Museums as educational institutions and spaces for different forms of learning (formal, non-formal, and informal) are not only geared towards school groups, but towards a wide circle of museum visitors, among which families hold an important place. Some families choose a museum for spending quality, cultural leisure time, during which they can combine an interesting educational experience with a pleasant experience. The Regional Museum Ptuj Ormož offers, among other things, the “Museum Suitcase”, a special didactic aid which can be used at any given time during a family’s free time to venture into the world of the past and independently explore the collections in the Ptuj Castle, while the process of learning takes place at the same time. Since the family is one of the most important factors of socialization, which shapes the cultural capital of an individual and therefore significantly determines their status throughout their life, more and more research is devoted to the pedagogical aspects of family learning. In my master’s thesis I explored the characteristics of family learning and determined the importance that families attribute to their own learning in a museum, how they understand and experience it. I came to conclusions through qualitative research – with semi-structured interviews with selected families and their individual members, visitors of the Ptuj museum. I collected and analysed various types of data, such as experience, opinions and views, feelings and perceptions, social interaction. The results of the research show that both adults and children have had a positive experience in exploring the museum collections with a didactic aid – the museum suitcase. Besides their experience with the museum suitcase and the perception of family learning, the participants attributed significant importance to learning in the museum with the help of didactic aids, they pointed out the benefits of handling objects, directing attention to selected objects, promoting attention, and accurate searching. In this way, they also learned something new, found new insights and knowledge in an interesting manner, refreshed their knowledge of history, and spent time exploring the museum together with other members of their family. Family leaning in the museum was an entertaining experience for the entire family, and an entertaining way of gaining new knowledge for children and adults alike. They will be able to use the newly acquired knowledge later in life, and the museum experience has thus become part of the family’s everyday life. In the process of learning, family members actively cooperated in exploration, socialization, and conversation. Children and adults felt good in the museum’s learning environment, in addition to gaining new knowledge through experience. Learning through experience enriches and promotes the personal development of every individual. My goal was to gain a comprehensive insight into the studied situation – the characteristics of family learning in a museum – while developing a richer and more intense cooperation with visitors coming to the Regional Museum Ptuj Ormož as families.
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