In this article, Gianna Moscardo, Associate Professor in the School of Business at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, offers six cautionary tales about the challenges of collecting visitor data. Her stories come from twelve years of visitor survey research conducted in an number of locations around Australia.
In this article, Megan Axelsen, an Associate Lecturer and a PhD student at the University of Queensland in Australia, explores visitors' perceptions of festivals in art galleries. Axelsen also identifies several characteristics that distinguish festivals from other special events.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Megan Axelsen
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
This forum article was adapted from a White Paper presented in 2005 at the National Academies in Washington D.C., by VSA President-Elect Kathleen McLean. This provocative article suggests that there is a gap between the world-views of museum practitioners and those of visitor studies professionals and academic researchers. Although many of the questions being asked by practitioners appear similar to research with which we are familiar, it is suggested that these results are not always accessible to practitioners in a form that can be easily applied.
This paper reports findings from a study at the Exploratorium of a single physics exhibit that compared three labels and assessed visitors' attitudes and behavior. Based on interviews with 60 visitors, evaluators found a preference for labels containing both questions and suggestions, but that this type of phrasing may not always affect visitor behavior.
This paper reports findings from a study that evaluated the impact child-centered discovery trolleys have on 4-8 year old children's museum experiences. The Queensland Museum developed a set of resource trolleys to introduce young visitors to museums and their collections. Findings from this study add to the body of knowledge on this topic and may have important implications for designing museum experiences that stimulate children's interest in museums and increase learning outcomes. A copy of the questionnaire used in the study is included in the appendix of this paper.
This article is a report of the impact assessment of two outreach programs to primary schools run by the Botswana National Museum. The oldest of the programs, Zebra-on-Wheels was officially launched in 1980 and has involved all the primary schools in the country at least twice. The study aimed to establish the impact of the two programs and make recommendations for possible improvements. Thirty-eight schools throughout Botswana participated in the study. Teachers in these schools were interviewed and classroom observation sessions were carried out. Teachers’ observations about the two programs
This paper examines one Australian museum’s commitment to create social awareness of political issues within its community. The paper begins by discussing the challenge of cultural representation of Indigenous peoples in the context of civic engagement. Some of the historical and political issues facing Indigenous Australians and their representation in Museums are discussed. A study of the Indigenous Australians exhibition at the Australian Museum in Sydney investigates visitors’ perceptions of the exhibition. Recommendations are made as they relate to community partnerships, interpretive
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Katherine S. H. BoumanAustralian Museum
This is an announcement to VSA members, Visitor Studies Today! readers and contributors from John Fraser, VSA Vice President for Programs and David Anderson, Chair of the Publication Committee about a new VSA archiving initiative. Through a joint effort of the Visitor Studies Association and the University of Pittsburgh’s UPCLOSE InformalScience.org, supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, VSA will now reprint the content of the Visitor Studies Association archive digitally and make these reprints available online and without cost.
This paper was presented as part of a Keynote Address at the Visitor Studies Association Conference, July 2006, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Speaker Cheryl Meszaros, director of public programs at the Vancouver Art Museum, presents a brief historical overview of interpretation, identifying "endangered aspects of interpretation," as well as a brief history of interpretive practices in museums that culminate in "whatever" interpretation, in which we say one thing but do the opposite.
The authors of this article are reporting on the accumulated wealth of knowledge and experiences of their colleagues at the Institute for Learning Innovation and thank them for sharing their stories. The Institute is a not-for-profit learning research and development organization committed to better understanding the nature of free-choice learning and its role in a Learning Society. Its mission is to study, support and advocate for free-choice learning—learning that fulfills the life-long human quest for knowledge, understanding and personal fulfillment. The Institute was established in 1986
In this paper, researchers at the University of Queensland discuss findings from investigations on conservation learning at two Queensland ecotourism sites—a three hour whale watching cruise operating from the Gold Coast and turtle viewing at Mon Repos Turtle Rookery, Bargara. The researchers present a set of five challenges they faced in this research, as a warning to all who might dare to attempt similar studies. Their experience has demonstrated that the famous adage of show business, “Never work with children or animals” can indeed apply in wildlife tourism research.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Karen HughesRoy BallantyneJan Packer