Dannelse som basis for udvikling af moderne matematikundervisning

I denne artikel omtales ambitionerne, opbygningen og resultaterne af et nyt pædagogisk projekt om forbedring af undervisningen i matematik for førsteårsstuderende på Økonomisk Institut ved Københavns Universitet. Initiativet er siden efteråret 2007 blevet udbygget og har hentet væsentlige elementer fra klassisk Kant-Humboldtsk dannelsesteori og moderne universitetspædagogik. Efter at initiativet er iværksat, har de studerende ændret studieadfærd: De er blevet mere aktive og engagerede, og eksamensresultaterne er væsentligt forbedret. Initiativet er ikke fagspecifikt, så andre fag vil kunne lade sig inspirere af vores tanker og metoder.   This article considers the ambitions, design, and results of a new education project intended to improve the teaching of mathematics to first-year students in the Department of Economics at the University of Copenhagen. The initiative, which has been in development since 2007, was inspired by the classical Kantian-Humboldtian theory of Bildung and by modern theories of tertiary teaching methodology. Observations made following the intervention reveal that the students have changed their behaviour; they have become increasingly active and engaged, and the examination results have improved considerably. The initiative is not subject specific and other fields of study may find inspiration in our thoughts and methods

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

“Mundtlig eksamen er en kunst” – Danske gymnasieelever til mundtlig eksamen i fagene historie og engelsk

Danish and Norwegian high school students are assessed in oral examinations, delivering a presentation and a discussion with two teachers of the discipline, in order to graduate. Oral exams are high stakes since average grades determine entrance into higher education. In an ethnographically inspired case study, the article examines students’ perceptions of a good oral exam performance in History and English and how they navigate to deliver it. The article contributes to sparse research in oral exams and suggests a rhetorical framework to provide student formulation of a fitting oral response. Students must persuade the assessors that they should pass the exam. The analysis finds that students struggle to identify what constitutes a good exam performance and navigate analytically and explicitly to estimate what a fitting response is. Models of a good performance are indistinct in class, and even though this is not stated, it is essential to respect disciplinary boundaries

Konstrukt, generalisering og held ved mundtlige eksaminer i gymnasiet

Danske gymnasieelever bliver – ligesom norske – eksamineret ved mundtlig præsentation og samtale om et udtrukket emne af deres lærer og en censor fra et andet gymnasium. Disse eksaminer undersøges ikke systematisk, og der forskes ikke i dem. Det samlede eksamensresultat er high-stakes og får konsekvenser for elevens fremtidige uddannelsesmuligheder. Artiklen undersøger centrale danske styredokumenter, der regulerer mundtlige danske eksaminer i gymnasiet ved at lægge et teoretisk blik hentet fra international anerkendt assessmentteori: Hvad intenderer eksamen at måle? Assessmentteoretiske begreber defineret af Standards for Educational and Psychological testing og Michael T. Kanes argumentationsbaserede tilgang til validitet bruges til at søge efter et konstrukt og slutninger i eksamenssystemet. Data er lovdokumententer samt læreplan og vejledning i historiefaget som eksempel i det almene gymnasium med et almendannende og studieforberedende formål. Dermed er artiklen et tillæg til Acta Didactica Norges temanummer vol. 12 nr. 4 om Test og eksamen i Sverige og Norge. Studiet finder, at konstruktet er vanskeligt at identificere. Antagelser om mundtlige eksaminer er ikke ekspliciterede i dokumenterne, og slutninger må analyseres frem. Eleven eksamineres i et dobbelt udtræk- eller samplingssystem: Eksamensfaget udtrækkes og emnet inden for disciplinen udtrækkes. Der etableres dermed en antagelse om vidtgående generaliseringsmulighed af testresultatet på tværs af fag. Det diskuteres om assessmentteori egner sig til diskussion af traditionsrige danske mundtlige eksaminer. Nøkkelord: mundtlig eksamen, assessment, konstrukt, gymnasiet, Danmark Construct, Generalization and Luck in Danish Oral Examinations in Upper Secondary School AbstractDanish and Norwegian upper secondary school students are assessed on their presentation and discussion of a sampled topic by their teacher (the examiner) and a teacher from another school (external examiner). These oral exams are not investigated systematically even though they are high stakes tests with considerable consequences for the students’ potential choice of further education. The article investigates the construct of the oral exam: What are oral exams intended to assess? Data are key law documents, the curriculum and the instructions given for the subject of History as an example. The documents are read with assessment theory as defined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing and Michael T. Kane’s argument-based approach to validity. The study finds that the construct is difficult to identify. No explicit arguments or inferences are found in the documents read, and inferences must be interpreted between the lines. Each student is assessed in a double sampling system: The subject is sampled, and the theme of the exam is sampled within the subject. The article shows a system built with inferences of extensive generalization from one score interpretation to potential other performances across the curricula. It is discussed whether assessment theory is adequate for the Danish educational traditions. Keywords: oral exam, assessment, construct, upper secondary school, Denmar

A global test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy which modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries/regions (N = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vs. both control conditions) had consistent effects in reducing negative emotions and increasing positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world to build resilience during the pandemic and beyond

A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with little-to-no concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., “If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others”) or potential gains (e.g., “If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others”)? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions