An employer focused analysis of meat industry disputes in Australia and the USA: the Hormel (1985-86) and Portland (1987-88) strikes
Presented by Dr Mary Hollick - Lecturer in Tourism, School of Business, UB
Wednesday, 23 April 2008, 1.30-2.30pm in Room B014
Abstract
The presentation will present a paper presented at the ICOM conference in Vienna, September 2007. The presentation explores the learning engagement by adult ‘browsers’ at Australia’s leading outdoor museum, Sovereign Hill, in order to better understand how current and future interpretive strategies support the learning outcomes of these adult visitors. Learning constitutes a significant reason to visit and underpins the satisfaction of adult visitors (Hein; Hooper-Greenhill). However, for any learning to take place, the learner has to be paying attention, so museums need to understand how they arouse visitors’ attention. The presentation argues that while outdoor museums offer great opportunity for generating interest in learning, a good deal more needs to be understood about visitor’s ‘entry agenda’ and how museums can contribute to creating them with a learning outcome as a significant component.
The research revealed a number of findings which supported these concerns. The respondents exhibited characteristics of free choice learners and utilised many search strategies derived from optimal foraging theory. Their visit had a sufficiently transformational effect in that 39% of respondents expressed an interest in exploring further learning after their departure, when only 14% of the same respondents were motivated to visit by ‘an interest in learning’ about history in general or the theme presented at Sovereign Hill in particular. Findings also indicate that the learning, while drawing from the three dimensional setting and activities, was largely socially constructed, within family groups of visitors. This research argues that outdoor museums have particular attributes that facilitate curiosity and interest in learning which warrants further exploration.
Thanks are due to the University of Ballarat which provided funding for the research through the ECR program.
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