What is This Exhibit Showing You?

Abstract

What meaning visitors make from their interactions with science center exhibits—and how they do so—is an issue of enduring interest in the field of learning in informal contexts. In order to explore what resources schoolchildren bring to bear in making meaning, this study used video clips taken during school trips to prompt reflection in stimulated recall interviews. The results indicated that students utilized their existing science understandings to interpret and explain their interactions with exhibits. Such findings provide evidence for the educative value of the experience as well as raising questions as to how these interactions can be scaffolded—both during the visit and after—to promote further learning.