Exploring how worksheet design can impact satisfaction of family visitors at a Botanical Garden

Worksheets can be a great way to help visitors personalize experiences at museums, zoos, botanical gardens, and similar venues. In particular, worksheets are popular with family-oriented programs as they can provide activities for the family to complete together. While many studies have compared the difference in visitor satisfaction between using and not using worksheets, there have not been many studies that look at the impact that worksheet design has on visitor satisfaction. This study evaluated the how the design of family-oriented worksheets impacted user satisfaction. The researchers wanted to determine which design characteristics visitors with differently aged children favored, and which worksheet designs worked best for families with younger children versus families with older children.

This study took place at the Fushan Botanical Garden (FBG) in Taiwan. The participants were families with children visiting the Fushan Botanical Garden between July and August of 2014. The worksheets were adapted from previously used ones and tailored specifically toward families with elementary school-aged children. The three worksheets used for the study were titled “Wildlife by the Pond,” (worksheet A) “Wonders in Nature,” (worksheet B) and “Magic Forest” (worksheet C). Volunteers distributed the worksheets to visitors who fit under the category of families with children over a two-month period. Only one of the three worksheets was handed out during each day of the data collection to ensure a random distribution of the three versions. Completed worksheets were collected until there were at least 120 copies total of each worksheet; 341 valid responses in total were obtained, though only 207 were used in analysis due to analysis methods. Visitor's satisfaction of the park and the worksheet was measured through a 12-item questionnaire that was given to participants as they left the garden. The questionnaire measured visitors' satisfaction through five dimensions: environmental education, tour benefits, family interaction, worksheet layout, and information clarity.

Analysis was conducted in two parts, first the worksheets' designs were analyzed and then visitor satisfaction was analyzed. Each worksheet was analyzed according to nine design characteristics. Seven of the characteristics were format-oriented; these included task density, orientation cues, site specificity, information source, level of choice, open-ended questions, and response format. The other two characteristics were content-oriented and included cognitive level and “animal or plant related.” To analyze the satisfaction of the visitors with elementary-aged children, the researchers separated families with younger children (FWYCs; 111 families) and families with older children (FWOCs; 96 families) and compared their satisfaction levels with the worksheets.

When analyzing the worksheets, the researchers found no significant differences in the categories of task density, orientation cues, and site specificity. However, they found that worksheet A had the most subject-choice questions and the most animal-related questions. Worksheet B had the most questions that relied on observations, the most open-ended questions, and the most questions requiring comprehensive understanding. Lastly, worksheet C had the most no-choice questions, the most matching questions, and the most memory-based questions. Worksheet C did not have animal-related questions like worksheets A and B had.

When comparing the satisfaction of the two visitor groups, FWYCs and FWOCs, the researchers found overall that FWYCs were more satisfied with worksheet A, while FWOCs were more satisfied with worksheets B and C. The researchers attribute these differences to worksheet A having more questions related to animals and personal perceptions as opposed to cognitive questions. These sorts of worksheets can increase children's interest in nature. Older children can have more patience for extensive observation, thus the other worksheets were preferable for them. Worksheet C was the least satisfactory worksheet for both groups, which the researchers attribute to the additional restrictions that this worksheet had that limited family's free-choice learning, such as less open-ended questions.

This study had some limitations. There were no control groups—the only groups involved were given worksheets and there was no group without worksheets. To compare the results between FWOCs and FWYCs, the researchers had to exclude families that had both young and old children, so some families was left out. This study also used purposive sampling—families opted into the study, which means that they were more likely to be satisfied with the gardens and the worksheets. Additionally, in a lot of cases, a parent filled out the survey instead of the entire family, which could have an impact on if they answered accurately for the whole family.

Based on the impact that worksheets and their designs can have on user satisfaction, the researchers recommend that environmental education centers, such as botanical gardens, put a greater emphasis on worksheets and carefully consider worksheet design. They suggest that the results of this study can be used to make future worksheets, especially in programs that involve families. Worksheets for family programs should be tailored to the age of the children, as children of different ages respond differently to material. Specifically, worksheets that relate more to animals and contain less cognitive questions are better for educational programs for young children.