Engagement in focus: an analysis of the conversational content of families visiting the Jacques Huber Aquarium (Belém)

In this study with a quanti-qualitative approach, we analyzed the conversational content of 13 families during a spontaneous visit to the Jacques Huber Aquarium, in Belém, in order to understand how family members, engage with the exhibition. For data collection, we used a subjective camera that made the audiovisual records, which were analyzed through the coding of the conversations between the members of the families. Our results provide evidences that the exhibition aroused the interest of the families, who shared information about the animals during the visit. In general, the parents addressed the children's attention to the animals and raised questions that evoked their curiosity. The children actively participated in conversations with parents and explainers by searching for answers, reading panels and sharing their knowledge. The engagement of the families took place at the cognitive, behavioral and emotional levels, facilitated by the encounter of the contexts of the visitors and the aquarium, which gave rise to significant conversations and the co-construction of meaning.