Embedded Files
ContexT
ContexT
Background
Background
The Exploratorium sought ways to improve girls’ engagement and participation in STEM.
Research Questions
Research Questions
- What does girls’ engagement look like at museum exhibits?
- What design attributes are strongly positively correlated with girls’ engagement at STEM museum exhibits?
Approach
Approach
- Track ~1000 children ages 8-13 at select exhibits, observing their engagement behaviors
- Assess >300 exhibits for >50 design attributes
- Triangulate preliminary findings via focus groups and Girl Advisory Group
Map used for tracking participants' paths through the exhibit area
Findings
Findings
Identified nine design elements that, when included in an exhibit, helped to engage girls by:
- increasing time spent
- increasing return visits, or
- encouraging strong engagement behaviors, such as repeating or varying an activity
Impacts
Impacts
EDGE design principles were introduced and used during exhibit refurbishment at the Exploratorium.
For example, this exhibit, 3D Shadows, was updated so that it:
- accommodates multiple users, via multiple sets of glasses
- features whimsical objects, like a birdcage and hamster wheel
EDGE findings were disseminated nationwide:
- 3 journal articles + 1 white paper
- 5 workshops for practitioners
- 2 museums wrote grants to integrate girl-friendly exhibits into new development
3D Shadows exhibit
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