As augmented reality (AR) gains prevalence, various AR exhibits are being installed in science museums. However, few research has thus far examined the extent to which these exhibits can improve visitors' learning. This study qualitatively evaluates the effectiveness of an AR dinosaur exhibit at the Gwacheon National Science Museum in Korea and…

Amid the imperative call for using digital artwork images and e-learning activities in planning and delivering the art curriculum heightened by rapid technological development and COVID-19, we propose a visual arts teacher-curator pedagogy and investigate its effectiveness in Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools. The pedagogy is set out to…

Studies in the current research paradigm follow a pattern of pre-exhibit activities, in-exhibit monitoring and post-exhibit test to evaluate learning and program effectiveness in museums. These efforts helped identify some important factors correlative to learning, but little is known about how exhibits are designed in a way that space, materials…

In recent years, more and more technical tools have been introduced into various museums, bringing new opportunities and challenges for the research of museum learning. Whether the application of these technologies can effectively improve the effects of museum learning has become a major problem perplexing museum learning researchers. In this…

Trauma infiltrates all of society -- including museums. For guests, the trauma may lie in the context of the visit or what they bring with them from their everyday lives. Staff can develop trauma through daily interaction with stressful content or secondary trauma through interaction with traumatized guests. During the COVID19 pandemic, trauma…

Biology and art have been linked throughout history. Early scientists, such as Leonardo de Vinci and John James Audubon, used sketches and painting to document their findings. Even early hominids left evidence of their world through cave art. Histology, the microscopic study of tissues and cells, relies on defining shape and spatial relationships…

In 2015-2016, the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, North Carolina, featured "¡Nuevolution! Latinx and the New South," an interactive exhibit that explored the bidirectional ways Latinx and the US South influence one another. To strengthen the exhibit's impact, LMNS launched a dialogue program aimed at enhancing attendees'…

Socializing and interaction are important aspects for families who visit museums. Mixed reality (MR) uses a set of technologies that museums employ to encourage this behavior, but they face challenges in maintaining family cohesion with experiences across different exhibitions and kiosks. In this paper, we explore these challenges broadly to…

Although visual arts teachers have free access to high quality online artwork images offering them immense teaching resources, making meaningful use of them remains a pedagogical challenge. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition from face-to-face to online teaching caused an immediate need for teachers to enhance their digital competencies…

In this paper, we present SCAMP -- Social Configuration Affordances for Museum Play -- an analytical framework we develop and use to highlight the relationship between designed affordances at interactive museum exhibits and different social playful behaviors they trigger and support. We do this through a selective case study analysis of Rainbow…

Given that conservation education is a primary goal for zoos, it is important to study how changes in exhibit design in the same facility (with the same animals and visitor base) can impact short- and long-term conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behavior (KAB) amongst visitors. However, there is very limited research on this topic. Our goal…

The aim of this paper is to highlight the benefits brought about by a learning-through-the-arts project aimed at creating links between the cultural heritage of students from diverse backgrounds and the fundamental aims of school instruction. Guided by a naturalistic research strategy and the principles of teacher action research, the data was…

A commuter campus library hosted an art exhibit in November 2019 to increase engagement levels of local high school and university students and to involve them in scholarly activities. The exhibit displayed student, faculty, and staff submissions on campus. The library space on campus features comfortable seating and desktop computers, with a…

Community-centered approaches can be effective ways to engage communities and improve their health and well-being. The Grange is a community-led, multifaceted, and dynamic intervention incorporating a community hub and garden, that took place in a small area of the North-West of England, characterized by high levels of deprivation and poor health.…

Research on the impact of guided investigation, including verbal guidance strategies, has expanded in the recent decade, and the current work contributes to this line of research in a museum context. The current in-depth study examines the impact of verbal guidance strategies on family learning at an open-ended museum exhibit, considering…