Motivational factors and the experience of learning in educational leisure settings

Motivation is an important aspect of learning in educational leisure settings because it affects the choices visitors make regarding what to attend to, the amount of effort they devote to learning, and the extent to which they enjoy the experience. Commonly, however, visitors seek entertainment, social or restorative experiences as well as, or in preference to, a learning experience. This research investigates the impact of motivational factors on the experience of learning in educational leisure settings. Motivational factors are considered in terms of four components - personal goals, capability beliefs, context beliefs and situational incentives. The experience of learning is considered in terms of visitors’ perceptions of the experience, rather than objective measures of learning outcomes, as the experience itself is seen as the desired outcome of the visit. Visitors to six different educational leisure settings in South East Queensland were invited to participate in the research, including a museum, an art gallery, a wildlife centre, an aquarium, and guided tours of natural and cultural heritage sites. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using questionnaires (499 participants) and interviews (52 participants) in order to ascertain the importance to visitors of different types of learning experiences; identify the extent to which motivations for learning vary across sites and visitor groups; investigate the relationships between the educational, entertainment, social and restorative aspects of the visitors’ experience; and examine the impact of motivational factors on visitors’ experience of learning in leisure settings. The findings support the importance of learning to visitors in a range of educational leisure settings. Visitors seek an experience that combines elements of learning and discovery, and is perceived to be both effortless and fun. It is concluded that the characteristics of learning in educational leisure settings contribute to a synergy between the educational and entertainment aspects of the experience. Situational factors are more important than personal factors in motivating visitors to engage in and experience this type of learning. This is of great significance to educational leisure settings as it implies that sites have a reasonable degree of control over the motivational factors that influence visitor engagement in learning

Motivational factors and the visitor experience: A comparison of three sites

Museums, art galleries, botanical gardens, national parks, science centres, zoos, aquaria and historic sites are important public learning institutions. The free-choice learning offered in these settings is closely linked to visitors' intrinsic motivation, making it important to understand the motivational factors that impact on visitors' experiences. This paper presents questionnaire data collected from visitors to three sites: a museum, an art gallery, and an aquarium. It examines similarities and differences among the sites in relation to visitors' expectations, perceptions of learning opportunities, engagement in motivated learning behaviours, and perceptions of the learning experience. The importance of learning to museum visitors is highlighted, and the unique opportunities and challenges of the museum in relation to other educational leisure settings discussed. It is suggested that the study of motivational factors might contribute to the development of a common theoretical foundation for interpretation in museum and other informal learning settings

Promoting environmentally sustainable attitudes and behaviour through free-choice learning experiences: what is the state of the game?

Environmental education, both in and outside of the classroom, aims to facilitate adoption of sustainable practice by both school students and the general public. This paper explores the role of free-choice learning experiences in this regard. An overview of theoretical approaches underpinning free-choice learning research is provided, examples are presented of the ways in which informal educational settings can promote environmentally sustainable attitudes and behaviour, and the factors contributing to the effectiveness of these endeavours are discussed. By reviewing research evidence in relation to these issues, the paper identifies the current 'state of the game' and areas where new research is needed

Minds on the move: new links from psychology to tourism

This review, which is organised according to key themes, suggests that tourism researchers can profit from contemporary developments in mainstream psychology. The themes addressed are motivation and destination choice, attitudes and satisfaction, memory, and personal growth. Patterned and dual processing approaches to behaviour are highlighted. Additionally a framework for advancing the analysis of minds on the move should consider a range of dimensions including emic and etic approaches, transects across domains of inquiry, social as well as individual processes, longitudinal work, pan-cultural analysis and contextual classifications. It is argued that accessing psychology scholarship can build the capacity of tourism researchers