Interactions in a children’s museum. The nature of child-led and adult-led interactions in a children’s museum was investigated in Early Childhood Education Journal (Mar. 2014).

Interactions by visitors to the museum were classified as

(1) show-and-tell, (2) learning, (3) teaching, (4) refocusing,

(5) participatory play, (6) advocating, or (7) disciplining.

Over a 3-month period, the researchers observed 170 meaningful interactions, of which 81 were led by children and 89 were led by adult caregivers. The number of interactions observed in each category is provided in the accompanying table. Use side-by-side bar graphs to compare the interactions led by children and adults. Do you observe any trends?

Type of Interaction Child-Led Adult-Led Show-and-tell 26 0 Learning 21 0 Teaching 0 64 Refocusing 21 10 Participatory Play 12 9 Advocating 0 4 Disciplining 1 2 Totals 81 89