Quasi-experimental Study of Youth Experiences at George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Written By Cathy Sigmond

Client: George Washington’s Mount Vernon | Location: Mount Vernon, VA

 
 

We studied the experiences of youth—both those in family and school groups—at George Washington’s Mount Vernon to assess whether Mount Vernon is achieving impact. 

OVERVIEW

Beginning in 2022, we conducted a quasi-experimental control-treatment group study of youth experiences at Mount Vernon. The goal of the study was to understand the effects of a Mount Vernon visit on youth, including how youth perceive George Washington, how they experience Mount Vernon, and connections they see that tie together the past and present. The study provided Mount Vernon baseline information about youth experiences as they begin to plan for youth experiences leading up to the country’s 250th anniversary.

APPROACH

A study of this scale requires much planning and attention. From January 2022 through August 2023, we: 

  • Developed an analytic framework with Mount Vernon to clarify their intended outcomes for youth experiences, and considered different expectations for youth in family and school groups.

  • Designed the research study and instruments in alignment with the analytic framework. We developed a standardized questionnaire to be administered to control and treatment groups of youth and an interview guide. The study was reviewed by an independent Institutional Review Board (IRB). 

  • Collected data throughout Spring of 2022 through Spring of 2023. With the support of a team of local data collectors and EF Explore America, we administered surveys and conducted interviews with youth.

  • Analyzed, reported, and reflected on the results with Mount Vernon. The study produced a tremendous amount of information about youth experiences. We facilitated two meetings to help staff digest and then reflect upon all the study data, including insights from a front-end evaluation also conducted in 2022.

CLIENT TAKEAWAYS

Results indicate that youth in family groups and school groups visit the vast majority of Mount Vernon. They enjoy their overall experience, particularly the mansion experience and learning new things about George Washington and other people who lived and worked at Mount Vernon. Furthermore, a visit to Mount Vernon made a positive difference for youth in all four outcome areas explored:

  • OUTCOME 1: MEMORY-MAKING: Mount Vernon is successfully supporting memory-making for both youth in family groups and youth in school groups.  

  • OUTCOME 2: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Mount Vernon helped youth recognize that George Washington shaped the world. Both youth in family groups and youth in school groups broadened their associations with George Washington beyond President and General as a result of their visit to Mount Vernon.  

  • OUTCOME 3: HISTORICAL RELEVANCE: Mount Vernon helped youth in school groups recognize the past as connected to the present. This same effect was not evidenced by youth in family groups, however.  

  • OUTCOME 4: EMPOWERMENT: Mount Vernon helped inspire youth in school groups to make positive civic contributions, although this same effect was not evidenced by youth in family groups.

It is quite remarkable that Mount Vernon has measured effects on youth in all four outcome areas. However, there is variation in the extent of the impact and room to deepen the impact in the outcome areas. For example, regarding the outcome of historical perspective, we found that a trip to Mount Vernon broadens youth’s perceptions of George Washington, but it does not influence youth’s ability to recognize how Washington shaped today’s world. Through the study, we were able to look specifically at how different areas of the Mount Vernon visit and types of experience impact youth outcomes, thus giving Mount Vernon information to plan for the future. 

Cathy Sigmond

Cathy brings many years of experience in education and experience design to her role as Head of Strategy at Kera Collective. 

Having previously worked in a variety of educational settings, Cathy is driven by her constant fascination and delight at how people make discoveries about the familiar and the unfamiliar. 

Cathy loves helping to shape experiences that spark curiosity and make a difference in people’s lives. She particularly enjoys the rapid, iterative nature of design-based research and the deep insights that come from qualitative research, especially on projects exploring interactions with the digital and built environments. 

Cathy shares her passion for experience design research widely and regularly guest lectures for graduate programs, including the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Exhibition and Experience Design Program and the Pratt Institute’s School of Information. Cathy served as the co-chair of the Museum Computer Network’s Human-Centered Design special interest group from 2018-2021.

Outside of work, you can usually find Cathy playing soccer, thrifting, or making her way through her large cookbook collection. 

Cathy’s favorite museum experiences are immersive; she will always vividly remember walking through the giant heart at the Franklin Institute, being surrounded by birds at the Peabody Essex Museum, and hearing centuries-old instruments come to life at the Museum of Musical Instruments. 

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