Display's Organization and Exhibits' Characteristic: Relation to Students' Learning in a History Museum (Poster 14)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Nine
  In Poster Session: Learning Environments for Formal and Informal Education

Abstract

Few investigations of museum learning examined relations between the setting arrangements
and learning outcomes. We focused on the relation between the museum exhibition spatial
organization and its exhibits’ characteristics and students’ learning outcomes, as a part of a
broader research. Seventh-eighth graders experienced a short self-guided visit in two spaces
of a history museum. The spaces presented two historical events, differing in their display
organization and artifacts characteristics. Students’ constructed knowledge was examined
using pre- and post-visit questionnaires and mixed method was applied for analyzing
students’ responses. Two major relations were found between the exhibition design and
students’ learning: (a) the relevancy of the topic to students’ world, and (b) the organization
of the exhibition around large and dominant exhibits.

Authors

• Billie Eilam, University of Haifa
  Presenting Author

• Merav yosfan, University of Haifa of Israel
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joel Lanir, University of Haifa
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alan Wecker, University of Haifa
  Non-Presenting Author