Discipline-Based Education Research Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering (2012) / Chapter Skim
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7 Some Emerging Areas of Discipline-Based Education Research
7 Some Emerging Areas of Discipline-Based Education Research
Pages 140-162
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From page 140... ...
is not yet robust. This chapter highlights a few of these topics that are vital to learning science and engineering and warrant further study: • The role of science and engineering practices in undergraduate education, including in undergraduate research experiences • Students' ability to apply knowledge in different settings (transfer)
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Thus, an understanding of the attributes of science and engineering practices is vital, as is imparting them to new generations of learners. In contrast to the clear delineation of content knowledge presented in introductory textbooks, no consensus exists on core disciplinary practices at the undergraduate level.
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The framework goes on to identify eight specific science and engineering practices that advance an understanding of science among students. THEORIES THE REAL WORLD AND MODELS Imagine Ask Questions ARGUE Reason Observe CRITIQUE Calculate Experiment ANALYZE Predict Measure COLLECT DATA FORMULATE HYPOTHESES TEST SOLUTIONS PROPOSE SOLUTIONS Developing Explanations Investigating and Solutions Evaluating FIGURE 3-1 The three spheres ofof activity for scientists and engineers.
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Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information Learning and becoming adept at science and engineering practices should not be separated from content learning. Rather, research at the K-12 level has shown that well-designed curricula and instructional practices can support deeper learning of content at the same time that students are engaging with these practices (National Research Council, 2007)
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. DBER scholars use a range of methods to study science and engineering practices.
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Using Practices to Enhance Conceptual Understanding Considerably less research exists on using science and engineering practices to leverage learning. In physics, some studies demonstrate that engaging in scientific practices improves conceptual understanding (Cox and Junkin, 2002; Etkina et al., 2010)
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. Research Experiences for Undergraduates Some colleges and universities use undergraduate research experiences and internships to supplement traditional learning experiences and offer students additional opportunities to engage in the practices of science and engineering outside the course setting.
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However, the research experiences did not change students' minds about pursuing future study. Along similar lines, a separate study of 51 students found that an undergraduate research program made little difference in the intent of females to pursue a graduate degree in astronomy (Slater, 2010)
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Additional studies are also needed on research experiences that occur during the regular school year, as most of the published research on the impact of undergraduate research experiences has been conducted on 10-week summer research apprenticeships rather than ongoing, independent, or mentored research in faculty laboratories. It would be useful to study a wider variety of opportunities that engage students in science and engineering practices (e.g., internships in government or industry settings, service learning experiences, or museum and planetarium programs)
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At the college level, if students learn how to apply Newton's second law of motion to a problem involving a block on an inclined plane, they are expected to recognize the applicability of that law in understanding the data collected in a physics laboratory or in designing a device for a mechanical engineering class. Indeed, the idea of knowledge transfer is inherent in the discipline of physics because it is assumed that a very small set of fundamental ideas can be used to explain the diversity of the universe.
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In contrast, a considerable number of cognitive science studies on physics problem solving (Bassok, 1990; Bassok and Holyoak, 1989) and mathematical problem solving (Bassok, 2003; Catrambone, 1998; Kaminsky and Sloutsky, 2012; Novick and Holyoak, 1991; Reed, 1987)
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. Methods of studying transfer range from individual interviews and experiments in controlled research environments to the analysis of student behavior and written work in classes.
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Consistent with findings discussed in Chapter 6, these findings suggest that students had difficulty identifying the critical attributes of the problems at hand. It is not surprising that if novices focus on superficial rather than structural features of problems, their ability to apply learned solution features to new situations will be limited (see Novick, 1988, for relevant experimental evidence from studies of mathematical problem solving)
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Bransford and Schwartz argue that the college students had greater general education experience and that they were able to transfer this experience to the new learning situation -- evidence of positive transfer that might be missed using more traditional definitions. Cognitive science research has illuminated some factors that influence transfer, including the quality and context of original learning; the similarity of problems across settings; and, as discussed, students' recognition of the critical attributes of problems (Bassok, 2003; Sousa, 2011)
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Metacognitive approaches are embedded in instructional practices such as problem-based learning, knowledge surveys, and reflective exercises during classes, and in activities designed to support critical thinking. Unfortunately, many instructors assume either that undergraduate students already have the requisite metacognitive skills, or that these skills are too advanced to teach in introductory courses (Trigwell et al., 2001; Yerushalmi et al., 2007)
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, DBER suggests that students can develop metacognitive skills over time when metacognitive strategies are built into instruction (McCrindle and Christensen, 1995; Weinstein, Husman, and Dierking, 2000) , but that relatively few students report using metacognitive strategies such as self-testing when studying on their own (Karpicke, Butler, and Roediger, 2009)
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For example, studies of how college students use example solutions provided in physics textbooks to learn topics in mechanics found that successful students explained and justified solution steps to a greater extent than did unsuccessful students (Chi et al., 1989)
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DISPOSITIONS AND MOTIVATION TO STUDY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (THE AFFECTIVE DOMAIN) Successful science and engineering education cannot be defined solely in terms of how many concepts and practices students learn.
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Discipline-Based Education Research on the Affective Domain The Carnegie Preparation for the Professions Program (Sullivan, 2005) describes three apprenticeships: the apprenticeship of the head (intellectual development)
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Research Focus and Methods The research that has been done in DBER is as broad as the affective domain itself, and ranges from students' views about the discipline, to their motivations for pursuing science and engineering, to the social dimensions of fieldwork, to the role of student beliefs in conceptual change. Scholarly research on the affective domain rigorously probes students' attitudes and beliefs about content, pedagogy, the discipline as a whole, and/or learning in general.
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The Geoscience Affective Research Network has conducted research on the affective domain, with an emphasis on the attitudes and motivations of introductory students (McConnell and Kraft, 2011; van der Hoeven Kraft et al., 2011)
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. Cognitive science can help DBER scholars to clarify distinctions in theories of affect as they apply to student learning.
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. On a broader level, research on multiple dimensions of the affective domain would enhance the understanding of "what works" in the recruitment and retention of students into science and engineering majors, with longitudinal studies to determine which career paths students ultimately choose (e.g., Connor, 2009)
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