QUESTIONNAIRE DATA

Se l e c t i o n o ft h e Pa i n t i n g

The paintings selected by the audience are illustrated in table 4.2. Group A viewed the CD-ROM first then looked at the painting. Group B looked at the painting first and then used the CD-ROM.

Ta b l e 4 .2 Ch o i c e o fp a in t in g Painting Group A (CD-ROMDArt Object) Group B (Art ObjectDCD-ROM) Total

The lemon tree 9 17 26

Egyptian feast 16 8 24 Em igrant ship 13 7 20 Housewives 6 10 16 Zero ₃ 7 10 Zone o f Dreams 5 1 6 Total 1 52 50 1 102

Section A

Findings of the program’s support for personal involvement in the

discovery process about the work of art

[A im 1: s e e p. 1 3 9 ]

Questions no. 19, 20, 21, 22 and 5 are concerned with whether visitors were encouraged to achieve self-directed exploratory learning during their use o f the CD-ROM program. Audience’s level of agreement with the statement are summarised in table 4.3 to 4.7 (see appendix V).

Question No. 19 (table 4.3)

Y could make various approaches to understand the painting. ”

In t e r p r e t a t io n

Sixty-six percent of the responses indicated that using the CD-ROM enabled visitors to make various approaches to understanding a painting.

Co m m e n t s o n q u e s t i o nn o. 19

• ‘T his program is just like a game. I play around and leam about the painting’. - 37 year old white male who chose ‘Housewives with steak-knives’.

• “This program offers personal and interactive learning”. - 20 year old white male photographer who chose ‘An Egyptian Feast’.

Question no.20 (table 4.4)

could learn about the painting in my own way. ”

In t e r p r e t a t io n

Almost seventy percent of visitors reported that the CD-ROM program offered them the opportunity of constructing the learning process in their own way.This suggests that visitors were given freedom to explore the paintings according to their preferred way of learning.

Co m m e n t s o n q u e s t i o n n o.2 0

• “You can search about the painting freely and it is easy to leam about the painting. It is very good”. - 45 year old white female who chose ‘Housewives with steak-knives’.

Question no. 21

(table

4.5)

7/ was easy to fin d information I wanted to know**

In t e r p r e t a t io n

Almost seventy percent of the sample reported that it was easy to find the

Co m m e n t s o nq u e s t i o n n o. 21

Many users commented that they wanted to have more information and thought that the computer program should be used for the satisfaction of the general information needs o f the audience in the museum. Some users showed fmstration about the lack o f specific information they wanted. Two users added the following comments: “you don’t know clearly what kind o f information is available” and “if only you know how to use this program, I could say yes to this question”. These comments clearly show that in order to make an interactive program effective, it is important to show the user what kind of information is available and how he or she can get that information before the user starts to search the program. That is, the architecture o f the program and program contents should be made clear for the user.

Other comments:

“The information is too specific. I wanted to have more varied information, such as the information about other paintings by the same artist”. - 35 year old white male who chose ‘The Lemon Tree’.

“The information is not deep enough. It would be better to see an art history book than to use this CD-ROM”. - 28 years old white male who chose ‘Housewives with steak-knives’.

“I wanted more information. Links is interesting but it would be better if the program enabled me to relate the painting in this gallery with the collections in other galleries”. - 37 years old white male who chose ‘Zone of Dreams’.

Question no. 22 (table 4.6)

"Hike being able to choose information either in text or sound. ”

In t e r p r e t a t i o n

More than eighty percent of the responses agreed that it was good to be able to choose information either in text or sound. This finding indicates that the user likes to have the jfreedom to choose their learning medium. Choice is likely to support learning in the informal education environment of the museum.

Question no. 5 (table 4.7)

"It helped me to think why the painting was attractive to me"

In t e r p r e t a t i o n

At the beginning of the interview, the audience was asked to choose one image that spontaneously attracted their attention or interest.

As a result o f their exploration on the CD-ROM about the art work, either before or after viewing it, around sixty eight percent of the sample reported that the program helped them to understand why an object was valuable or attractive to them. This finding indicates that a CD-ROM program can offer the opportunity to contemplate and examine individual experiences.

Co m m e n t s o n q u e s t i o nn o. 5

“To judge whether you really like it or not, you need to see the original object”. - Art dealer who choose ‘Zone of Dreams’.

“It gives a sense o f deep inner powers and unfolds secrets which I have always found fascinating in Egyptian art”. - 32 year black male who chose ‘An Egyptian feast’.

Summary o f section A: CD-ROM*s support fo r individual learning

Overall it can be seen that around seven out o f ten users o f the CD-ROM felt that the program was quite supportive in helping audiences to construct their learning about the painting in individual context.

Ta b l e 4 .8 Su m m a r y o f Se c t i o n A

Question Aspect Percentage of

positive answer

22 Appreciate a choice o f language medium 81%

20 Support for individual learning 69%

5 Help in thinking about why a painting was

attractive 68%

21 Ease of information search and access 67%

19 Support for varied approaches for understanding

Section B

Findings of the program’s power to stimulate visitors to look at the

original work of art more actively and attentively

[ Ai m

2:

s e e p.

139]

Questions no. 12 and 14 are concerned with whether visitors were encouraged to look at the original art object more attentively. Both questions were completed by fifty-three interviewees who saw the CD-ROM first and then looked at the painting. Audience’s level of agreement with the statement are summarised in table 4.9 to 4.10 (see appendix V).

Question no.

12 (table 4.9)

"This program made me want to see the original object ”

In t e r p r e t a t i o n

Seventy-six percent o f visitors who viewed the CD-ROM before looking at the painting found that the CD-ROM program stimulated them to want to see the original object.

The high rate of positive response to this question indicates that well prepared CD-ROM programs are likely to encourage users to seek aesthetic engagement with a nearby original art object because they can stimulate users to look at an art object attentively.

Question no. 14 (table 4.10)

"/ spontaneously looked carefully at a painting on the wall after the use o f this program, ”

In t e r p r e t a t i o n

Almost 70 percent of the sample reported that their attention was absorbed when looking at the original painting on the wall after finding out about it fi*om the CD-ROM.

The high percentage of positive responses to the question indicates that the visual experience with the program (including learning varied information regarding the work o f art and the examination of details of the image on the screen) encouraged users to look more carefully at the original object.

Summary o f section B: The CD-ROM^s power to encourage

attentive examination o f the original works o f art

The CD-ROM program was helpful in oSering audiences the opportunity to make a deeper connection with the art object in terms o f the length o f time they spent looking at the object and the quality o f their art experience.

Around seven out o f ten of those who used the CD-ROM to find out about a painting before looking at the original image found that the program made them want to see the original and/or to look more carefully at it when they did so.

Ta b l e 4.11 Su m m a r y o f Se c t i o n B

Question Aspect Percentage of

positive answer 12 Desire to see original object after the use of

CD-ROM 76%

14 Perceptual involvement with the original

Section C

Findings of the program’s power to provide visitors with a situation

in which they were stimulated for further learning about the work of

art

[Aim 3: s e e p. 139]

Questions no.6, 9 (sub-section d and e), and 11 are concerned with whether visitors were encouraged to make active discoveries and whether appreciation o f the art object was enhanced. Audience’s level of agreement with the statement are summarised in table 4.12 to 4.14 (see appendix V ).

Q uestion no. 6 (table 4.12)

"It helped me to value the creativity o f the artist ”

In t e r p r e t a t i o n

Seventy-seven percent of visitors gave a positive response to the question about the program’s capacity for helping them to grasp the creativity o f the artist.

One visitor who made a negative response to this question commented “you can’t see clearly the texture o f the surface o f the painting from the digital image on the screen”. This indicates that people are aware that the visual experience with the digital image can’t be equivalent to an experience with the original object, with regard to the experience of sensing and feeling the colour and texture o f the art object.

Question no. 9 (table 4.13)

“Did Zooming-up help you to do any o f the following?** (d) It kept me interested in the painting,

(e) It made me want to know more about the painting.

In t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e t o p i c (d)

Sixty-five percent o f the sample reported that the zooming up function helped them to keep an interest in the painting. This finding indicates that a CD-ROM program can be helpful in sustaining visitor interest in exploring an art object.

In t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e t o p i c (e)

About half of the sample (48%) reported that the zooming-up function made them want to know more about the painting.

Question no. 11 (table 4.14)

During the use o f the program, my curiosity about the painting increased or expanded, **

(This question is completed by Group A interviewees who saw the CD-ROM first then looked at the painting)

In t e r p r e t a t i o n

their curiosity towards the object of their choice.

This finding strongly indicates that the CD-ROM program is effective in encouraging the audience to forge further learning about the art object.

Sum m ary o f section C: CD -RO M 's su pport f o r increasing curiosity f o r fu r th e r learning

The CD-ROM program was effective in stimulating the audience's interest in the painting because 77% of total sample mentioned that the program enhanced the appreciation of the creativity of the artist. The 74% of the group A who looked at the CD-ROM first mentioned that CD-ROM helped to heighten their motivation for making active discovery about the object they chose.

T a b l e 4.15 S u m m a r y o f S e c t i o n C

Question Aspects Percentage of

positive answer

6 In sigh t into the crea tiv ity o f th e artist 77%

11 In crease in c u r io sity tow ard s a p a in tin g 74% (n=53)

9

(d )Z o o m in g -u p : in crea sin g in terest in th e p ain tin g 65%

Section D

Findings of the program’s support of stimulating visitor’s emotional

involvement during the use of the CD-ROM

[Aim 4: s e e p. 139]

Questions no. 13 and 16 examine whether learning about the work o f art with the CD-ROM program enhances the audience's emotional involvement during the learning process. Question 13 was answered by Group A who used the CD-ROM first and then looked at the painting. Question 16 was answered by Group B who viewed the original object first and then used the CD-ROM. Audience’s level o f agreement with the statement are summarised in table 4.16 to 4.17 (see appendix

V).

Question no. 13 (table 4.16)

"While I was investigating the painting on the program, I felt emotions such as Joy, nostalgia, sensation, anger, etc, ”

In t e r p r e t a t io n

Sixty-eight percent of the sample reported that the investigation about a painting with the CD-ROM program did not stimulate their emotional responses.

Question no. 16 (table 4.17)

'^When I used the prograntf I felt pleasure because I found out that already I understood a lot about the painting from looking at it **

In t e r p r e t a t io n

Seventy-three percent of the sample reported that they discovered when they later researched the painting with the CD-ROM program that they had come to know a lot about a painting from looking it on the wall. They felt pleasure in this discovery.

This finding indicates that the CD-ROM program offered the users confidence and validation o f the appropriateness o f the personal understandings about the art object they had arrived at.

Sum m ary o f section D : CD-ROM^s su pport f o r the audience^s em otion al involvem ent during the art experience

From the survey, only thirty percent of the sample who used the CD-ROM first then looked at the original painting indicated that they had some emotional response towards the art object during their use of the CD-ROM. However, more than seventy percent of the audience who looked at the original painting first then viewed CD-ROM reported that they experienced pleasure from the understanding that they discovered a lot about the painting from looking at the original object and the program confirmed them in their prior understanding about the painting. Using the CD-ROM after looking at the original work of art was an enriching and pleasurable experience for the audience in this condition.

Ta b l e 4 . 1 8 Su m m a r y o f Se c t i o n D

Question Aspect Percentage of positive

answer 13 Pleasure in knowledge of own

understanding 73% of Group B

Section E

Findings of the program’s power to encourage an analytical viewing

of the art object

[A im 5: s e e p .1 4 0 ]

Question no. 2, 9 (sub-section a, b, c), and 10 are concerned with the program's power to stimulate the visitor to look at the work of art more closely and analytically. Audience’s level of agreement with the statement are summarised in table 4.19 to 4.21 (see appendix V ).

Question no.2 (table 4.19)

"It encouraged me to look more carefully at the painting, "

In t e r p r e t a t io n

Eighty-six percent of the sample reported that the CD-ROM program encouraged them to take a more careful lookat the art object either on screen or on the wall.

One interviewee commented that he found that the CD-ROM program gave him in-depth information which helped him to look at and think more deeply about the painting than the text label on the wall could.

The ART CONNECTION program influenced the duration o f the user’s perceptual engagement with an art object because it offered varied information and supporting tools for the exploration o f the painting o f concern to the viewer.

Analysis of the comments on question 2

There were thirty-seven comments on question 2 made by the audience. The comments can be reviewed and categorised into eight sections according to the core meaning expressed in the audience’s words (see below). Among the comments from the audience, many showed that the reason for the CD-ROM’s ability to stimulate the viewer’s perceptual engagement with the art works was that the program offered them the opportunity to look at visual details of the art works and also provided them with a lot o f contextual information regarding the art object. The lists of comments are indicated in appendix VI.

Question no. 9 (table 4.20)

“Did Zooming-up help you to do any o f the following?”

(a) It helped me to notice more things in the painting than I saw at first

(b) It helped me to understand the techniques the artist used to make the image. (c) It helped me to understand the materials the artist used to make the image.

In t e r p r e t a t io n o ft h e t o p i c (a)

Eighty percent of the sample reported that the zooming-up function helped them to pay attentionto more visual aspects of the painting than they saw at first. This

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