Is Educational Leisure A Contradiction in Terms? Exploring the Synergy of Education and Entertainment

Theoretical analysis highlights the complexity of the relationship between education and entertainment in educational leisure settings and indicates the need for research in this area. This paper contributes to developing an understanding of the connections between, and compatibility of, education and entertainment, from the perspective of visitors to educational leisure settings. Questionnaire data were collected from 499 visitors to six educational leisure settings in South-east Queensland and qualitative interviews were conducted with an additional 52 visitors. The data were analysed using three different methods: examination of visitors’ own ratings of the extent to which education and entertainment are compatible; statistical examination of relationships between education and entertainment in visitors’ goals, perceptions of the learning environment and learning experiences; and analysis of qualitative visitor interview responses. The findings support the proposition that education and entertainment are not only compatible, but synergistic, in the context of educational leisure settings. The importance of providing visitors with an experience that transcends both education and entertainment is discussed.