Understanding Topic, Structure, and Importance of Information in a Visual and Verbal Display.

Abstract In the current study, a research approach for examining how visitors “read” museum exhibits is offered. The authors adapted methods that have been applied to the study of the importance structure of text. College students viewed a museum exhibit and rated the informational importance of the exhibit components. The results were similar to those found in studies with text. There was agreement among the participants on the relative importance of the base units of the exhibit and on identifying and ranking subtopic groups of units, but there was much less agreement on overall exhibit focus. Implications of the findings for school children's learning in museums are discussed.