Struggling with theory? A qualitative investigation of conceptual tool use in instructional design

This study employed a qualitative research design to investigate instructional designers’ views and uses of conceptual tools in design work (e.g., learning theories and design theories). While past research has examined how instructional designers spend their time, how they generally make decisions, and expert-novice differences, little attention has been paid to the value and perceptions of conceptual tools, from the perspective of practicing designers. Based on intensive interviews of practitioners, our findings included ten themes organized according to three meta-themes: (a) using theory, (b) struggling with theory, and (c) connections between theory and intuition in craftwork. While these results substantiate (to some degree) the claim that practitioners often find theory too abstract or difficult to apply, they also suggest that practitioners use theory in several important ways and tend to view theory with ambivalence rather than indifference or dislike. Other conclusions regarding the role of theory in design are provided and future directions for theorizing and research are discussed.     

The Lone Liberal Artists in the Ed School: Reconnecting Foundations Scholars With the Liberal Arts

This article begins from the premise that foundations scholars occupy an awkward place in the education school, because our work is predominantly grounded in the liberal arts but the work of other education scholars is predominantly preprofessional. To create a more meaningful place for foundations in the education school will require better understanding of why the education school has such a strained relationship with the liberal arts. This article offers a brief review of this relationship as reflected in current practice and scholarship and offers a historical and sociological explanation for this situation. The article concludes with some suggestions for ways that foundations scholars can reconnect with the liberal arts. Doing so could enhance the position of foundations scholars by broadening our scholarly community and extending the possibilities for the work we do.     

Profiles of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations in Elementary School: A Longitudinal Analysis

The authors used a person-centered, longitudinal approach to identify and evaluate naturally occurring combinations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations among 490 third- through fifth-grade students. Cluster analysis revealed 3 groups, characterized by high levels of both motivations (high quantity): high intrinsic motivation but low extrinsic motivation (primarily intrinsic) and low intrinsic motivation but high extrinsic motivation (primarily extrinsic). Analyses of stability and change in cluster membership indicated that the primarily intrinsic cluster was most stable (76% stability) and the high-quantity cluster most precarious (45% stability) over the course of an academic year. Students in the primarily intrinsic cluster outperformed their peers in the other 2 clusters and showed the greatest increase in achievement over time.     

Exploring the Popperian Framework in a Pre‐service Teacher Education Program

The study reported in this article is derived from a critical analysis of the work of 28 pre‐service teachers enrolled in the course “Teaching elementary language arts” in a Bachelor of Education concurrent program in a southern State university. The pre‐service teachers were taught how to use an innovative knowledge‐building framework based on the ideas of the philosopher of science, Karl Popper. Two samples of pre‐service teachers’ writing were analyzed to provide evidence of whether they support the occurrence of growth and development of professional knowledge. This study provides some indication of Popper’s framework potential as an effective critical analysis framework for achieving this goal.     

God's antipodean teaching force: An historical exposition on Catholic teaching religious in Australia

From the 1850s to the 1970s the teaching force in Catholic schools in Australia was dominated by priests, female religious and brothers. This paper details the scope of existing research on these teachers, the demands of their religious vocation, their own education, the atmosphere which they established in the schools, leadership opportunities, and the ‘darker side’ of their way of life. Such expositions can promote reflection on the possibility that teaching can be influenced by discourses of ‘vocation’ and ‘the giving of service’, every bit as much as it can be by ‘industrial’ and ‘labour’ perspectives.     

Teaching citizenship in the faith school: qualitative evidence from separate schools in Northern Ireland

The purpose of this paper is to examine how teachers teach and students learn about citizenship education in two faith-based schools in Northern Ireland. The data show that participants in the Catholic school were confident in their own identity; teachers encouraged active engagement with contentious, conflict-related debates and students displayed empathy with other racial and religious groups. In the Protestant school, teachers avoided any reference to identity and conflict and students seemed to have limited knowledge of these issues. The findings emphasise the extent to which separate schools embody the cultural norms prevalent within each of the communities that they serve and reveal the influence which these norms have for teaching and learning about citizenship.     

Separating Quantitative and Analytic Dimensions in the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SweSAT)

The aim of the present study was to further investigate the properties of a “quantitative” factor previously identified in the “diagrams, tables and maps” subtest of SweSAT. The analyses were carried out with a structural equation modelling technique on the spring 1991 version of SweSAT with 19‐year‐old test takers and were replicated on four ensuing versions of the test (n?=?14,431–19,597). The “quantitative” factor was successfully separated from the analytic, problem‐solving dimension with regard to the first test, whereas the results of replications were somewhat less clear‐cut.     

Using Theory To Tell It Like It Is

In this article a graduate level diversity course, “Diversity & Equity in Higher Education” that is based on Johnson’s (2005) Privilege, Power, and Difference, and Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Tate in Rev Res Educ 22:195–247, 1997) is described. Johnson’s concepts, such as paths of least resistance, are explained, as well as CRT, and forms of multiculturalism. The course format, the instructor’s philosophy toward this course, and course assignments are shared. Using the CRT analysis tool developed by former students of this course, an example from a student’s paper is provided as an example of how to use the tool, and how theory is used to help students “see” injustice and oppression. Challenges, such as tackling a complex topic in one semester, are discussed and recommendations are made, such extending the course for two semesters.     

Enhancing the quality of early childhood education: A follow-up evaluation of an experiential, collaborative training model for head start

The study is a follow-up evaluation of a Collaborative Training curriculum for Head Start. The previous curriculum was enhanced by adding parent exemplars and demonstrations in trainees' classrooms. Two Head Start teachers and two parent volunteers from each of 70 classrooms were randomly assigned to either the enhanced Collaborative Training (CT) or Workshop Training (WT) approach. CT teachers and parents were involved conjointly in experiential training that included receiving guided practice and feedback from exemplary peers. WT consisted of a series of workshops conducted by outside trainers for separate groups of parents and teachers. Training methods were compared with respect to (a) trainees' reports of satisfaction with training and collaboration, and (b) observed levels of adult-adult and adult-child classroom interactions. CT teachers and parents reported significantly greater levels of satisfaction with the training, as well as significantly greater levels of collaboration than WT participants. Teacher-teacher and parent-teacher observations indicate that CT trainees showed higher levels of positive classroom interactions than WT trainees. With respect to adultchild classroom interactions, CT teachers demonstrated significantly more praise, supportive physical contact, and positive interactions in instruction than WT teachers. CT parents showed higher levels of adult-child classroom interactions across all observed categories compared to their WT counterparts. Implications of these findings for further research were discussed.     

Editorial

Ohne Zusammenfassung