Att visa en utställning : utställningsformens påverkan på museipedagogers möjlighet att skapa situationer för aktivt lärande
(2019) ABMM74 20191Division of ALM and Digital Cultures
- Abstract
- This master’s thesis studies the way in which museum education officers use different exhibitions when conveying their message to visiting groups. Furthermore, it studies the consequences of this usage in relation to the visitor’s ability to obtain new knowledge. In order to find this out, I have observed school visits in four varied types of exhibitions in museums in the county of Scania in the south of Sweden. The first exhibition tells its story through objects, the second one through texts. The third exhibition tells its story through a combination of objects and texts and in the fourth, the museum teacher uses props in addition to the exhibition itself. Through my observations I have identified four different ways in which the museum... (More)
- This master’s thesis studies the way in which museum education officers use different exhibitions when conveying their message to visiting groups. Furthermore, it studies the consequences of this usage in relation to the visitor’s ability to obtain new knowledge. In order to find this out, I have observed school visits in four varied types of exhibitions in museums in the county of Scania in the south of Sweden. The first exhibition tells its story through objects, the second one through texts. The third exhibition tells its story through a combination of objects and texts and in the fourth, the museum teacher uses props in addition to the exhibition itself. Through my observations I have identified four different ways in which the museum education officers operate within the exhibitions. Firstly, the explanatory role, in which the museum education officer is the focal point of the visitors’ attention. In ways of interpretation, s/he is always between the visitors and the exhibition and acts as a link between the two. Secondly, the supportive role, in which the visitors are focused directly upon the exhibition, while the museum education officer operates from a peripheral position, contributing to the visitors’ interpretation of the exhibition by imparting information, posing questions, and directing the visitors’ attention to different parts of the exhibition. Thirdly, the lecturing role, where the museum education officer operates completely independently of the surrounding exhibition. S/he talks about the same things as the exhibition, but does not make any connection with it. The visitors would have obtained the same information if they had been in a completely different room or place. Finally, the interacting role, in which the visitors, the museum education officer and the exhibition all play an equal part in the creation of knowledge. The authoritative role of the museum education officer disappears, and s/he along with the visitors make one group, taking on the exhibition together. Discussion and questions are key components in this way of showing an exhibition. From a socio-cultural perspective, the most effective educational roles played by the museum education officers are the supportive and the interacting roles. By answering questions raised by the museum education officer, in relation to what the exhibition shows, and by discussing different interpretations, the visitors come up with most of the information themselves when the exhibitions are shown in this way. In order for the visitors to retain as much knowledge as possible from a guided tour of an exhibition, these two methods ought to be applied to a greater extent and, as such, new exhibitions ought to be designed in a way that enables this kind of performance by the museum education officers. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8980912
- author
- Jonsson, Linnea LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- ABMM74 20191
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- museum studies, museum education officer, socio-cultural perspective, learning in the museum, exhibitions
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 8980912
- date added to LUP
- 2019-07-16 13:32:24
- date last changed
- 2019-07-16 13:32:24
@misc{8980912,
abstract = {{This master’s thesis studies the way in which museum education officers use different exhibitions when conveying their message to visiting groups. Furthermore, it studies the consequences of this usage in relation to the visitor’s ability to obtain new knowledge. In order to find this out, I have observed school visits in four varied types of exhibitions in museums in the county of Scania in the south of Sweden. The first exhibition tells its story through objects, the second one through texts. The third exhibition tells its story through a combination of objects and texts and in the fourth, the museum teacher uses props in addition to the exhibition itself. Through my observations I have identified four different ways in which the museum education officers operate within the exhibitions. Firstly, the explanatory role, in which the museum education officer is the focal point of the visitors’ attention. In ways of interpretation, s/he is always between the visitors and the exhibition and acts as a link between the two. Secondly, the supportive role, in which the visitors are focused directly upon the exhibition, while the museum education officer operates from a peripheral position, contributing to the visitors’ interpretation of the exhibition by imparting information, posing questions, and directing the visitors’ attention to different parts of the exhibition. Thirdly, the lecturing role, where the museum education officer operates completely independently of the surrounding exhibition. S/he talks about the same things as the exhibition, but does not make any connection with it. The visitors would have obtained the same information if they had been in a completely different room or place. Finally, the interacting role, in which the visitors, the museum education officer and the exhibition all play an equal part in the creation of knowledge. The authoritative role of the museum education officer disappears, and s/he along with the visitors make one group, taking on the exhibition together. Discussion and questions are key components in this way of showing an exhibition. From a socio-cultural perspective, the most effective educational roles played by the museum education officers are the supportive and the interacting roles. By answering questions raised by the museum education officer, in relation to what the exhibition shows, and by discussing different interpretations, the visitors come up with most of the information themselves when the exhibitions are shown in this way. In order for the visitors to retain as much knowledge as possible from a guided tour of an exhibition, these two methods ought to be applied to a greater extent and, as such, new exhibitions ought to be designed in a way that enables this kind of performance by the museum education officers.}},
author = {{Jonsson, Linnea}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Att visa en utställning : utställningsformens påverkan på museipedagogers möjlighet att skapa situationer för aktivt lärande}},
year = {{2019}},
}