The architecture of human information processing: Empirical evidence

This article outlines a path analytic interpretation of data collected in light of a theoretical formulation of a dynamic model of memory, which provides a perspective on the human information processing system as a whole. The model of memory represents an attempt to integrate the relatively static models of memory structures with the more dynamic concepts underlying research on control and processing mechanisms. The outcomes of the study emphasise the role of relational knowledge (taxotomic subject matter structures), strategic knowledge (procedural algorithms) and empirical knowledge (based on first hand experience) in cognitive skill performance.     

Rethinking the ‘Western Tradition’: a response to Enslin and Horsthemke

This is a reply to an article authored by Enslin and Horsthemke (2014) published in Educational Philosophy and Theory (EPAT). Enslin and Horsthemke argue that those who they refer to as ‘friends of the subaltern’ pit themselves against a straw-person that is swiftly dismissed in pointing out blindness of the Western tradition. They point out that in doing so ‘friends of the subaltern’ pursue a ‘politics of resentment’. In their reply, Le Grange and Aikenhead argue that Enslin and Horsthemke mischaracterise their work by cherry picking from their selected works and by taking their words out of context. They suggest that Enslin and Horsthemke produce their own straw-person arguments that they accuse others of doing. Le Grange and Aikenhead argue that their research programmes seek cognitive justice which is not tantamount to engaging in a politics of resentment.     

Conceptualization and Measurement of Cognitive Holding Power

The concept of cognitive holding power is synthesized from theories of settings and of cognitive structures and is conceptualized as a characteristic of a learning setting that presses students into different kinds of cognitive activity. Settings which press students into using first- or second-order cognitive procedures are regarded as having first- or second-order cognitive holding power. The development of an instrument to measure these two dimensions of cognitive holding power is outlined. The independence of the dimensions, their reliabilities and validity, and factor structures are examined. Each dimension was found to have high reliability across vocational education and high school settings, and each was correlated as predicted with other classroom variables. The potential contribution of this research to understanding the relationship between different approaches to the teaching of problem solving and the ability to undertake problem-solving transfer tasks is outlined.