Abstract Identifying causal relationships is an important aspect of research and evaluation in visitor studies, such as making claims about the learning outcomes of a program or exhibit. Experimental and quasi-experimental approaches are powerful tools for addressing these causal questions. However, these designs are arguably underused in visitor studies. In this article, we offer examples of the use of experimental and quasi-experimental designs in science museums to aide investigators interested in expanding their methods toolkit and increasing their ability to make strong causal claims about programmatic experiences or relationships among variables. Using three designs from recent research (fully randomized experiment, posttest only quasi-experimental design with comparison condition, and posttest with independent pretest design), we discuss challenges and tradeoffs related to feasibility, participant experience, alignment with research questions, and internal and external validity. We end the article with broader reflections on the role of experimental and quasi-experimental designs in visitor studies.

中文翻译：

---

访客研究中的实验和准实验设计：对三个项目的批判性反思

摘要 确定因果关系是访客研究中研究和评估的一个重要方面，例如对计划或展览的学习成果做出声明。实验和准实验方法是解决这些因果问题的有力工具。然而，这些设计在游客研究中可以说没有得到充分利用。在本文中，我们提供了在科学博物馆中使用实验和准实验设计的示例，以帮助有兴趣扩展其方法工具包并提高他们对程序体验或变量之间的关系做出强有力的因果声明的能力的研究人员。使用最近研究中的三种设计（完全随机实验，仅后测具有比较条件的准实验设计，以及具有独立前测设计的后测），我们讨论了与可行性、参与者体验、研究问题的一致性以及内部和外部有效性相关的挑战和权衡。我们在文章的结尾对实验和准实验设计在访客研究中的作用进行了更广泛的思考。