Using Video and Eye-Tracking Methods to Investigate Children's Situational Interest in a Science Museum

• In Event: 32.084 - Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: 32.084-3 - Learning and Teaching in Social and Cultural Contexts: Methodological Insights

Abstract

Situational interest can be evoked by external, environmental stimulus, and then maintained through learning experiences. Informal learning environments, such as museums, have a potential to support and develop situational interest, due to their unique features and plentiful resources. In this regard, we explore how learners interact with these resources and how situational interest were triggered and maintained during in a museum. We collected video and eye-tracking, which can capture learning processes and learners’ conversations, behaviors, and gaze, from a hands-on science museum. Our case study illustrates different behavioral patterns when situational interest was triggered, and interaction patterns when situational interest was maintained. We also provide implications for utility of eye-tracking and video records.

Authors

• Yong Ju Jung, The Pennsylvania State University

• Heather Toomey Zimmerman, The Pennsylvania State University

• Phillip Galinsky, The Pennsylvania State University

• Koraly Perez-Edgar, The Pennsylvania State University