Visitor and Interpreter Connections: The Role of Free Play Space in an Informal Learning Environment

• In Event: 42.072 - Observational Methodologies Across Informal Learning Spaces

Abstract

Objectives. This study is designed to investigate the interaction between zoo visitors and interpretive staff as they engage in shared activity and discussion. The goal of the study is to examine (a) how visitor engagement with an exhibit and free play space changes when an interpreter is present or not present, and (b) how interpreters’ behavior leads to the observed changes in visitor engagement.

Perspectives. While visitor activity has long been a focus of evaluation in informal contexts (e.g. zoos, museums), research has also begun to include the impact of interpreters, front-line educators who facilitate visitor activity. Interpreters have the potential to make connections between visitors and surrounding exhibit resources, drive visitor curiosity, incorporate learning goals, and help scaffold rich forms of play and interaction. The benefit of interpretation can be seen in terms of visitor engagement, increasing involvement with ideas and behaviors supported by an exhibit along multiple dimensions—physical, emotional, intellectual, and social.

Setting. Data collection is based in the Farm-in-the-Zoo (FITZ) at Lincoln Park Zoo, an area focused on farm animals and rural life. In particular, the Main Barn at FITZ is a free play area with a variety of interactives—such as an egg incubator, a puppet show, and a planting game—which are facilitated by interpreters on a rotating basis. The Main Barn constitutes a rich context for observing visitor/interpreter interactions due to the large number of families, the range of structure provided by interactives, and the thematic variety of interpretation that takes place.

Techniques & Modes of Inquiry. For this study, researchers used observational and interview methods to record multiple perspectives on interpreter/visitor interactions. Both interpreter and visitor behavior is captured through running records of interaction. Interpreter observations are structured by an engagement rubric that emphasizes particular behaviors related to exhibit content, discursive moves, and physical movement. Visitor observations, on the other hand, are used to compare their interactions with both exhibits that are facilitated by interpreters, and those that are not. These observations are complemented by interviews of both interpreters and visitors that provide contextualizing information about their recorded behavior.

Results. Preliminary results can help the zoo understand how visitors’ experiences are enhanced by interacting with interpreters, as well as how the zoo can take institutional action towards better interacting with zoo audiences. This study will also help shape the design of free play spaces, especially around how visitors engage with these spaces compared to other areas of the zoo.

Significance. The importance of this study comes from its contribution to informal learning research, by its dual focus on visitor and interpreter activity. This work aims to identify the links between interpreters’ facilitative choices, and the immediate effects that they have on visitor engagement. Generally, studies will focus either on interpreters or visitors, rather than trying to show how the two groups’ behaviors are connected.

Authors

• Manda Smith, Lincoln Park Zoo

• Brian Slattery, University of Illinois at Chicago