Hohenstein, J., & Moussouri, T. (2018). Museum Learning: Theory and Research as Tools for Enhancing Practice. New York, NY: Routledge. 320 pages. ISBN: 9781138901124 (hbk), USD $150.00; ISBN: 9781138901131 (pbk), USD $49.95; ISBN: 9781315696447 (e-book), USD $45.95.

Abstract

Jill Hohenstein and Theano Moussouri tackle the daunting task of reviewing an extensive body of research on learning as it relates to museums in ways that are accessible and applicable to both researchers and practitioners in Museum Learning: Theory and Research as Tools for Enhancing Practice. The authors note that “the divide between academia and practice seems to grow rather than shrink in many ways, despite the attempts to bridge gaps. We hope this book helps to provide a useful window between theory and research on the one hand and practice on the other” (p. 1). They are well equipped to work toward this goal given their extensive research backgrounds and collaborations with museums. The book is organized into two main sections. The first three chapters synthesize theoretical and methodological issues in museum studies. In the Introduction, Hohenstein and Moussouri point out that there is often a focus on cognitive aspects of learning to the detriment of other aspects of learning (e.g., emotional aspects), and they sought to go beyond the idea of “learning as memory for facts” (p. 4). Some chapters in the second section (described below) focus on traditional cognitive domains, like memory and motivation, whereas others cover issues of power, authenticity, and other topics that move us beyond the idea of learning as something that exists inside the minds of learners. The next two chapters present a comprehensive summary of various learning theories and related research methods, along with a discussion of how theory, research, and practice intersect. Overall, this section constitutes what would be an introduction to unfamiliar ideas or a review of familiar material, depending on the reader’s experience, of issues regarding learning. There is a heavy emphasis on constructivist approaches to learning, which certainly is warranted, although more coverage of the basics of sociocultural learning theories, like those of Vygotsky and Bourdieu, would have been a nice addition to these early chapters. Many of these sociocultural approaches appear later, where the authors explain them in detail, and figure into a significant portion of the second part of the book. The remaining chapters each focus on specific, but still broad, aspects of visitors’ experiences in museums and other informal learning environments. These topic chapters cover learning theories and findings from both museum-based and nonmuseum-based (e.g., laboratory) studies that are relevant to the particular subject. As mentioned above, some chapters focus on what psychologists and other social scientists might consider cognitive aspects of learning. Chapter 4 focuses on constructivist and sociocultural theories and research regarding how people at different ages create meaning in museum settings. Chapter 7 explores theories of memory and research on individual and collective remembering in various settings. Other chapters delve into how self-concepts, identities (Chapter 8), and motivation (Chapter 9) figure into the experiences of museum visitors. These stand in