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Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project THE OUTDOOR LIVING HIStoRY MUSEUM INTERPRETATION RESEARCH PROJECT F INAL TECHNICAL REPO rt . MA R CH 2009 Conducted by: Association of State and Local History Institute for Learning Innovation Conner Prairie Living History Museum Old Sturbridge Village Supported by a leadership grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 2 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 Table of Contents A. Executive Summary 5 B. Introduction 9 Acknowledgements 11 Background and Justification 12 Purpose & Objectives 13 Literature Review 14 C. Project Description: Phase One 19 Exploration of Key Concepts 20 Development of Theatre Script and Control Elements 32 Selection of Interpreters 39 Development of Research Schedule 40 D. Project Description: Phase Two 41 Research Design 42 Implementation of Interpretive Models 46 On-Site Data Collection 48 E. Project Description: Phase Three 51 Follow-up Data Collection with Visitors 52 Data Coding and Analysis 52 Interpreter Interviews 53 F. Findings 59 Visitor Demographics 61 Site Demographics 61 The Visitor’s Experience 62 Clustering of Best Practices 64 Findings by Interpretive Method 66 Relationships Among Various Visitor Outcomes 74 Relationships Between Visitor Demographics and Outcomes 75 Differences Across Interpretive Methods 77 G. Discussion and Recommendations 83 Which Interpretive Method Won? 85 Were the Best Practices Used in this Study Truly Best Practices? 87 Moving Through The Interpretive Experience 90 Participating in the Project Changed Peoples Lives 92 Connecting with the Past is Key to the Future 92 Recommendations for Future Research 94 H. Dissemination to Date 95 I. References 99 J. Appendix 105 Listing of Documents 107 3 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 4 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 A. Executive Summary 5 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 “If you don’t learn from the past, you are bound to repeat it. History helps people learn, be hopeful, make better choices; it makes for a better world.” This research project was conducted by the Association Innovation collected visitor data on-site, using of State and Local History, the Institute for Learning observation, interview, written questionnaire Innovation, Conner Prairie Living History Museum, techniques, and during two follow-up telephone and Old Sturbridge Village. It was supported by a interviews at two weeks and three months after leadership grant from the Institute for Museum and participation. Library Services. Key variables of the study measured on-site Outdoor living history museums have been included: visitor and site demographics, visitor popular destinations for more than a century and motivations for attendance, interpretive method currently hold a significant place on the museum and best practices experienced by the visitor, landscape. Yet little research has been conducted visitor behavior, visitor reactions, knowledge, in outdoor living history museums to understand connection to the past, intentions to gain more visitor motivations, outcomes, the relationship of knowledge and skills, intentions to share the visit outcomes to interpretive format, the relationship with others, intentions to do something as follow- of outcomes to motivations, and the long-term up and their top three outcomes. Variables outcomes of the experience at outdoor living measured during two follow-up interviews history museums. included: reactions to their experience, knowledge gained at the site, current connection This research study was designed to address these to the past, behavior related to gaining more gaps in order to better understand and improve knowledge and skills, sharing the visit with others visitor experience and outcomes at living history and doing something as follow-up. In addition sites. There were two key components of this to collecting visitor data, researchers interviewed research study. The first was the creation of three interpreters and site coordinators to gain their Interpretive Models: 1st Person, 3rd Person, and a perspectives on the methods, best practices, version of traditional Museum Theatre. Second, visitor outcomes, and impacts on their own the project identified and incorporated a number professional practice. of best practices within all three interpretive models. Major goals for the research were to: The Research • Confirm proposed Best Practices, their The research project team implemented each relationships to one another, and identify interpretive method at each of two sites, Conner related visitor outcomes Prairie Living History Museum, Fishers, IN and • Identify how visitor outcomes, measured Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA during immediately, at two weeks, and at three both summer and autumn seasons of 2007. months, vary within and between the three Researchers from the Institute for Learning interpretive models 6 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 Findings Related to Best Practices Emotive Best Practices include the techniques Best practices statistically clustered into four that personalize the interpretive experience and groups that seemed to represent the degree to bring historical characters or composites to life. which a visitor must use higher order thinking They relate mostly to learning and connection. and greater emotional empathy to meaningfully There was actually an inverse relationship participate in the interpretation. The clusters between the use of these best practices and doing were categorized as sensory, cognitive, emotive, something short and long term to follow-up on and empathic. Even the visit and sharing though the empathic with others. These best cluster, use of themes, practices appear to be THE R ESUL T S O F T HIS requires the most what help make the sophisticated and R ESEA R CH S T UDY O ff E R A visitor transition from complex type of WEAL T H O F NEW IDEAS F O R history in general to ‘my participation from the history’. IN T E R P R E T E R S , M ANAGE R S , visitor, other clusters of best practices appeared P R OG R A M DI R EC T O R S AND Upon examining the to lay the groundwork O T HE R S IN T E R ES T ED IN Empathic Best Practices, for the successful use the use of themes to I M P R OVING T HE F IELD O F of themes. Interpreters attain outcomes, the would find it difficult OU T DOO R LIVING HIS T O R Y findings suggest the more to offer a themed MUSEU M S . THE S T UDY a visitor interacted with experience without one or more themes, ALSO P R ESEN T S WELL -T ES T ED using many of the the more they enjoyed other best practices IDEAS AND P R AC T ICES IN A the visit, were able to during the interpretive NEW CON T EX T AND fr O M A connect to the past, experience. The theme shared their experiences fr ESH PE R SPEC T IVE . emerges when an with others and had long- interpreter combines term retention of what historical objects, they learned during the spaces, facts, and characters to create a story filled visit. And the more a visitor interacted with an with issues that have both historical and current interpreter, the more they experienced themes. relevance. This study hints at the suggestion that themes do not happen without live interpretation. The use of best practices related to visitor outcomes. Sensory Best Practices were related to visitor intentions to do something as follow-up to Findings Related to Interpretive Methods the visit. They were also related to actually doing and Visitor Outcomes something as follow-up. In terms of learning, there was short-term retention of learning at two Findings of the study suggest there are weeks but at three months, there was actually differences across methods for some visitor an inverse relationship (the more the visitor outcomes, but not all of them. Examining the experienced this cluster of best practices, the less trends in levels of outcomes across three different knowledge they retained at three months). time periods, on-site, at two weeks and at three months, provided the best understanding of Cognitive Best Practices related to immediate how methods relate to visitor outcomes. For learning and short-term retention of knowledge, example, on-site measures of learning were high doing something as follow-up to the visit and for all three methods but the data for 3rd Person sharing the visit with others. They also related to and Theatre showed a steady downward trend feeling connected to the past at the time of the across the three time periods while data from visit, at two weeks and at three months. visitors experiencing 1st Person formed a ‘U’ 7 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 The Outdoor Living History Museum Interpretation Research Project . Technical Report . March 2009 shaped curve when learning plotted over time. other, the two sites, the themes, and the story There was a similar finding for connecting to the created confidence not only during the project past. For the outcome ‘increasing knowledge but continued beyond, to their professional work and skills’, all three methods had ‘U’ shaped at their home site. trends and the outcome, ‘sharing the experience with others’ had a steady upward trend for all Their beliefs about methods, practices, and methods.
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