Falk why zoos and aquariums matter

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You already recently rated this item. Your rating has been recorded. Write a review Rate this item: 1 2 3 4 5. Preview this item Preview this item. Subjects Zoos -- United States -- Public opinion. Zoos -- Environmental aspects -- United States. Zoo visitors -- Surveys.

Unlike demographic variables, Personal Context variables have the potential to predict changes in visitor knowledge and conservation attitudes. Testing this latter assumption represented a major part of this investigation. To understand the complexity of adult learning in zoos and aquariums, we needed to capture the essence of what motivates visitors so we could better predict what they might gain from their visit.

Only then might we develop an understanding of how time spent at a zoo or aquarium impacts visitors. Our study set out to make a fundamental contribution towards a nationally shared comprehension of the role and impact of zoos and aquariums in facilitating enhanced public understanding of animals and their conservation.

To achieve that, we sought to answer the following research questions: 6. To create a generalizable model and measure of zoo and aquarium cognitive and affective learning, we set up the study in two phases. The first focused on understanding something about the nature of the visitors who come to zoos and aquariums; in particular their motivations for visiting. The second phase focused on measuring changes in visitor s short and long-term conservation-related knowledge and attitudes.

We believe that these two studies represent seminal research that will have long-lasting and large-scale benefits for the zoo and aquarium community as well as for the broader free-choice learning community. Phase I Methodogy We ve learned that visitor demographics by themselves are not that helpful in telling us what knowledge and attitudes visitors bring with them during a visit, and how they might change afterwards.

Previous free-choice learning research by Falk and Storksdieck found that the motivations individuals have for visiting free-choice learning institutions appear to be identity-related. Although, in theory, visitors to such institutions could possess an infinite number of identity-related visit motivations, the motivations of the vast majority of visitors appeared to cluster around just a few identity-related reasons.

Falk further postulated that these identity-related motivations were multi-dimensional and effectively encapsulated many previously identified important entering-visitor variables such as prior knowledge, prior interest, visitor agenda, social group and prior experience. In Phase I of this investigation we set out to test this hypothesis within the context of zoos and aquariums.

To do this, we designed an instrument to measure zoo and aquarium visitors identity-related motivations. We began by generating items representing the five different identity-related motivational factors. We tested these items and formats at four zoos and four aquariums using traditional methods and statistical techniques of instrument development. At the end of Phase I, we identified several items for clarification and retesting.

In addition to forming a key measure in our Phase II study, we believe these measures can be used as a robust way to capture this important independent variable in a wide variety of future research.

The complete methodological approach is included in the Appendix. Phase II Methodology We collected data in Phase II of the study to answer a range of research questions related to conservation learning resulting from a general adult visitor s experiences at a zoo or aquarium. The four sites utilized in the study two zoos and two aquariums represented the broader zoo and aquarium community.

We wanted to capture the most generalizable picture possible of the conservation knowledge of zoo and aquarium visitors as they enter and as they exit, as well as the responses, purposes, and general outcomes of their visit. A random sample of 1, adults across all four sites completed pre- and post-visit instruments. The research instruments used in the study were designed to measure visitors identity-related visit motivations as well as a range of conservation-related cognitive and affective variables identified as key to the study.

It listed 20 statements representing four examples from each of the five key identity-related motivations common to zoo and aquarium visitors. Visitors selected the five statements that best explained why they chose to visit the zoo or aquarium on that particular day; and then ranked each of the selected five statements in importance on a seven-point Likert-type scale.

Cognitive Measure Development Collaborating with senior professionals from the zoo and aquarium community, we developed 10 broadknowledge messages and 10 outcome messages that professionals believed their zoo or aquarium strives to communicate to the public.

Synthesizing these responses into three constructs of biodiversity, habitat, and ecosystems, we then developed test items and pilot-tested them. The final instrument consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions. Affective Response Measure We determined the affective response to the visit by asking visitors to respond to a series of 13 items on an exit survey; each of the exit-only questions required visitors to indicate, on a seven-point Likert-type scale, their level of agreement with statements that related to their attitudes towards 1 conservation; 2 their ability to effect change; and 3 the role played by zoos and aquariums in promoting conservation.

We also asked visitors to reflect on how they perceived they would have answered the same items before their visit to the zoo or aquarium retrospective-pre. Just prior to entering the zoo or aquarium, we asked visitors to share their thoughts about a specific prompt: the words Zoo Conservation or Aquarium Conservation. Upon exiting the zoo or aquarium, these visitors were asked to add to, subtract from, or otherwise modify any thoughts they had shared previously on the subject.

Reflective Tracking Study We wanted to see if visitors entering identity-related motivations affected the ways they behaved during their visit. We could not conduct a true tracking study as part of this investigation because of both the extensive visit times and large numbers of the subjects. Instead, we created a reflective tracking approach that built upon the free-choice nature of the zoo and aquarium visits.

A random sample of visitors was intercepted by researchers as they entered the zoo or aquarium and invited to participate in this part of the investigation. Comparable to our standard protocol, one adult within each social group who agreed to participate completed the pre-visit instruments knowledge and motivations. Upon leaving the zoo or aquarium, the visitors identified themselves to the researcher and were given a map of the zoo or aquarium.

Individuals then described where they went and what they did. We followed up visitor responses by asking additional questions designed to help us understand what motivated them to make the visit decisions they made. We also designed parallel instruments for use either by telephone or consisting of a series of open-ended questions.

The questions were designed to assess visitors recall of the particular visit seven to eleven months subsequent to the visit. Visitors were asked to recall: salient events if any from the day; motivations for the visit; if those motivations changed for any reason during the visit; and how they perceived the visit affected their knowledge and attitudes. Results and Findings Our three-year visitor impact study found that a visit to an accredited zoo or aquarium in North America has a measurable impact on the conservation attitudes and understanding of adult visitors.

Overall, we found that: Visitors arrive at zoos and aquariums with specific identity-related motivations and these motivations directly impact how they conduct their visit and what meaning they make from the experience. Overall, visitors bring with them a higher-than-expected knowledge about basic ecological concepts. However because of the higher than expected entering knowledge of most visitors, there were no statistically significant changes in overall knowledge.

Identity-Related Motivations We had hypothesized that it should be possible to segment visitors as a function of their identity-related entering motivations. The results suggest that it was indeed possible to segment visitors using this framework.

However, all five of the major identity-related motivations were well represented in the sample. A different profile of motivations was found at each of the four institutions with the two zoos having fairly similar profiles. The profile of the two aquariums differed, but these differences may have been due to the fact that data were collected in different seasons rather than representing a real difference in the profiles of aquarium visitors.

Unfortunately, we cannot know from this study. The study strongly supported the hypothesis that visitor s identity-related motivations subsumed a variety of entering Personal Context variables. Individuals with differing degrees of prior knowledge, interest, beliefs and attitudes tended to cluster into different identity-related motivational groups. An interesting result of the study was that grouping visitors by identity-related motivations did appear to provide significant insights into in-institution behaviors and both short and long-term post-visit outcomes.

In fact, segmenting visitors by identity-related motivations Explorers, Facilitators, et al provided the best way to understand both what visitors did in the institution as well as the short and long-term meaning they made from the experience.

This finding has important ramifications for both future research and educational practice. Gains in Knowledge Overall, zoo and aquarium visitors have a broad range of knowledge and know more about major ecological concepts before they visit than we thought; consequently there was no overall statistically significant change in understanding seen. This is not to say that the other visitors do not learn from their visit.

For example, we knew from previous studies that after a visit, people who visit a zoo or aquarium often know more about specific animals or exhibits. Because we were striving in this study for changes in visitors general conservation knowledge, we did not measure the specific knowledge that visitors might have acquired from an individual zoo or aquarium.

If we had sought to measure this kind of knowledge, we very likely would have found significant visitor gains. Changes in Attitudes Importantly, the data showed that most visitors leave the zoo or aquarium thinking differently about their role in environmental problems. Data from the Personal Meaning Mapping exercise strongly reinforced the affective findings described above.

Long-term Learning and Attitudes We know that a visit to a zoo or aquarium does result in changes in visitor learning, attitudes and behaviors. Yet, these changes can only be partially understood by collecting data immediately after the experience, while the visitor is still at the zoo or aquarium. Nearly a year after their zoo or aquarium visit, virtually all participants could talk about their visit and remember a number of details about the experience. Section Two: Implications for Zoos and Aquariums Zoos and aquariums do make a difference in the conservation knowledge and attitudes of visitors.

How do we build on that knowledge to enhance zoo and aquarium conservation goals and connect those goals The summary report from a large-scale survey of California elementary schools serving low-income students Some people.

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