Metacognition and knowledge application: an empirical study in product design education

The relationship between creativity and knowledge has been a debated topic in creativity and design research. Current studies have made a great effort to emphasise the significance to creativity of a specific type of knowledge, e.g. domain-specific/general, rather than interpreting their application, i.e. how they are used. That is, there is still a lack of studies to investigate the ways in which knowledge and skills within or across domains are actually used, since Christiaans and Venselaar (2005) have claimed. The lack of a performance-based measurement of creativity probably renders it difficult to ascertain whether a specific knowledge item is related to a specific creative performance. Moreover, the methodologies applied by current studies to design knowledge and creativity were based on qualitative approaches drawn from data collected from a single school in one country, ignoring the importance of the cultural context.This thesis is supported by an investigation of a creativity-relevant construct that connects to knowledge application within the context of Product Design Education. The principal creativity-relevant construct is identified as metacognition: this identification was achieved by conducting a literature survey focusing on creativity research, which is linked to creative thinking, according to current understanding of applied knowledge, and is thought to predict creative performance. Different kinds of knowledge applied in product design students’ final-year design projects (FYDPs) have been assembled and arranged into three categories. An empirical study was conducted in the form of a survey to examine the relationship between metacognition and the frequency of applying each kind of knowledge in the process of the FYDP. Cultural factors were also considered in this study based on 375 samples collected from China (228 samples) and the UK (147 samples), representing Western and Eastern cultures. The findings identified the shared and different frequencies of applying subject-related knowledge among students with different levels of creative thinking ability. The thesis proposes five aspects of subject-related knowledge, including product-oriented, reflection-facilitating, socio-cultural environment related, conceptual-process related, and cross-disciplinary knowledge. The data indicates that product-oriented, reflection-facilitating, and socio-cultural environment related knowledge are frequently applied by students who reported higher metacognition scores. The main contribution to knowledge made through this thesis is towards design education research, where these findings may inform and extend academic support for design tutors and students to improve the FYDP process and offer further insights into China’s design education.</div

Hiljainen tieto perusasteen opettajien työssä

Tiivistelmä. Tämän tutkimuksen aiheena on hiljainen tieto Suomen perusasteen opettajien työssä. Tarkoituksena oli tutkia, miten opettajat kokevat hiljaisen tiedon, miten se näyttäytyy opettajien työssä, miten opettajat jakavat sitä, ja mikä sen rooli on. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin laadullista kyselytutkimusta aineistonkeruumenetelmänä, mikä toteutettiin strukturoimattoman sähköpostikyselyn muodossa. Tutkimukseen valittiin kouluja Oulun seudulta, pääkaupunkiseudulta ja Lapista, ja se tuotti 14 vastausta ja 14 sivua tutkimusaineistoa. Vastaajien joukossa oli luokanopettajia ja aineenopettajia, jotka olivat opettaneet vuosiluokkia 1–9. Aineistoa analysoitiin sisällönanalyysin ja fenomenografian avulla. Tutkimuksen tuloksien mukaan opettajien hiljainen tieto esiintyy pääasiassa organisationaalisena ja sosiaalisena voimavarana. Hiljainen tieto on selkeästi läsnä kaikissa toimissa, joihin opettaja osallistuu työssään. Opettajat kokevat hiljaisen tiedon olevan kokemusperäinen mutta tiedostamaton voimavara työssään. Hiljainen tieto liittyy myös koulun arkisiin toimintoihin ja käytäntöihin, kuten työpäivään valmistautumiseen, organisointitaitoihin ja työkulttuuriin. Hiljainen tieto koetaan tärkeäksi resurssiksi kouluissa, ja opettajat jakavat sitä keskustellessaan pedagogisista menetelmistä, joita he käyttävät luokkahuoneissa oppilaita kohdatessaan, sekä opettajan arkeen liittyvistä toiminnoista. Hiljainen tieto tulee esille erityisesti silloin, kun opettajat jakavat kokemuksiaan keskusteluiden ja esimerkkien kautta, ja kun sitä huomataan puuttuvan jostain opettajan työhön liittyvästä toiminnosta. Opettajat kokevat kollegat tärkeimmäksi hiljaisen tiedon lähteeksi työssään. Tutkimuksen tulokset antavat vahvoja viitteitä arkisen keskustelun ja opettajien välisen yhteistyön keskeisestä roolista hiljaisen tiedon jakamisessa. Opettajilla on selkeästi arvokasta kokemusperäistä pedagogista ja sosiaalista tietoa liittyen sosiaaliseen kanssakäymiseen ja opettamisen eri menetelmiin, sekä organisationaalista tietoa liittyen koulun toimintaan. Opettajien hiljainen tieto on keskeinen työkalu oppilaiden kohtaamisessa ja vaikeiden tilanteiden ratkaisemisessa. Jatkotutkimuksissa voitaisiin tarkemmin ja lähemmin tutkia opettajien välistä kommunikaatiota ja hiljaisen tiedon välitystä

The employment of knowledge visualisation to facilitate tacit knowledge sharing

This research explores how knowledge visualisation can support the sharing of tacit knowledge. One research question guides the study: How can knowledge visualisation facilitate tacit knowledge sharing? The research employed semi-structured interviews, non-participatory observations, and document reviews to collect data from 35 participants in 19 organisations and eight industries. Research data were analysed with thematic analysis, with the help of ATLAS.ti™ software. Moreover, in-depth case studies were conducted to verify data saturation. The findings from this research show that the participants have little accurate understanding of the terminology being used in the academic literature to describe knowledge and tacit knowledge, and that participants in different industries use dissimilar definitions and knowledge sharing toolkits. It was found that tacit knowledge is shareable in the form of natural language expressed by stories, metaphors and cases, for instance, and by other representations such as visual. While it may not offer the complete solution, Knowledge visualisation can facilitate tacit knowledge building and sharing by providing the big picture, rapid scanning of detail, and rich connections. It is concluded that knowledge visualisation is a powerful tool to support and to facilitate the sharing of tacit knowledge. Also, a new generation of knowledge represtations could usefully address extended questions on how tacit knowledge sharing can best be facilitated using knowledge visualisatio

The relation between employee characteristics and knowledge sharing

Purpose Knowledge sharing becomes crucial in today's competitive world to foster organizational performance. This paper aims to explore which employee characteristics facilitate knowledge sharing in the organizations and to examine the dimensions of these characteristics. Design/methodology/approach Opinion-based questionnaires among employees in Czech companies were applied. The research design in this study was cross-sectional. The hypotheses were tested by Pearson's correlations and regression analyses. Findings The findings support the idea that specific individual employee characteristics increase knowledge sharing in the organization. Four categories of potentially appropriate employee individual characteristics were suggested: social and communication skills; positive work feelings; competences for problem-solving; and employee's self-efficacy. However, only employee's positive work feelings and self-efficacy significantly predicted the extent of knowledge sharing in the organization. Practical implications The findings offer a basis for future research. The results of the study can be used in recruiting new employees and managerial decision-making. The recruitment methods and the selection methods deployed should enable the firm to attract those whose values are in harmony with the organization's values. Managers should build a work environment that promotes greater and more trusting ties among employees via organizing social activities for employees, a supervisor's acceptance of an employee's autonomy and responsibility and increasing employees' confidence in their abilities. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to investigate dimensions of employee knowledge-oriented characteristics. It supports the idea that some individual employee characteristics boost spontaneous knowledge sharing behaviour.TBU projects [RO/2016/07, RO/2018/04

Garden Learning: A Study on European Botanic Gardens' Collaborative Learning Processes

"From 2007-2013 the European 7th Framework Program Science in Society (FP7) funded a multitude of formal and informal educational institutions to join forces and engage in alternative ways to teach science—inside and outside the classroom—all over Europe. This book reports on one of these projects named INQUIRE which was developed and implemented to support 14 Botanic Gardens and Natural History Museums in 11 European countries, to establish a collaborative learning network and expand their understanding of inquiry based science teaching (IBST). Suzanne Kapelari provides insight into the complex theoretical background and practical considerations that informed the project design and which guided the consortium through a three-year process of collaborative knowledge creation. ‘Expansive Learning Theory’ is fundamental to this approach and places emphasis on communities as learners, on transformation and creation of culture, on horizontal movement and hybridization of knowledge, and on the formation of theoretical concepts. This book is to be considered for planning and running international science education projects as well as a multifaceted theoretical underpinning of teaching. It serves as a conceptual and practical resource for formal and informal science educators and project managers. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 266616.

Influence of employer support for professional development on MOOCs enrolment and completion: Results from a cross-course survey

Although the potential of open education and MOOCs for professional development is usually recognized, it has not yet been explored extensively. How far employers support non-formal learning is still an open question. This paper presents the findings of a survey-based study which focuses on the influence of employer support for (general) professional development on employees’ use of MOOCs. Findings show that employers are usually unaware that their employees are participating in MOOCs. In addition, employer support for general professional development is positively associated with employees completing MOOCs and obtaining certificates for them. However, the relationship between employer support and MOOC enrollment is less clear: workers who have more support from their employers tend to enroll in either a low or a high number of MOOCs. Finally, the promotion of a minimum of ICT skills by employers is shown to be an effective way of encouraging employee participation in the open education ecosystem.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Agents of Change: A Multi-Layered Approach to Violin Learning and Teaching

This enquiry is an action research project that investigates how changes to learning environments might assist young violinists in developing greater awareness and understanding of their participatory role in instrumental learning. It is also an enquiry aimed at improving teaching practice through encouraging a heightened pupil-centred approach that places the teacher in a more facilitatory role. Positioned during the four months prior to their end of year performance assessments in a school of music, the study involved ten young violinists between the ages of 9-13 who were presented with weekly opportunities to engage in a multi-layered approach to learning that emphasised critical reflection. Informed by approaches that draw attention to the importance of engaging with the development of learning processes, five interventions were used in order to provide pupils with opportunities for: making and analysing weekly performance films; collaborating with a peer in the film analysis process; performing for the entire group of participants and engaging in group discussions; designing, implementing, and documenting the effectiveness of weekly practice strategies; and performing in a public celebratory concert. This multi-layered approach encouraged pupils to direct and explore their instrumental learning in each context by rotating between six ‘musical chairs’ from the perspectives of listener, observer, analyst, designer, advisor, and performer. There is evidence to suggest that incorporating this reflective model is advantageous to both pupil learning and teacher practice. Pupils acknowledged experiencing a growth in their level of confidence and ability to perform, in how they used critical reflection generally, but also specifically when self-regulating their practice. The frequency with which pupils performed, analysed performance films, and observed their peers perform was put forward by pupils as the most influential factor that promoted a change in the way they engaged with learning. From the teacher-researcher’s perspective, the study also highlights the impact of action research on teacher thinking and practice, and explores implications for instrumental teachers

A Vygotskian exploration of medical students’ critical thinking within threshold concept liminal spaces

Transformative conceptual learning is key to gaining disciplinary knowledge and expertise but can be troublesome for students. Since 2004, the explanatory Threshold Concept Framework (TCF) has successfully improved student outcomes by identifying and targeting these troublesome transformative concepts with pedagogical support. Recent TCF research has focused on the ‘liminal space’, the time-space where students struggle to grasp transformative concepts. However, no research has fully mapped this learning journey to transformation considering the contribution of critical thinking to this cognitive process. A qualitative approach was used to investigate how critical thinking acts within the liminal space during conceptual learning in undergraduate medicine. Experts and students at an Australian university medical school were interviewed about their experiences of threshold concepts in learning and teaching evidence-based practice and medical biostatistics. This led to a year-long case-study series of students from across the medicine program. Participants were invited to keep a reflective journal of the critical thinking employed at troublesome conceptual learning moments. Journal and interview data were analysed using an abductive analysis method that applied a combined theoretical framework of the TCF and Vygotskian educational development theory. This Vygotskian exploration of transformative learning episodes revealed three main intersections: conceptual learning as a system; language and thinking; and the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and liminal space. Iterative analysis revealed that students experience challenging learning thresholds where individualised conceptual systematisation creates distinct disciplinary conceptual elements. Assimilation of key overarching concepts initiates a core transformation of knowledge and disciplinary perspectives, leading to new ways of thinking and practising with augmented clinical expertise. Most interestingly, language acts as the central cognitive bridge that initiates and enables critical thinking within the ZPD/liminal space. Dialogue with experts and peers was important for student learning, but self-teaching, as inner speech, was significant in exploiting crucial critical thinking steps that unlock transformation. Recommendations are made to emphasise and nurture this intrinsic language-critical thinking integrator system to enhance student conceptual metamorphosis towards medical practitioner identity

Professional Development and Learning of In-Service Teachers at Different Career Stages in China: A Teacher Knowledge Building Perspective

It is held in consensus worldwide that targeted professional development and learning (PDL) approaches should be provided for in-service teachers at different career stages. This research aims to add to the paucity of research that explores what PDL approaches are best suited for in-service teachers at different career stages. By integrating personal and environmental factors encompassing working years, government certification, teachers’ honorary reputations, and leadership positions, this study proposes a three-career-stage division of in-service teachers in China: beginning teachers, experienced teachers, and expert teachers. In examining the main question of what PDL approaches are best suited for in-service teachers at three career stages, various contextual factors need to be considered: firstly, discovering what various stakeholders such as government, teacher educators, and in-service teachers, perceive to be the best PDL approaches for that purpose; secondly, discovering which of these work to that effect. These main points are critically investigated by looking at two research questions: Research Question 1: What PDL approaches are best suited for in-service teachers at three career stages according to the perceptions of the stakeholders, including government, teacher educators, and in-service teachers? Research Question 2: How are these PDL approaches that are thought to be best suited for in-service teachers at three career stages by the stakeholders effective? The methodology, a two-stage qualitative study, was used to address the research questions. The first stage combined interview data with document analysis to answer Research Question 1. All the data from various sources were critically analysed and then pieced together to determine what PDL approaches were thought by all the stakeholders to be best suited for in-service teachers at three career stages. To address Research Question 2, the second stage was to explore how these identified PDL approaches were effective. This study adopted the perspective of teacher knowledge building (TKB) to investigate the effectiveness of identified PDL approaches through teachers' self-reported knowledge changes. This research conceptualises that TKB is a process wherein teachers build new knowledge through the continuous, dynamic, multi-faceted, multi-layered interaction and dialogue among theoretical, practical, explicit, and tacit knowledge through the action of problem solving. However, the TKB processes at various stages may show different characteristics concerning approaches, mechanisms, and facilitating conditions. It is the hypothetical conception that this research attempts to confirm. The results indicate that the identified PDL approaches are suitable for beginning teachers, experienced teachers, and expert teachers respectively because they could promote TKB when properly designed to provide high-quality facilitating conditions. The similarities and differences in the approaches, mechanisms, and facilitating conditions to knowledge building of teachers at different career stages were reported and discussed. A composite model was then developed to present TKB at all three career stages based on cross-case analysis. This research provides promising approaches for designing effective PDL approaches for various stages of in-service teachers, and expands the knowledge base concerning TKB, practical knowledge, and learning sciences