Resumen de Using Means-End Theory to Understand Visitors Within a Nature-Based Interpretive Setting: a Comparison of Two Methods
Eric Frauman, William C. Norman, David B. Klenosky
Interpretive programs and services are often important components of state parks and nature-based tourism development efforts. However, very little is known about the factors that motivate visitors to participate in and use interpretive services. A recently developed perspective, called means-end theory, provides a useful approach for characterizing the relationship among the attributes that characterize interpretive services, the benefits associated with these attributes, and the personal values these benefits help reinforce. Identifying these means-end relationships is typically accomplished using data from one-on-one in-depth “laddering" interviews. The purpose of this article is to compare the use of this “laddering" interview approach for identifying means-end relationships with an alternative approach based on a structured self-administered survey. The two approaches were examined in the context of a study designed to identify the means-end relationships perceived as relevant in selecting state park interpretive services. A comparison of the means-end relationships identified using the two approaches revealed some interesting similarities and several differences, and suggested important implications for future nature-based tourism research.
