layout: post title: Research Report —
The paper considers the implication of three crucial characteristics of learning: its personal nature, that it’s contextualized, and that it takes time, on researching museum learning. Psychologically analyzing the learning process is essential to considering the impact museums have on people’s lives. Because learning within the scope of the museum experience is ultimately free-choice and self-motivated, it is essentially individual and unique to each person. This means that research must “see through the eyes of the visitor” (Rennie et al). Previous research also indicates that variables of where visitors are, with whom they interact, and the nature of their interaction are part of the learning experience at a museum. Learning occurs within context, which includes the personal, social, and physical. Because of the breadth of contexts, researchers must consider a broader view of the visit experience, which requires a range of research designs and methodologies. Learning requires time and reflection, which means that investigations on the impact of museums on learning must also take place over time. The paper suggests conducting longitudinal studies that follow users before, during, and after the museum experience.
The research described in this paper parallels our user research and validates our supported primary tasks. One of our main findings was that the experience must be customizable, which is the same point as learning being personal. The implication of this concept and needing to research from the visitor’s perspective was accomplished through our semi-structured interviews. Learning occurring within the context of the museum visit was another one of our findings that motivated the inclusion of a museum profile and real-time map. The social context they consider is another one of our findings that resulted in our project supporting the primary task of allowing users to discuss artworks with others. The multi-faceted contextual factors involved in learning require creative, diverse research methods, which, in our project, took the form of not only observational studies and contextual inquiries of museum-goers but also interviews with those not in a museum. What our project did not directly take into consideration was the factor of time with respect to the museum learning process. However, our project also did not allow for the time and resources to be able to conduct a longitudinal study. The research and design of our project not only aligns with the conclusions of this paper but also improves upon what the paper discusses by implementing them in the form of a viable, applicable solution. Reading this paper brings to light the merits of conducting literature research, as reviewing this paper could have saved us from having to conduct our own research and allowed us to further investigate a more specific user concern.
## Works Cited Rennie, Léonie J., and David J. Johnston. 2004. “The Nature of Learning and Its Implications for Research on Learning from Museums.” Science Education 88 (S1): S4–S16. 10.1002/sce.20017.