Visitor Meaning‐Making at Grand Canyon's Tusayan Museum and Ruin

Abstract

Meaning‐making describes a process by which visitors transform museum experiences into new knowledge and memories. Meaning‐making is influenced by visitors' leisure motivations, prior knowledge, socio‐cultural context brought to the experience, personally‐guided interpretation, and events since the visit. In this study, visitors' long‐term recollections included contextual references to how and why they remembered what they experienced. Forty visitors were interviewed by telephone six months after attending a Native American interpretive program at Grand Canyon National Park's Tusayan Museum. Two patterns associated with a constructivist view of meaning‐making were discerned: a) visitors' integration of indoor and outdoor exhibits and b) visitors' comparisons of modern family and community with a more ancient culture. The presence of contextual indicators within visitor recall suggests that new knowledge may be constructed from factors carried forth from the meaning‐making process. Evidence within the data suggests that exhibits made more relevant to visitors' socio‐cultural identity may enhance on‐site experiences.

Interpretation, meaning-making, and civic engagement at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

“…People learn actively by negotiating meaning, and their background and prior experiences influence how and what they learn (Benton, 2008;Falk & Dierking, 1992;Hein, n.d., 1991Hein, n.d., , 1998Vygotsky, 1978). Von Glasersfeld (2005) elaborates that a scrutiny of meaning leads to individual experience and the social aspect of integrating the links between language and that experience.…”

“…Topics such as reproduction, birth, death, competition and conflict, sickness, and social relationships are emotional areas for most humans" (p. 89). Therefore, the themes that are understood by and connect with the audience best are those that connect tangible artifacts with emotional universal concepts (Benton, 2008). Tilden's (1957) final principle of interpretation concentrates on interpretation for children.…”

“…Silverman's findings emphasize the social nature of learning and meaning making. Benton (2008) Russell-Ciardi (2008) there is no consensus about the terms, but they note that the National Park Service (NPS) defines civic engagement as "'a continuous, dynamic conversation with the public on many levels and a commitment to building sustainable relationships with communities of interest'" (p. 10). The NPS also characterizes civic engagement as "'a focus of current efforts at partnering with communities, expanding our educational agenda, and working with communities and partners'" (Linenthal, 2008, p. 5).…”

An Exploration of Learning in A Living History Museum: Family Groups, Costumed Interpreters, their Interactions, and the Making of Meaning

“…Other how-to manuals on technique exist (e.g., Roth, 1998;Beck & Cable, 2002;Bridal, 2004), offering strategies and guidelines for practice that are based on vetted interpretive philosophy and learning theory. The small number of research studies that have been conducted suggest that making an emotional connection with the audience and linking interpretation with visitors' previous experiences and prior knowledge are hallmarks of effective interpretation (Gross & Zimmerman, 2002;Ballantyne, 2003;Benton, 2008).…”

“…This particular use of prior knowledge aligns with Tilden's first principle that "any interpretation that does not somehow relate what is being displayed or described to something within the personality or experience of the visitor will be sterile" (Tilden, 1957 as quoted in Gross & Zimmerman, 2002, p. 273). Research has shown the use of prior knowledge to connect with visitors is considered critical for successful interpretation (Gross & Zimmerman, 2002;Ballantyne, 2003;Benton, 2008).…”