We are recording and analyzing conversations between parents and young children visiting a natural history museum.
Museums are ideal settings to study children's socialization into science.
Images of museums as hushed, dusty collections of arcane artifacts are yielding to the view that museums should be lively, fun settings that encourage social interaction and provide varied opportunities for learning. Information in museums is carefully presented in ways that both respect scientific rigor and engage visitors' curiosity and interest. And, although little is known about processes of learning in museums, museum professionals and others concerned with informal learning are increasingly recognizing the importance of social aspects of visitors' experience. Click here for a full description of this study. About the study Click here for a full description of this study.