[Conversations, interactions and emotional reactions during family visits to QuitoZoo, Ecuador]

This qualitative, exploratory study aimed to deepen knowledge about family experience at zoos. By analyzing conversations, interactions and emotions, we sought to understand how family groups build strategies and interpret the meaning of the visit. Nine family groups participated in the recordings at QuitoZoo. The material was uploaded to Dedoose software and categorized according to a pre-established protocol, followed by the analysis of the perceptual, biological, and connection categories. The family members interacted and discussed scientific topics that reflected emotions and connections. They used cognitive engagement strategies and constructed meanings from their experience at the exhibit, which can aid learning and lead, in the long term, to develop conservation values.