Abstract
The purposes of natural science museums are to educate the general public on the principles and application of science, and help them understand various aspects of science technology. Data should be analyzed by considering these educational aspects of exhibition, and the methods of presenting exhibits should be decided. Accordingly, the composition of exhibition contents with various exhibition elements has an important role at natural science museums. The relation and structure of exhibition themes are significant factors in helping visitors understand the principles of science and a system of viewing circulation can be used as an important tool for understanding the flow of exhibition. In other words, at the planning stage for the composition of exhibition contents, the relation of exhibition themes as well as the circulation patterns of viewers can induce active viewing behaviors. Therefore, centering on the patterns of viewing circulation as well as on the connectivity of exhibition themes at natural science museums, the purposes of this research are: 1) to conceptualize the composition of exhibition contents; and 2) to find elements that can induce active viewing behaviors by analyzing visitors' viewing behaviors. This research was establishing an analytical indicator of contact for viewing behaviors observed from the composition of exhibition scenarios, the active viewing patterns of engagement, first contact, and repeated contact were analyzed. First, a composition pattern with a high participation rate, in contact with exhibits, was found to induce an overall-viewing circulation and have a big ring of the composition of exhibition themes. Second, by inducing a partial-viewing circulation pattern, a high rate of first contacts was observed from a ring pattern of theme connection. Even for the structure with theme connection with depth, a high frequency of contacts with various exhibits was found when exhibition themes have a ring pattern. Third, the repeated contacts were mostly found in the form of scenarios, which has a successive structure of ring and cross patterns.
