Show me how you learn: Evidence of children's learning through repeat visits to a children's museum

This study examines how 4 four and five-year-old children demonstrate learning over 4 repeat visits to a children's museum. Data collected included observations of the children in the museum, interviews with the children's mothers, and document analysis of the children's drawings. The data yielded 6 distinct types of learning during museum visits: (1) Response to Direct Instruction; (2) Queries; (3) Response to Queries; (4) Modeling; (5) Observations and Descriptions; and (6) Repetition and Variation. The data also yielded 3 primary findings regarding the development of learning over repeat visits: (1) Time spent at an exhibit does not necessarily reflect learning; (2) While there is some evidence to suggest that learning grows in complexity and sophistication over repeat visits, most repeat visit learning for four and five-year-old children can be classified as recall and practice; (3) Because four and five-year-old children tend to repeat the same experiences at an exhibit over repeat visits, their mothers assume the role of providing structure and encouraging change.