The Impact of the Museum Experience for Parents and Young Children

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Summary:
This qualitative study was designed to examine the experience of parents and their young children (Ages 3-5) interacting in a children’s museum space, and how much, if any, of the experience they may take with them beyond the walls of the museum. Findings indicate that the perspective of the parent on play and learning may have an impact on the boundary crossing. Implication for how museums may facilitate more impactful learning experiences are discussed.

Overview:
Some of the most important learning opportunities for young children occur with a parent or caregiver in informal learning environments (ILEs). This study examined the experience of parents of young children while visiting a children's museum, and how their own visitor identity and ideas about play and learning could impact their shared experience with their child in the museum space, and what, if any, transfer may occur beyond the museum visit. Findings indicate that the parents’ perspectives on play and learning impact how they perceive their children’s transfer of learning between the museum and home environments.
Beyond transfer of specific facts or content knowledge, learning at the museum may have a broader impact for young children and their parents that they may bring to the context of the home. This study contributes to the literature on parent-child learning in museums by examining how museums may facilitate more impactful learning experiences for parents and their young children.

Methods
This study was field-based, video data was collected in a museum setting, and through interviews with parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents before and after the museum visit, and audio recordings were collected of the conversations between dyads on the car ride home from the museum. Site observations were conducted at a local children’s museum that emphasizes learning through play, something that is explored in this study. The participants in this study were dyads of parents and young children. I was able to obtain complete data sets from three parent-child dyads.

Findings and Implications
In this study, parents came to the children’s museum with their own identity and interests as a visitor, and their own ideas about play and learning. They also had their own ideas about how they wanted their child to experience the museum, which may differ from that of their child. Perception of transfer that occurred varied across participants, and may be tied to the parent’s own perspective on the relationship between play and learning. Findings indicate that ideas that the parent comes in to the museum with- about their own identity, about the relationship between play and learning, about the kind of museum experience they want their child to have, will affect their perception of the value of the museum, during and after the visit. This could contribute to an understanding of how the museum visit could extend to impact on activities at home, and how museums can better engage with parents and caregivers.

Author

• Emily Holm Tobin, University of Washington
  Presenting Author