Museums have expanded their role in society beyond education and are seeking to foster a sense of belonging for their visitors; however, visitors do not recognize this expanded role. Our team worked with Museums Victoria to identify steps they can take to make visitors aware that its museums contribute to a sense of belonging. To accomplish this task, we collected eighty surveys at each of the three museums: Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, and Immigration Museum. These surveys consisted of statement-rating questions and open-ended follow-up questions. We found that belonging is a condition of a visitor's experience. Though it does not take center stage, belonging allows visitors to connect to something bigger and to expand their minds, resulting in a sense of well-being that is a byproduct of their visit.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Hoschouer, Abby
• Fox, Joseph
• Vincent, Molly
• Jacene, Megan

Subject

• Inclusion
• Community
• Well-Being
• Learning

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 90231
• E-project-030123-073309

Keyword

• Museum
• Belonging
• Well-being
• Education

Advisor

• Madan, Ryan Smith
• Madan, Aarti Smith

Year

• 2023

Center

• Melbourne, Australia Project Center - IQP

Sponsor

• Museums Victoria

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 3 - Good Health and Well-being
• 4 - Quality Education

Date created

• 2023-03-01

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Source

• E-project-030123-073309

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-05-03