ABSTRACT

This chapter provides evidence that Juicy Question can enhance visitors' inquiry behaviors at exhibits and improve their collaborative interactions. But the activity it describes played in a quiet research laboratory separated from the chaos of the museum floor. The chapter describes some of the issues that arose during this experimentation, share tips for dealing with them, and briefly mention ways of using the activity with visitors that initially seemed promising but did not, in the end, make the experience simpler or more valuable for visitors. The presence of the cordons seemed to arouse curiosity in some visitors about what the Explainer was doing, and perhaps primed them to be open to new experiences. With the ambient noise and distractions on the exhibit floor, some families found it challenging to listen and focus their attention while learning and using Juicy Question. Learning the activity in a quiet space helped students focus their attention on the steps involved.