Research on museums & critical thinking

Play, learning, and art museums

People learn through play. While many art museums use this premise to connect people with art in the galleries, there is little research on the effects of play on learning in art museums. This study aimed to fill that gap. We interviewed 109 adults at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI - 53 of them played while they were in the gallery and 56 of them did not. We asked them to talk out loud about a work of art, and coded their responses using an existing critical thinking rubric. Study results will be published in an upcoming anthology edited by two Danish museum researchers, called Museum Play: Concept, Design, and Audiences.

Principal Investigators: Jessica J. Luke, Ph.D.
Research Team: Cindy Foley, CEO, Grand Rapids Art Museum; Sally Davis & Laura Ashley, Graduate Students, Grand Valley State University; and Athena Forsythe, Riley Meidell & Daniel Ozlowski, University of Washington Museology.
Dates: 2025-2026

Adults, awe, and critical thinking in an art museum

We know that people feel awe during an art museum visit, and we know that awe opens our minds and cultivates wonder and inquisitiveness. This experimental study tested the effects of awe on adults' critical thinking in an art museum. A total of 153 adults were interviewed at one of two art museums in Copenhagen, Denmark - National Gallery of Denmark and Glyptotetek - and randomly assigned to either an awe-inducing condition (treatment) or a general condition (control). In the awe-inducing condition, adults were asked to recall and describe a moment when they felt awe in the museum. In the general condition, adults were asked to describe their route through the museum. Adults' critical thinking were then measured and compared across the conditions. Results were published in Studies in Art Education, Vol. 66, Issue 1.

Principal Investigator: Jessica J. Luke, Ph.D.
Research Assistants: Astrid Jessen (University of Copenhagen, Information Science & Cultural Communication), Stine Froslev-Thomsen (University of Copenhagen, Information Science & Cultural Communication)
Dates: 2022-2024

Teens, awe and critical thinking in an art museum

This study extended our first one, studying the effects of awe on teen's critical thinking in an art museum. We interviewed 223 teens at the Seattle Art Museum, randomly assigning them to either an awe-inducing condition (treatment) or a general condition (control). In the awe-inducing condition, we asked teens to describe a moment when they felt awe in the museum. In the general condition, we asked them to describe their route through the museum. We then measured teens' critical thinking and compared it across the conditions. Results will be published in 2026.

Principal Investigator: Jessica J. Luke, Ph.D.
Research Partners: Travis Windleharth and Rachel Gaudry, foundry10
Funder: foundry10
Dates: 2024-2025

Critical thinking in an art museum school program

Many art museum programs aim to facilitate the development of young people's critical thinking skills, but most are unclear in their definitions of critical thinking and their notions of how it is best facilitated. This study examined the impact of a museum-school program on students' critical thinking about works of art. Data were collected from 135 3rd-5th grade students at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, half of whom participated in the program and half of whom did not. Results were published in the Journal of Museum Education, Vol. 32, Issue 2.

Principal Investigator: Jessica J. Luke, Ph.D.
Research Partner: Marianna Adams
Funder: Department of Education
Dates: 2002-2005

Student research on critical thinking

Layla Youssef, Ahlan wa Sahlan: Exploring the ways that visitors engage in cultural intelligence through exhibits at the Arab American National Museum. MA Museology 2025, University of Washington (JLuke Chair, Thesis Committee).
Michael Lamble, Historical thinking through historical doing: The impact of wearing armor on visitors' thinking in arms and armor galleries. MA Museology 2020, University of Washington (JLuke Chair, Thesis Committee).
Jennifer Fisher, Cultivating creativity: Understanding visitor perceptions of creativity in art museum exhibits. MA Museology 2018, University of Washington (JLuke Chair, Thesis Committee).
Megan Martinko, Examining children’s historical thinking in hands-on history spaces. MA Museology 2017, University of Washington (JLuke Chair, Thesis Committee).
Michael Rzemien, Historical thinking in museum exhibits. MA Museology 2016, University of Washington (JLuke Chair, Thesis Committee).
Amy Oates, Evidence of learning in an art museum makerspace. MA Museology 2015, University of Washington (JLuke Chair, Thesis Committee).
Beth Smith, Art museums, school visits, and critical thinking: A case study of programmatic strategies. MA Museology 2015, University of Washington (JLuke Chair, Thesis Committee).

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