Epistemological development in higher education

Research has been carried out on students’ epistemological development in higher education for at least 50 years. Researchers on both sides of the Atlantic have converged on accounts that describe students’ epistemological development in terms of a sequence or hierarchy of qualitatively distinct stages or positions. The rich qualitative data obtained from longitudinal investigations do demonstrate intellectual changes, but whether the same scheme fits all students and whether the changes found are a specific result of exposure to higher education are open to debate. Well-validated quantitative instruments that could be used to measure epistemological development in large samples of students are still lacking. Unresolved issues include: whether students can adopt multiple epistemological positions; whether these are culturally and contextually specific; and whether they are mental entities, discursive practices or social constructions.     

认知风格和性别对不同类型框架效应的影响

框架效应指当决策问题的表述发生改变时,决策选择发生反转的现象。该现象体现了决策过程中问题表述对理性决策的干扰。以往研究对风险决策框架给予了高度关注,然而缺乏对其他类型决策框架以及框架效应影响因素的探讨。认知风格和性别作为重要的个体差异变量,对决策中不同类型框架效应产生了怎样的影响目前仍不清楚。本研究采用问卷调查法,对该问题进行了探讨。研究发现：（1）与男生相比,女生更容易出现框架效应;（2）认知风格与框架效应具有显著相关关系;（3）认知风格对不同类型的框架效应存在不同的影响,场依存认知风格的人更容易产生风险框架效应和目标框架效应,场独立认知风格的人更容易产生属性框架效应。     

The epistemological stance between the knower and the known

The purpose of this study is to build a conceptual framework of teachers’ practical knowing. Through consideration of interview data from both elementary and secondary school teachers, the common features underlying teachers’ thinking were identified. The empirical findings indicated that teachers shared field-invariant epistemological standards guiding their practical knowledge. Teachers’ professional and moral character were interrelated and could not be separated from each other. In this paper, these two epistemological dimensions in teachers’ reasoning were brought together. The stances of teachers’ professional character and teachers’ moral character have the potential of combining vocational and professional aspects by establishing epistemological standards in teachers’ thinking.     

Epistemological understanding in science learning: the consistency of representations across contexts

This article addresses the extent to which written diagnostic questions can be used to assess science students' representations of the nature of science. The responses of 731 European science students in upper secondary school and undergraduate programmes to two written diagnostic questions are analysed for consistency. The written questions yielded some insights into students' views. There is evidence that the majority of students in this sample draw upon different epistemological representations in different contexts. The paper concludes with a discussion of the use of data from such questions in science education, and the significance of models of students' epistemological knowledge.     

Jordan’s primary curriculum and its propensity for student-centred teaching and learning

This article examines the Jordanian lower-primary national curriculum and its propensity for student-centred teaching and learning. It draws upon Basil Bernstein’s sociological theory of pedagogic codes to analyse the curriculum model and the advocated pedagogical approach within official curriculum documents, textbooks and teacher guides. Although the research conducted confirms the aspirations of the national curriculum for the adoption of student-centred pedagogies, analysis of the selected texts reveals mixed messages where in some areas the curriculum exemplifies an integrated code and in others a collection code. The messages about classroom framing are also found to be contradictory. The paper argues that if Jordan is to fulfil its stated aspirations to embrace more progressive pedagogies, a full review of the curriculum is needed to ensure its classification and framing cohere better with a student-centred approach.     

Positive portrayals of ‘living with HIV’ to reduce HIV stigma: do they work in reality?

ABSTRACT

The study explored how the combinations of living-with-HIV portrayals and HIV onset controllability portrayals influence HIV stigma because the two frame coexist in our communication environment. Results from an experiment with 443 college students in the United States indicated different combinations of the two frames might be helpful, ineffective, or harmful in reducing HIV stigma. The positive portrayal-low onset controllability combination might reduce HIV stigma, the negative portrayal-low onset controllability combination might be ineffective in reducing HIV stigma, and the positive portrayal-high onset controllability combination and the negative portrayal-high onset controllability combination might even increase HIV stigma. These results contextualize the effectiveness of positive portrayals of living with HIV when audiences may be exposed to multiple frames of messages about HIV stigma; they highlight the potential interactions between the two frames that may reduce the effectiveness of anti-stigma messages or may be used against the efforts to reduce HIV stigma.     

健康行为改变不同阶段的信息框架效应概念模型研究

[目的/意义]信息框架效应对个体行为改变决策具有普遍影响，然而涉及信息框架对行为改变过程的影响研究较少。为确定信息框架效应在行为改变过程中的应用价值，本研究对该情境下信息框架效应的产生和其对行为改变各阶段的影响机制进行了深入探讨。[方法/过程]以健康行为改变为例，在基于跨理论模型的阶段式行为改变情境下，通过分析框架效应产生的机制，确定框架效应产生的调节因素和中介变量，进而探讨信息框架对处于不同变化阶段的个体决策倾向的影响，以及这种决策倾向如何影响行为改变的进程。[结果/结论]提出健康行为改变不同阶段的信息框架效应概念模型，为提高不良行为改变的信息干预方案水平和个体健康管理水平提供一定的科学依据。     

Revisiting School Knowledge: some sociological perspectives on new school curricula

This article focuses on attempts to understand how the curriculum and pedagogy can help to reduce inequalities in the outcomes of schooling between those from higher and lower socio-economic backgrounds. In the 1970s, the author was involved with Michael F.D. Young and others in the development of the so-called 'new' sociology of education. Much of this work entailed laying bare the assumptions underlying the school curriculum and demonstrating how the selection of school knowledge was implicated in the reproduction of social inequalities. During the 1980s in England the curriculum was overtly politicised by the Thatcher government but the interests of sociologists of education moved increasingly away from the sociology of school knowledge to focus instead on the sociology of education policy. This paper identifies a recent tendency on the part of sociologists of education to return to the 'knowledge question'. In particular, it examines Young's own role in this and his attempts to revisit and revise of his earlier position. Contemporary developments in curricular policy in England and Northern Ireland are then outlined and discussed. Finally, the paper considers whether the work of Basil Bernstein, particularly his concepts of classification/framing and recognition/realisation rules, might help us to address one of the prevailing political problems of many modern education systems — the systematic failure of socially disadvantaged pupils to perform well at school.     

Relative expertise in an everyday reasoning task: Epistemic understanding, problem representation, and reasoning competence

Experts in cognitive domains differ from non-experts in how they represent problems and knowledge, and in their epistemic understandings of tasks in their domain of expertise. This study investigates whether task-specific epistemic understanding also underlies the representation of knowledge on an everyday reasoning task on which the competent reasoners have neither expert domain knowledge nor training. 180 people on jury duty were assessed for epistemological understanding about the nature of knowledge and knowing in general, understanding of the specific task of the juror, and level of argument skill and evidence representation on two jury cases. Epistemic construal of the juror task and task-specific competent reasoning was found related to general epistemology, argument skills, and representation of the evidence. Additionally, estimations of the possibility of certainty in general and in a juror task predicted the participants' expressed certainty about their verdict choices. Implications for developing everyday reasoning competence are discussed.