Sensory bags are tools of special education aiming to facilitate mainly families with visitors with ASD in museum settings. The proliferation of sensory kits is a recent development, and there is a lack of studies evaluating their application within the museum environment. The present research aims to fulfill the need for a global survey that gathers insights into the content and efficiency of sensory bags and further accessibility practices of museums for visitors with ASD and sensory processing issues. An online questionnaire was sent to various museums around the world that were advertising such services in their websites or presented them in scientific papers (approximately 360 museums). In addition to content design principles and usage data, the research collected and analyzed the beliefs, observations, opinions, and experiences of museum professionals regarding the development, use and effectiveness of sensory bags in meeting the needs of visitors with ASD and ensuring a comfortable visit in the museum. The research is approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of West Attica.
The data was processed using SPSS for the quantitative parts of the questionnaire, and thematic analysis for the open-ended parts. The observations, perceptions and experiences of museum professionals about sensory bags, their users, best practices, and their current dynamics in the museum environment, allow for a deeper understanding of the infinite potential of museums to become inclusive spaces and the specific contribution of sensory bags in this direction, as well as the likely obstacles and difficulties. Findings include an overview of accessibility practices for people with ASD, the types of sensory bags and the chosen tools included in them, the rationale behind these choices, and data related to their use and effectiveness. Conclusions drawn from this research can serve as a valuable guide for other museums aiming to adopt practices that ensure an equitable and inclusive museum experience for all, taking into account their cultural context, specific organisational needs, available resources and the input of local community stakeholders. Thus, this presentation hopes to advance the dialogue on how museums worldwide can better meet the needs of visitors with ASD by focusing on the emerging empirical knowledge on the development and use of sensory bags.
This paper is based on a case study that investigates young children and their families’ interactions during unstructured museum visits in England. A growing body of research in childhood studies argues that learning environments are not just static, socially organised containers, where the agencies of children and non-human entities can be ignored, but dynamic players that actively participate in knowledge co-construction. Hence, museums can be seen to contain spaces that embrace emergent connections formed particularly by children and non-human entities in unpredictable and multi-sensory ways. This study provides important empirical evidence about children as active agents in collective knowledge construction when visiting the museum’s two permanent galleries: a natural history gallery and an anthropological gallery.
Adopting a multimodal methodological approach, the paper unveils insights derived from analysis of 15 video-recorded family visits with children aged two-to-five years. Taking Activity Theory as its theoretical framework, informed by posthuman ontologies, this study treats children’s interactions as holistic units of analysis; it views museum objects not as passive or inanimate, but possessing ‘thing-power’ (Bennett, 2010) described as to drive actions and have unanticipated effects beyond the expectations of humans, especially adults. The findings offer comprehensive understandings of young children’s manifestation of agency through multi-sensory interactions with the museum spaces and their adults. Children and adults do not simply explore nature and/or culture as outsiders but already within the process of becoming entangled with nature-culture relationality.
This paper critically appraises the theoretical development of childhood studies as well as museum education, challenging a human-centric and adult-centric understanding of children’s life experiences. It strengthens the interdisciplinary fields of multimodality, museum studies and early childhood education, visualising the human and non-human relational networks that a child is always already a part of.
The ARTISTIC project will implement and validate an innovative technological solution to promote, through heritage digitalisation systems, educational robotics, humanoid robots, AI and VR, the Ligurian museum heritage by means of heritage valorisation, communication and education processes, with a view to social inclusion and the promotion of wellbeing, especially in specific categories such as users with cognitive or physical disabilities, children and the elderly. At the core of ARTISTIC's technological strategy lies the pedagogical practice of Object-Based Learning (OBL), which serves as a catalyst for reflective and interactive engagement with selected artistic and cultural heritage objects. This approach enables the stimulation of transversal skills, in particular the 4Cs: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking, thereby nurturing community-driven and participatory interpretation and appreciation of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
The efficacy and application of the ARTISTIC methodology and its robotic interface will experience rigorous testing and validation through eight educational workshops set in the Luzzati Gardens and the university museums in Genoa (Italy). These sessions are designed for primary and middle school students and their families in Genoa, aiming to engage at least 70 participants (minimum 30% users with cognitive or physical disabilities and at least 20% elderly). In supporting the innovative approach of ARTISTIC, research underscores the significant role of technology in enhancing learning experiences. For instance, studies by Chalmers (2018) highlight the impact of Object-Based Learning in improving engagement and understanding in museum settings. Furthermore, research by Kim et al. (2020) on educational robotics presents evidence of its efficacy in fostering problem-solving skills and creativity among young learners. These findings align with the objectives of ARTISTIC, emphasizing the importance of integrating advanced technologies with pedagogical strategies to enrich the didactic landscape, particularly for those with specific educational needs and preferences.
This paper explores the potential of interactive experiences in museums to enhance audience engagement and education, with a specific focus on intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Curiosity is a critical driver in deepening learning and engagement, it could help audiences to explore and reinterpret ICH in contemporary contexts. Previous studies showed that technological applications could enhance audiences’ intrinsic motivation and foster enjoyable and educative experiences compared to non-interactive motivational tools. Here, we aim to evaluate the effect of technologies on audience experiences. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with audiences to capture a broad spectrum of feedback, mainly focusing on how curiosity - sparked by interactive motivational experiences - shapes audiences’ perceptions, preferences, educational outcomes, and overall enjoyment.
Our findings show that interactive experiences have motivational and educational factors which make ICH more visible and engaging. When curiosity serves as a primary lens through which the effectiveness of museum interactivity is assessed, interactive experiences could be seen as an effective tool for revealing hidden, unknown, or misinterpreted aspects of cultural heritage, transforming ICH from a passive subject to an active participant in contemporary life and creativity.
Based on the findings, we identified several key elements of how interactive experiences can be used as effective educational and motivational tools in the ICH context. By changing the way audiences interact with and perceive ICH, museums could help to ensure these ICH are not only preserved but also dynamically integrated into the present, promoting a deeper appreciation and innovative application of cultural heritage. Our results show that 1) interactive experiences could enhance audiences’ curiosity and enhance understanding and appreciation of ICH, 2) Interactive methods change how audiences perceive and engage with ICH, and 3) Interactive experiences help visitors find contemporary relevance in ICH.
Add to Calendar
LiveOn
