The Museum of Science in Boston, MA offers a variety of presentations where educators bring science topics to life for viewers in an accessible and engaging way. One of these are stage presentations that introduce audiences to live animals. These presentations offer an exciting opportunity for children and adults to learn through audio/visual and in-person interactions, encouraging viewers to ask questions and actively engage in the content. 

 

In spring 2022, I conducted an evaluation of the live animal shows at the Museum of Science as part of a project for a course at Harvard. A team of students and I worked with key stakeholders to identify areas of interest and potential growth for the museum's stage presentations. We identified three main questions for the evaluation:

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1. What motivates families with children to attend the live animal shows?

2. What aspects of the presentation, if any, do visitors find engaging and interesting, and why? 

3. What are audience members (children and parents) gaining after engaging in the presentation? What, if anything, do they find surprising or interesting and in what ways are visitors inspired to learn something new?

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Research was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods to better understand parent's and children's experiences with the live animal presentations. Data was collected using surveys, observations and interviews. The data was analyzed and synthesized in visualizations and charts. The results from the evaluation were communicated with stakeholders at the Museum in a final written evaluation report as well as a presentation. 

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