Influences on visitor behavior at a modern immersive zoo exhibit

Ross, Stephen R.; Gillespie, Katie L.

doi:10.1002/zoo.20220

Cited by 57 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Installing interactives and other types of signage in these research centres helps to facilitate an understanding about the work being conducted [1] and provide visitors with a more immersive learning environment [3]. Conveying information through interactive devices is becoming more common in zoo settings [4], as the novelty of such devices can help encourage visitors to dwell longer at exhibits [5] and could provide a good addition to how we currently communicate information to the public.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Public Engagement Activities to Promote Science in a Zoo Environment

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Scientists are increasing their efforts to promote public engagement with their science, but the efficacy of the methods used is often not scientifically evaluated. Here, we designed, installed and evaluated the educational impact of interactive games on touchscreens at two primate research centres based in zoo environments. The games were designed to promote interest in and understanding of primates and comparative psychology, as a scaffold towards interest in science more generally and with the intention of targeting younger individuals (under 16's). We used systematic observational techniques and questionnaires to assess the impact of the games on zoo visitors. The games facilitated increased interest in psychology and science in zoo visitors, and changed the knowledge of visitors, through demonstration of learning about specific scientific findings nested within the games. The impact of such devices was greatest on younger individuals (under 16's) as they were significantly more likely to engage with the games. On the whole, therefore, this study demonstrates that interactive devices can be successful educational tools, and adds to the growing body of evidence that conducting research on public view in zoos can have a tangible impact on public engagement with science.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Public Engagement Activities to Promote Science in a Zoo Environment

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In fact, students spend more time looking at the animals than they do reading related signs and information provided at the exhibit (Ross and Gillespie 2008). Fortunately, their eagerness to see "everything" possible can be put to great use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

The “Science” behind a Successful Field Trip to the Zoo

Scott

Matthews

2011

Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A field trip to the local zoo is often a staple in many elementary school curricula. Many zoos offer free entry to local teachers and their students. Teachers take students on field trips to enrich the curriculum, make connections to what students are learning in school, and provide students with meaningful learning experiences (Kisiel 2007). However, teachers often struggle to find a balance between allowing students the opportunity to freely explore exhibits of their choice for their preferred time periods and making students adhere to a rigid lesson that limits their opportunities to wonder and discover but reinforces or introduces content that fits their curriculum. By providing students with opportunities to explore and develop their science process skills through multidisciplinary lessons, teachers can help students funnel their curiosity into meaningful learning experiences. The following lessons are examples of how to incorporate student curiosity and excitement about animals into grade-level appropriate activities for students before, during, and after zoo field trips. Each activity takes place over three class sessions, ranging from 30 min to 1 hr per session. The activities are divided into three grade levels: K-1, 2-3, and 4-5.It is essential that the teacher be familiar with the layout of the zoo and knows how he or she would like to plan these activities for students. Fortunately, many zoos will allow a teacher to visit at no charge prior to a class field trip. I recommend contacting one's local zoo to find out if it is possible to visit ahead of a scheduled class trip. Doing a pre-visit will allow the teacher to determine what will be reasonable for students to accomplish during a field trip. The teacher will also be able to look for key markers for each activity, such as signs at the exhibits describing the animals and their habitats, exhibits that are closed or unavailable for student observations, restroom stops, first aid stations, and central meeting points for groups. Teachers are encouraged to try out the activities and develop a reasonable timeline and schedule for the field-trip day, taking into consideration how large the zoo is, whether or not transportation between exhibits is available, and how long and far the walk is between exhibits.

show abstract

“…The London Zoo offers a suitable setting for the investigation of the relationship between family visitor motivation and the observable aspects of their visit strategies through smartphones two reasons: the availability of a relatively well-developed body of research on the family visit experience to zoos in general (Bruni et al 2008, Falk et al 2007, Ross and Gillespie 2009, Rosenfeld 1981, Yocco et al 2010 and the London Zoo specifically (Tunnicliffe et al 1997) and also the possibility to use GPS effectively for location tracking. According to the literature, a core ingredient of the visit experience is the family's own agenda about what the visit will hold, which incorporates prior knowledge and cultural itineraries.…”

Section: London Zoo Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Conducting Visitor Studies Using Smartphone-Based Location Sensing

Moussouri

Roussos

2015

J. Comput. Cult. Herit.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Visitor studies explore human experiences within museums, cultural heritage sites and other informal learning settings to inform decisions. Smartphones offer novel opportunities for extending the depth and breadth of visitor studies while considerably reducing their cost and their demands on specialist human resources. By enabling the collection of significantly higher volumes of data they also make possible the application of advanced machine learning and visualization techniques potentially leading to the discovery of new patterns and behaviors that cannot be captured by simple descriptive statistics. In this paper we present a principled approach to the use of smartphones for visitor studies in particular proposing a structured methodology and associated methods that enable its effective use in this context. We discuss specific methodological considerations that have to be addressed for effective data collection, pre-processing and analysis, and identify the limitations in the applicability of these tools using family visits to the London Zoo as a case study. We conclude with a discussion of the wider opportunities afforded by the introduction of smartphones and related technologies and outline the steps towards establishing them as a standard tool for visitor studies.

show abstract

Influences on visitor behavior at a modern immersive zoo exhibit

Cited by 57 publications

References 26 publications

Evaluation of Public Engagement Activities to Promote Science in a Zoo Environment

Evaluation of Public Engagement Activities to Promote Science in a Zoo Environment

The “Science” behind a Successful Field Trip to the Zoo

Conducting Visitor Studies Using Smartphone-Based Location Sensing

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About