What Do Visitors Experience When We Design to Encourage "Productive Struggle" in Science Museum Exhibits?

• In Event: Museum Experiences Through the Eyes of Visitors and Staff

Abstract

This study investigated emotional experiences of 105 visitors ages 10-17 who interacted with one of three science museum exhibits purposefully designed to elicit productive struggle (PS). Emotion was measured using a convergent mixed-methods design, including self-report ratings of the extent to which 13 emotions were experienced, and qualitative narrative data generated through guided recall activities. Results indicated that most visitors experienced the constellation of emotions characteristic of PS, and that PS took on varied forms. Experiences of PS were generally unrelated to individual characteristics, though differences emerged between the exhibits. When we attend to emotional complexity in exhibit design, diverse learners can persist through and productively resolve struggle, revealing opportunities for effortful learning reflecting the whole of visitors’ emotional selves.

Authors

• Sarah May, Museum of Science, Boston

• Samantha G Daley, University of Rochester

• Katie Todd, Museum of Science, Boston

• Gabrielle Rappolt-Schlichtmann, EdTogether, Inc.