Learning Talk and Museum Signage at an Informal Science Exhibit (Poster 47)

• In Event: Saturday Poster Sessions 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Informal Learning Research Poster Session

Abstract

Contemporary sociocultural research has underscored the importance of visitor conversations for learning in informal contexts. Much of this research, however, focuses on how parents scaffold their children’s learning or how museum staff can enhance visitor experiences (Callanan et al., 2017; Scalfi et al., 2022). The extant literature remains unclear about the nature of conversations between young adolescents in these settings or how built-in exhibit scaffolds might facilitate those conversations. Using Allen’s (2002) learning talk framework, this design-based research study examines the interactions between middle school students and their use of signage at an informal science exhibit. The findings herein suggest that particular elements of exhibit signage may promote more frequent conceptual engagement with exhibit content.

Authors

• Ross Ramsey, University of South Carolina

• Leah Metcalf, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Slki Narae Lim, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Mengyi Mao, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Janice L. Anderson, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Jill V. Hamm, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill