Showing papers on "Experiential learning published in 1984"

The Relationship between Learning Conception, Study Strategy and Learning Outcome.

Abstract: Summary. The essential point of the present study is that human learning should be studied from a second-order perspective. This means that the emphasis is on how people see and understand the world around them. Attention is given to the ways in which students tackle the studying of a text, using the distinction introduced by Marton and Saljo between a deep-level and a surface-level approach. Also investigated is the extent to which these study strategies can be related to the views of students on learning itself (learning conceptions) and the quality of the learning outcome. It turned out that a learning outcome of relatively high quality must be especially associated with deep-level approach and a constructive learning conception.

Learning in groups

Abstract: The purpose of this book is to introduce tutors and trainers to a variety of ideas and skills in the running of learning groups.

Learning style: State of the science

Abstract: (1984). Learning style: State of the science. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 23, Matching Teaching and Learning Styles, pp. 10-19.

Self-Directed Adult Learning: A Critical Paradigm.

Abstract: Research into self-directed learning constitutes a chief growth area in the field of adult education research in the last decade. This paper argues that the propensity and capacity of many adults to conduct self-directed learning projects is now well proven, and that researchers should now infuse a spirit of self-critical scrutiny into this developing field of research. The paper advances four criticisms regarding the current state of self-directed learning research and offers suggestion for shifts in the research paradigm governing this field. The criticisms voiced refer to (1) the emphasis on middle class adults as the sampling frame for studies of this mode of learning, (2) the almost exclusive use of quantitative or quasi-quantitative measures in assessing the extent of learning and the concomitant lack of attention to its quality, (3) the emphasis on the individual dimensions of such learning to the exclusion of any consideration of the social context in which it occurs and, finally, (4) to the absen...

The Organizing Circumstance: Environmental Determinants in Self-Directed Learning:

Abstract: This study reports a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with 78 self-directed learners with less than high school completion and who were currently engaged in a learning project. The analysis focused on how and why learners chose particular resources or made other decisions when early analysis failed to detect evidence of conscious pre-planning. Kurt Lewin's view, that to understand human behavior the proper area for study is the individual's life space of field, led the investigators in determining that the structure and direction of learning projects derive from the resources available and apparent to the learner in the environment. The concept of the Organizing Circumstance is formulated and four categories of environmental structuring of learning are identified.

Implementing Mastery Learning

Abstract: PART ONE: THE MASTERY LEARNING PROCESS. 1. The History and Development of Mastery Learning. 2. Outlining Learning Goals and Objectives. 3. Formative Assessment. 4. Feedback, Correctives, and Enrichment. 5. Summative Examinations and Assessments. 6. Applying Mastery Learning. 7. Evaluating Mastery Learning. 8. Onward and Upward. PART TWO: EXAMPLES OF MATERIALS FOR IMPLEMENTING MASTERY LEARNING. 10. Elementary Language Arts. 11. Goal Setting. 12. Middle School Algebra. 13. High School Language Arts. 14. High School Foreign Language: Spanish, Level I. References. Name Index. Subject Index.

Mentoring as a Learning Experience for Adults

Abstract: a newcomer entering a career under the guidance or tutelage of a wise and trusted expert in the field has been occurring for centuries. In Homer’s Odyssey, Mentor was the tutor to whom Odysseus entrusted his son, Telemachus. The emphasis placed upon early apprenticeship training in many professions illustrates the significance of a mentor to the education and career development of a novice. The importance of having someone to counsel and

Learning to use a word processor: by doing, by thinking, and by knowing

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter presents a study that examines three learning strategies: (1) learning by doing, (2) learning by thinking, and (3) learning by knowing. To be more usable, future application systems and their training support will need to accommodate the real or active learner, rather than what might have been—from the perspective of the system designer and manual writer—the ideal or passive learner. This chapter also outlines some general design proposals along these lines and attempts to theoretically bring work to bear on the analysis of human behavior and experience in realistic situations that is developing in current Cognitive Science. The research discussed in the chapter consists of studies of office personnel learning to use word processing equipment.

Learning styles of nursing students and career choices

Abstract: Kolb's 'Learning Style Inventory' was used to examine learning characteristics of incoming nursing students (n = 166) which were then compared to those of more advanced nursing students (n = 102) A majority of students were found to have concrete learning styles Advanced students had a greater incidence of concrete learning styles than first year students suggesting increasing concreteness with exposure to nursing education Diploma students were found to have a higher incidence of concrete learning styles than university students Students with concrete learning styles were more influenced by person-oriented factors in career choices than those with abstract learning styles No relationship was found between learning style and preferred nursing specialty Implications for nursing education are discussed

Two Axes for the Analysis of ‘Commonsense’ and ‘Formal’ Geographical Knowledge in Classroom Talk

Abstract: Teaching and learning the various aspects of a school discipline's contents (its ‘subject knowledge') are obviously part of the main agenda for high schools While a vast body of material exists on curriculum contents, on pedagogic techniques for their dissemination and on the psychology of learning, very little attention has been paid to actual sites of learning in relation to the production of knowledge and its acquisition This is especially so regarding the discursive practices which are the main means of teaching and learning in those places

Reliability and Construct Validity of Ipsative and Normative Forms of the Learning Style Inventory

Abstract: Assessment of learning style provides a framework within which individual differences for specific ways of learning can be described. The Learning Style Inventory developed by Kolb assesses learners' preferences for specific phases of an experiential learning cycle. This study was undertaken to determine the reliability and construct validity of Kolb's original ipsative instrument and of an alternate normative form adapted from the original inventory. Results of this study indicated that the alternate version was as reliable as the original version, was equivalent in measuring characteristics defined in the original learning style scales, and demonstrated construct validity that was at least comparable to that for the ipsative instrument. For research purposes, the alternate normative version can be substituted for the original ipsative instrument to meet the requirements of independence in statistical analyses.

Student Perceptions of Factors Influencing Tertiary Learning

Abstract: An interview study about perception of factors involved in tertiary learning of 60 second year students at the Australian National University is reported. Factors which encourage deep rather than surface level processing are highlighted as are problems of transition from school to tertiary learning. An unexpected outcome was that students’ responses to probing about the nature of the differences between school and tertiary learning provided evidence of qualitative differences between the way students utilising deep or surface level processing conceive the process of learning itself. This finding has implications both for those attempting to change these students’ approach to learning and for the selection of research methods appropriate for this area.

Search for the roots of ratio: Some thoughts on the long term learning process (towards ... a theory)

Abstract: The main subject is a ratio theme for third graders. The instructional text belonging to it was first submitted to an international, panel of experts. The reactions of the panel are reported and tested against classroom experiences.

Learning how to learn: The significance and current status of learning set formation

Abstract: In honor of the memory ofHarry F. Harlow, this paper reviews the current status of learning set formation, the discovery of which represents one ofHarlow's major contributions to behavioral science. Learning set formation or “learning how to learn” refers to the learning of visual and other types of discrimination problems progressively more quickly as a function of training on a series of such problems. The general procedure thatHarlow used, his original learning set finding, and its significance are described first. A brief review of theories of learning set formation follows. Lastly, the attempt to use learning set formation as a tool for studying comparative behavior is discussed.

Alcohol Education Programs for University Students: A Review of Their Effectiveness

Abstract: A review of the experimental evidence concerning the effectiveness of 14 alcohol education programs for university students suggests that such programs, in spite of weaknesses in their experimental evaluation, offer the promise of significant impact on college students' reported alcohol-related behavior, as well as on their attitudes and knowledge. Programs are more likely to be effective if they include field (or laboratory) experience, as well as factual and experiential strategies, and if they occur over an extended period of time.

Verbal ability and cooperative learning: Transfer of effects

Abstract: This study examined the relationship of verbal ability and heterogeneous versus homogeneous pairing of students on cooperative learning tasks (i.e., two students interacting over textbook passages) to the students' performance after engaging in cooperative learning and to their performance on a subsequent individual learning task (transfer). As expected, individuals' scores on a vocabulary test, serving as an indication of verbal ability, were strongly related to performance after engaging in cooperative learning and on the individual learning task. More importantly, it was found that cooperative partners with dissimilar vocabulary scores recalled significantly more main ideas from the passage used in the individual learning task than did partners with similar vocabulary scores. Cooperative learning has been shown to be an effective technique for learning academic material (Spurlin, Dansereau, Larson, & Brooks, in press). Cooperative learning generally refers to two students interacting as partners with a cooperative goal of mastering academic material. This type of learning has been explored primarily in field studies conducted in grade school, high school, and college classrooms (see recent reviews by Sharan, 1980, and Slavin, 1980, 1983). Many of these studies have evaluated particular cooperative learning strategies (general procedures for interacting and processing the target material) in comparison with traditional teaching tehniques (e.g., lecture). Evaluations of strategies such as the Jigsaw classroom (Aronson, Stephan, Sikes, Blaney, & Snapp, 1978), Teams-Games-Tournaments