The “place” of interpretation: a new approach to the evaluation of interpretation

Abstract

Interpretation, either explicitly or implicitly, aims to stimulate, facilitate and extend people's understanding of place so that empathy towards heritage, conservation, culture and landscape can be developed. The qualitative research reported in this study draws on sense of place theory to develop a new approach to evaluating interpretation. This approach is used in evaluating interpretive services at Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand. The results of this research suggest that visitors to the national park can be classified into four groups depending on their use of interpretation. These categories are termed; seekers, stumblers, shadowers and shunners. The interpretation at Mount Cook is deemed effective in extending all but the "shunners" understanding of the park as a special place. A number of other tangible and intangible factors are also identified as contributing to the development of visitors' appreciation of place. The case is made for a more theory driven approach to the evaluation of interpretation.