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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Supporting parent-child conversations in a history museum
Harriet R Tenenbaum1, Jess Prior, Catherine L Dowling
1Kingston University, Kingston-upon-Thames, UK. h.tenenbaum@kingston.ac.uk
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|September 2, 2009
Summary
Museums enhance family learning through exhibits. Activity booklets and backpacks significantly boosted parent-child engagement and conversation during museum visits, particularly historical talk for children.
Area of Science:
- Family Learning
- Museum Education
- Social Development
Background:
- Museums offer valuable opportunities for families to explore social concepts through exhibits.
- Parent-child conversations about museum exhibits are key to learning.
- Cultural and history museums serve as educational resources for families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate methods for enhancing parent-child engagement with museum exhibits.
- To assess the impact of activity-based interventions on family interactions at two specific exhibits.
- To compare the effectiveness of different support materials (backpacks vs. booklets) in a museum setting.
Main Methods:
- Families visiting two British Museum exhibits were divided into three groups: backpack activities, booklet activities, or control (no props).
- Data collection involved observing and recording parent-child interactions and conversations during exhibit visits.
- A total of 58 families participated in the study.
Main Results:
- Interventions (backpacks and booklets) increased parent-child engagement time compared to the control group.
- Adults in intervention groups asked more exhibit-related questions.
- Children engaged in more historical talk when using activity booklets.
Conclusions:
- Providing activity booklets or backpacks can enhance parent-child conversations and engagement at museum exhibits.
- These supports may facilitate deeper learning experiences for families.
- Museum interventions can be tailored to encourage specific types of interaction and learning.
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