | Exhibitions
Going APE! is a National Science Foundation-funded research/development project to investigate how to develop Exploratorium exhibits that elicit active prolonged engagement (APE) among casual museum visitors. As part of this research/development process, Selinda Research Associates, Inc. (SRA) conducted a summative evaluation to assess how and to what extent the exhibit units developed by the Exploratorium team were in fact APE exhibits. This report is the second of two distinct phases of the summative evaluation study. The first phase of the summative evaluation compared visitor engagement at three APE and three non-APE exhibits to more fully understand visitor active prolonged engagement. The purpose of the second phase summative evaluation was to examine visitor engagement at nine of the APE exhibits (the three from the first phase in addition to six additional ones) to determine the extent to which and ways in which the Exploratorium achieved its goal of developing exhibits that facilitated active prolonged engagement. Phase 2 began in December 2003 with depth interviews and unobtrusive observations and will be concluded in February 2005 with a final tracking-and-timing study. This report will include a final addendum at a later date to include the results of the final tracking-and-timing study. The appendix of this report includes interview and observation protocols.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • 2014 10 23 01a2764ce1d28af2e21bf9cc169043e30182995a5d
    Evaluator
    Selinda Research Associates, Inc.
  • Exploratorium
    Contributor
  • Citation

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: ISE/AISL
    Award Number: 0087844
    Funding Amount: 1284590
    Resource Type: Interview Protocol | Observation Protocol | Evaluation Reports | Summative
    Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits

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