From Reptile Houses to Reptile Discovey Centers: A Study of the Reptile Discovery Centers Project at the National Zoological Park, Zoo Atlanta and the Dallas Zoo

Abstract

The study described in this report was initiated in 1990 by Judith White, former Chief, Office of Education, the National Zoological Park (NZP), and Dale Marcellini, Curator of Herpetology, NZP. Working collaboratively with colleagues at Zoo Atlanta (ZA) and the Dallas Zoo (DZ), they received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a project in informal science education. The goal of the project was to develop interpretive components in Reptile Houses at the three zoos in order to improve the visitors' understanding of the collections. A key component of the project was evaluation, both to inform the development process and to determine what effect the changes in the Reptile Houses had on zoo visitors.