Malagasy Time Conceptions

In this paper I discuss Øyvind Dahl’s argument (1995,1999) for the conclusion that Malagasy people conceive of the future as coming from behind them and not as being before them as most worldviews do. I argue that we have good reason not to attribute this view to Malagasy people. First, it would mark an inefficient and anomalous way of keeping track of the past and future. Second, the linguistic and testimonial evidence presented by Dahl doesn’t support the conclusion. Even though this specific argument fails, Dahl has many enlightening things to say about Malagasy time conceptions, such as the various time-conceptions that figure more predominantly in their worldview as opposed to the general modern Western worldview. Dahl is right that successful communication for Westerners in Madagascar requires understanding that the Malagasy worldview is structured more by an event-related conception of time than the general modern Western worldview. I also show in this paper that the three time conceptions Dahl outlines are relevant to living a good life

Assessment for learning? Thinking outside the (black) box

This article draws on a survey of 83 teachers, to explore the concepts of ‘assessment for learning’, ‘assessment’ and ‘learning’. ‘Assessment for learning’ is categorized as meaning: monitoring pupils’ performance against targets or objectives; using assessment to inform next steps in teaching and learning; teachers giving feedback for improvement; (teachers) learning about children’s learning; children taking some control of their own learning and assessment; and turning assessment into a learning event. Conceptions of assessment include assessment-as-measurement and assessment-as-inquiry. These conceptions are related to two conceptions of learning: learningas- attaining-objectives and learning-as-the-construction-of-knowledge. The conceptions of assessment-as-measurement and learning-as-attaining-objectives are dominant in English educational policy today. The article suggests that these conceptions need to be challenged and expanded, since conceptions held by those who have power in education determine what sort of assessment and learning happen in the classroom, and therefore the quality of the student’s learning processes and products

A phenomenographic study of English faculty's conceptions of information literacy

The purpose of this research is to identify UK English academics' conceptions of information literacy and compare those conceptions with current information literacy standards and frameworks

Teacher-learners' conceptions of learning: evidence of a "communalist" conception amongst postgraduate learners

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1003021132510.Recently, research on mature students' approaches to learning, conducted within a students'-experiences-of-learning framework, has suggested that these students tend towards being deep-level learners. The studies reported in this paper were focused on the self-reported conceptions of learning of a group of mature students enrolled in a postgraduate degree course. A primary aim of these studies was to assess the extent to which these students reported "sophisticated" conceptions of learning, as might be expected from mature, postgraduate learners. A secondary focus was to assess the extent to which academic context might be said to have influenced learning conceptions over time. The studies suggest that, for this sample of students, quantitative conceptions appear to predominate. In addition, a conception of learning that does not appear to "fit" within the conceptual model used to assess these conceptions is presented and discussed. Empirical data suggesting the stability of these learning conceptions over time is discussed in the light of its implications for teaching on postgraduate degree programmes where students appear to hold quantitative conceptions of learning. But the paper also argues for the need for further research into a conception which holds that learning is a moral obligation or service to a community

Competing Conceptions of Risk

Recent literature is said to reflect growing acknowledgment of multiple conceptions of risk but often to obscure an important distinction. Building on work of Kristin Shrader-Frechette, the authors explore the potential for debate over competing philosophical conceptions of risk

The Self in Research and Other Matters: A Study of Doctoral Students' Conceptions

This study uses metaphor analysis to examine doctoral students’ conceptions obtained from their responses to an on-line survey. The conceptions examined were the conception of self in research, the conception of the PhD, the conception of knowledge, and the conception of the outcomes of research. The conceptions found were allocated to the categories of ‘organic’, ‘spatial’, explorative’ and ‘constructive’, the same categories as were used in a previous study of the students’ conceptions of research. A number of interesting relationships were found and are discussed, including the relationship of the conceptions to each other and to the demographic data obtained in the survey. Some tentative conclusions are discussed and some speculation indulged in

Effect of Scaffolding on Helping Introductory Physics Students Solve Quantitative Problems Involving Strong Alternative Conceptions

It is well-known that introductory physics students often have alternative conceptions that are inconsistent with established physical principles and concepts. Invoking alternative conceptions in quantitative problem-solving process can derail the entire process. In order to help students solve quantitative problems involving strong alternative conceptions correctly, appropriate scaffolding support can be helpful. The goal of this study is to examine how different scaffolding supports involving analogical problem solving influence introductory physics students' performance on a target quantitative problem in a situation where many students' solution process is derailed due to alternative conceptions. Three different scaffolding supports were designed and implemented in calculus-based and algebra-based introductory physics courses to evaluate the level of scaffolding needed to help students learn from an analogical problem that is similar in the underlying principles but for which the problem solving process is not derailed by alternative conceptions. We found that for the quantitative problem involving strong alternative conceptions, simply guiding students to work through the solution of the analogical problem first was not enough to help most students discern the similarity between the two problems. However, if additional scaffolding supports that directly helped students examine and repair their knowledge elements involving alternative conceptions were provided, students were more likely to discern the underlying similarities between the problems and avoid getting derailed by alternative conceptions when solving the targeted problem. We also found that some scaffolding supports were more effective in the calculus-based course than in the algebra-based course. This finding emphasizes the fact that appropriate scaffolding support must be determined via research in order to be effective

Quality of Learning in Higher Education: Students’ Conceptions of Learning as a Critical Aspect

Subjects present different ways to conceptualize and experience learning (e.g., Saljo, 1979; Marton, Dall Álba & Beaty (1993). This has also been confirmed by portuguese researches (e.g., Grácio 2002, Rosário et al., 2007). It was found the conceptions of learning influence the way students approach learning and the quality of learning outcomes. It was also established a link between the student conception of learning, the level of processing used and the understanding reached (e.g., Marton et al. 1993, Entwistle, 2009). The different conceptions of learning are normally classified in two large groups. A first group concerning the superficial conceptions of learning (i.e., increase of knowledge, memorization and application). These three conceptions share the common fact that knowledge is viewed as something external, emphasizing the storage and reproduction of information, implying a low level of cognitive processing. A second group concerning the transformational or deep conceptions of learning (i.e., understanding, seeing something differently and changing as a person) emphasizes the assignment of meaning and the transformation of the information, indicating complex cognitive processing. The research findings and results in this field were obtained through the use of qualitative methodologies, mainly in a phenomenography perspective. However, in 2002 Purdie and Hattie presented a questionnaire built from qualitative data to assess student’s conceptions of learning (COLI – Conceptions of Learning Inventory). In this study we present its validation for the portuguese higher education population through its application to 563 students of first year from the University of Évora

Dysfunctional vs. functional difficulties: a new perspective on learning disabilities

This study was developed as part of an exploratory work on concepts and common sense beliefs about learning difficulties in the Portuguese educational community. Lay conceptions of college students were analyzed in a qualitative study in order to identify different ways of understanding learning difficulties. Students from different courses and levels of training, without specific information in this field of educational psychology, responded by writing to four open questions about learning and learning disabilities. Data were analyzed to identify the range of personal conceptions. Written responses were subjected to content analysis. Multiple categories emerged and were grouped into four main perspectives, incorporating nine different lay conceptions of learning difficulties. These common sense conceptions corresponded in a very precise way to the scientific conceptions of “learning disabilities” which were successively developed in recent decades (Poplin, 1988). Besides, more than distinguish between two types of students, with and without LD, results suggest a new distinction between two kinds of difficulties, dysfunctional versus functional difficulties. Functional difficulties are needed and should be promoted to enhance the quality of learning

Students' Conceptions of Scale Regarding Groundwater

Provides pedagogical insight concerning learners' pre-conceptions and misconceptions about groundwater The resource being annotated is: http://www.dlese.org/dds/catalog_SERC-STARTINGPOINT-000-000-000-337.htm