Adapting Museum Visitors as Participants Benefits their Learning Experience?

Abstract

Public participation such as visitor satisfaction was directly related to experience of learning and discovery and involvement in motivating learning behaviour at the museum. This will enhancing museum in direction shaping a sustainable future as the museums as institutions for lifelong learning. How visitors learn in museums, will be given us a set of very practical strategies and tools for designing exhibits. This paper reports a current status of a study focusing on Research Framework (RF) towards an adult visitors' learning within informal education setting through museum exhibitions, which is a part of on-going doctoral research programme that correlated with the museum management in Malaysia.

Adult learning for social change in museums: An exploration of sociocultural learning approaches to community engagement

“…Grenier (2010) found that personal interest and need are critical factors that influence teachers’ participation in learning activities in museums. Ahmad, Abbas, Yusof, and Taib (2015) further argue that museums need a strategic plan for improving visitors’ learning by actively addressing their needs. In other words, museums should incorporate community perspectives into their overall agendas, specific exhibitions, and collections practices (Chang, 2006).…”

“…Most theoretical and empirical contemporary studies, however, analyse learning at the individual level of a specific group, such as visitors and staff. This viewpoint has resulted in many empirical studies relevant to adult learning and/or ALSCE in museums using an individual’s learning as a unit of analysis for their study (Ahmad et al., 2015; Buffington, 2008; Gray & Chadwick, 2001; Grek, 2009; Grenier, 2009, 2010; Hume & Mills, 2011; Packer & Ballantyne, 2005; Sachatello-Sawyer & Fellenz, 2000). Given the idea that adult learning and/or ALSCE in museums can occur in dynamic interactions among stakeholders, this emphasis on the individual may limit our understandings of learning phenomena in museums.…”

“…Moreover, some studies still focus on the learning of visitors or community members (Ahmad, 2015; Gray & Chadwick, 2001; Grek, 2009; Hume & Mills, 2011; Mgijima & Buthelezi, 2006; Munro, 2013; Packer & Ballantyne, 2005), even though museums are also an important learning space for workers (Ash, 2014; Saladino, 2012). Adult learning in museums, in fact, can take place through various interactions among visitors, volunteers, curators, tour guides, and/or educators and their diverse participation in informal and educational settings (Gray & Chadwick, 2001; Grenier, 2009; Rubin, 2001; Silverstein, 2001).…”

“…When considering situated learning and CHAT, museums can make efforts to create long-term community projects that include diverse stakeholders to address social and/or community issues (Ahmad, 2015). In addition, they can create meaningful collaborative activities, exhibitions, and programmes with community members to promote the ALSCE of all participants, including themselves (Goulborn, 2001;Kelly, 2004;Oliver, 2011;Sachatello-Sawyer & Fellenz, 2000;Sheppard, 2000).…”

Family Decision Making on Cultural Heritage

“…Museum learning shapes children's understanding about museum collection and the overall learning experience (Shamsidar, Abbas, Yusof & Taib, 2014). Despite the benefits, parents prefer spending time with their children in other leisure activities rather than in cultural variants (Lupu, Laurentiu & Norel 2013).…”