Entrance Fees as a Subjective Barrier to Visiting Museums

In a 1995 representative survey, 1,080 Germans were asked by standardized questionnaire to assess the subjective significance of 23 motives and barriers to visiting art museums, history museums and technology museums on a scale from 1 (very unimportant motive/barrier) to 5 (very important motive/barrier). An analysis of the results of the survey revealed entrance fees to be the only significant subjective barrier. In contrast to recent price elasticity studies of cultural demand, this study uses a micro-level approach – comparing individual socioeconomic and geographic characteristics with individual and subjective assessments of museum entrance fees as a barrier. The results of an ordered-probit analysis suggest income to be the only significant individual characteristic which can explain this subjective assessment. However, using correspondence analysis, several other individual characteristics such as education and professional status also appear to have a relative impact on the subjective assessment of entrance fees.     

Inquiry-Based Learning and the Art of Mathematical Discourse

Abstract

Our particular flavor of inquiry-based learning (IBL) uses mathematical discourse, conversations, and discussions to empower students to deepen their mathematical thinking, building on strengths of students in the humanities. We present an organized catalog of powerful questions, discussion prompts, and talk moves that can help faculty facilitate a classroom focused on mathematical discourse. The paper brings this discourse alive through classroom vignettes and explores various teacher moves and their impacts. The mathematical theme of the classroom investigations, Maypole dance patterns, stems from the learning guide “Discovering the Art of Mathematics: Dance.” Both authors are part of the NSF-funded project “Discovering the Art of Mathematics,” which provides IBL materials for mathematics for liberal arts courses, see www.artofmathematics.org.