American educators in large numbers now believe that school curricula must include direct instruction in thinking skills. At issue for many, however, is the question of what effect that instruction has on young people. This study was developed to provide an answer to that question within a particular high school setting and to suggest a model for assessing the effect of thinking skill programs in other settings. The inquiry was naturalistic in design, responding to current criticisms of traditional quantitative methods being applied to the complex processes of acquiring thinking strategies. Stimulating recall by means of videotape, this research used interviews of students and teachers from eight different classes to investigate perceptions and cognitive processes resulting from lessons in thinking skills. Results of the study indicate that most students were aware of teachers' purposes in the lessons. Further, they were able to articulate their perceptions, which frequently coincided with teacher intentions, as well as their thought processes while instruction was in progress. Some older high school students were also able to describe ways they have applied or might apply the thinking skills outside of the classroom setting. Data collected in this project were sufficiently detailed and convincing so that they were taken by the teacher participants as valid assessments of the teaching/learning situation they had created. They can use the information to adjust instructional strategies. Additionally, the fact that this research was successful in revealing in-depth information about the effects of instruction in thinking skills argues for the inclusion of such an assessment model within any program being developed to include those skills in a curriculum.

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Thesis (MEdPsych) -- Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was undertaken with the view to explore the ecosystemic variables that may impact on learners' acquisition and generalisation of the study and thinking skills that they have been introduced to. In addition, my own journey of growth as a reflective practitioner has been recorded. A literature review was undertaken in order to obtain a perspective of research conducted in this field. I fulfilled the dual role of researcher and reflective practitioner which enabled me to use both the 'objective knowledge' gained from the literature review and my 'personal knowledge' which resulted from teaching experience. I selected the ecosystemic framework as the preferred educational psychological framework with which to approach this study. The nature of this research study is post-modernist, phenomenological and emancipatory. I have taken a qualitative stance in an attempt to explore, firstly, the learners' impressions of the usefulness of the programme and secondly, the variables that may be impacting on the learners' ability to acquire and generalise new strategies. The information has been gathered from my observations and questionnaires. The research report describes my observations of the ecosystemic variables that affected the implementation of a study and thinking skills programme, and the learners' impressions of the programme. In addition, I reflected on my journey through this research process. Suggestions were made as to how a study and thinking skills programme could best be implemented in a school; and as to the usefulness of emancipatory action research in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek is onderneem met die oog daarop om die ekosistemiese veranderlikes te ondersoek wat 'n invloed het op die opname en veralgemening van studie-en denkvaardighede waaraan leerders blootgestel is. Tesame hiermee is my persoonlike groeiervaringe as reflektiewe praktisyn ook aangeteken. 'n Literatuuroorsig is onderneem ten einde 'n perspektief te verkry van navorsing wat reeds in hierdie gebied onderneem is. In hierdie proses het ek die gesamentlike rol van navorser en reflektiewe praktisyn aangeneem. Dit het my in staat gestelom die 'objektiewe kennis' verkry uit die literatuuroorsig met die 'persoonlike kennis' opgedoen tydens my onderwyservaringe, te kombineer. Ek het die ekosistemiese raamwerk as 'n geskikte opvoedkundige sielkundige vertekpunt vir hierdie studie gekies. Die aard van hierdie navorsingsprojek IS postmodernisties, fenomenologies en emansipatories. Ten einde die leerders se indrukke van die program en die verandelikes wat hulle vermoë om die nuwe vaardighede op te neem en te veralgemeen te bepaal, is 'n kwalitatiewe benadering gevolg. Hierdie inligting is ingesamel deur middel van my eie observasies sowel as vraelyste. Hierdie navorsingsverslag beskryf my observasies van die ekosistemiese veranderlikes wat die implementering van 'n studie- en denkvaardigheidsprogram, sowel as die leerders indrukke daarvan, geaffekteer het. In toevoeging hiernee, het ek ook oor my persoonlike ervaringe gedurende die navorsingsprojek gereflekteer. Voorstelle is gemaak oor die mees geskikte wyse waarop so 'n program in 'n skool geïmplementeer kan word, asook ten opsigte van die bruikbaarheid van die emansipatoriese aksienavorsings-benadering in Suid Afrika.

M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

鍾潔雲. / "2013年9月". / "2013 nian 9 yue". / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 299-315). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in Chinese and English. / Zhong Jieyun.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the thought processes of secondary level novice programmers engaged in computer programming for the purpose of generating hypotheses for consideration in future research on the relationship between computer programming and problem solving. A high school BASIC programming course with 14 students from a single school in the tenth through the twelfth grades was selected for the sample. Data describing students' thought processes while programming were collected during double periods in the 11th and 16th weeks of the fall semester. Students worked in role-assigned partnerships, wherein one student was the problem solver and the other was the recorder. The problem solver's task was to solve the problem using a "think aloud" strategy, while the recorder took notes describing the problem solver's actions to assure that audiotape recordings of the problem solver's voice were maintained. Following the solution of one problem, these roles were switched. Analysis of novice programmers' thought processes revealed two categories of student problem solution strategies: coded thinking and debugging. In the coded thinking strategy, students approached the problems primarily from the perspective of BASIC codes. This strategy was similar in nature to activities involved in verbal association learning, a low level thinking strategy identified by Gagne (1970). Students relied on two techniques for debugging syntax and logic errors. They applied a guess-and-check technique to correct syntax errors or asked the teacher for assistance. Similarly, when logic errors were revealed, the subjects typically asked the teacher for assistance and then used the guess-and-check technique to correct the errors. Both techniques utilized lower level thought processes than that required for problem solving learning. Analysis of the subject programming processes revealed that problem solving processes, as identified by Polya (1988), were not involved. Future research should examine students thought processes when working with a compiled language such as Pascal. In addition, future research should investigate the thought processes of students who have had more experience than a single term of programming. A case study of from two to three students explored over a longer period of time may provide a clearer description of student thought processes. / Graduation date: 1993

This qualitative dissertation explores the beliefs of 15 pre-service teachers who completed their apprentice teaching semester in diverse early childhood classrooms. The pre-service teachers' beliefs about teaching in diverse early childhood classrooms and the experiences the pre-service teachers attributed to having influenced and/or challenged their prior beliefs are of particular interest in this study. An analysis of interview data resulted in four themes. The first theme explores the participants' focus on their beliefs about how students learn, the role of the teacher in students' learning, and the importance of building a classroom community when asked to describe teaching in diverse early childhood classrooms. The ways in which the participants marginalized multicultural education by limiting what it included and by reserving it for particular subject areas, grade levels, and groups of children is described in the second theme. The third theme details the experiences that altered the participants' prior beliefs about teaching in diverse early childhood classrooms, including seeing difference, confronting prejudices, observing teachers, and refining beliefs. In the final theme, I examine the instability found in the participants' beliefs with regard to language, difference, families, and holidays. A second phase of research, including interview, observation, and document data, resulted in two themes: adopting pedagogical approaches and reflecting on practice. These findings lead to three conclusions for this study. First, pre-service teachers' beliefs about teaching in diverse classrooms are more complex than previous research has suggested. Second, reflecting on beliefs and practice is essential to the development of multicultural education practices. However, reflection about diversity, by itself, does not help pre-service teachers with their practice during field placements. Pre-service teachers need opportunities to observe multicultural education practices to connect beliefs and theory to practice. Finally, teacher educators need to understand the prior experiences and beliefs of the pre-service teachers in their courses in order to plan a range of activities that meet pre-service teachers where they are and then take them where they need to go with regards to their beliefs about teaching in diverse classrooms, so that these activities are effective for providing an interruption of prior beliefs. / text

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

M.Ed. / In general terms education focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills and attitudes. In Technology Education these principles correlate with the aims of the technological process. Within the constructivist instructional approach the technological process provides the possibility for dormant thoughts to come to the fore, and provides the opportunity to the learners to be creative. Typing instruction, in contrast, is traditionally directed at the development of psychomotor skills and reproductive thinking. The cross curricular nature of Technology Education makes it possible for the integration of certain aspects of other subjects (learning areas), and in this context a theme of the Typing syllabus according to the technological process was presented to a group of Typing learners. This project was developed within the qualitative paradigm, and with the aid of a spontaneous sketch and a semi-structured focus group interview the perceptions of the learners, in respect of their learning experiences were investigated. Learners reported positively on their learning experiences and the co-operative learning opportunities. It was concluded that they felt more empowered and took bold but responsible decisions. This could indicate possible development of thinking skills by the learners. From this study it appeared that education should promote meaningful learning that empowers the learners to be independent and responsible in taking decisions. Purposeful learning opportunities must be created for learners to enhance thinking skills. Learners should be actively involved in the construction of knowledge and the Technology Education platform provides an ideal opportunity for this.

This study investigated the use of writing-to-learn strategies in freshman associate degree nursing classes at Wytheville Community College, Wytheville, Virginia. It sought to determine if the use of writing-to-Iearn strategies would affect the students' achievement in the course and their critical thinking skills. The design of the study was experimental. Two groups of freshman nursing students were randomly selected and randomly assigned to either an experiment group or a control group. The experiment group used the writing-to-learn strategies. The achievement in the course was measured using teacher-developed tests. Critical thinking skills were measured using the <u>Cornell Critical Thinking Test. Level Z</u>. The study found that the students in the experiment group achieved higher aggregate semester scores than those in the control group. The difference in mean aggregate semester scores for the two groups was statistically significant. The results of the critical thinking post-test indicated the mean scores of both groups declined, but not significantly. The mean score of the experiment group was higher, but again not significantly. It was concluded that the use of writing-to-Iearn strategies is an effective means of improving community college nursing students' achievement The results of the critical thinking portion of the study were inconclusive. / Ed. D.