Individual Creativity and Career Choices of Pre-teens in the Context of a Math-Art Learning Event
Permalink
Citation
Salmi , H , Thuneberg , H , Bogner , F X & Fenyvesi , K 2021 , ' Individual Creativity and Career Choices of Pre-teens in the Context of a Math-Art Learning Event ' , Open Education Studies , vol. 3 , no. 1 , pp. 147-156 . https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2020-0147
| Title: | Individual Creativity and Career Choices of Pre-teens in the Context of a Math-Art Learning Event |
| Author: | Salmi, Hannu; Thuneberg, Helena; Bogner, Franz X.; Fenyvesi, Kristof |
| Contributor organization: | Department of Education Faculty Common Matters (Faculty of Education) Teacher Education Centre for Educational Assessment CEA |
| Date: | 2021-08-06 |
| Language: | eng |
| Number of pages: | 10 |
| Belongs to series: | Open Education Studies |
| ISSN: | 2544-7831 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2020-0147 |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10138/333698 |
| Abstract: | A sample of 392 students (aged 12-13 years, M± SD: 12. 52% girls) completed a learning module integrating informal hands-on mathematics and arts activity (extending STEM to STEAM). Within a 140 minute workshop period participants worked with commercially available ‘4Dframe’ Math and STEAM learning toolkits to design and create original, personal and individual geometrical structures. Two science pedagogues acted as tutors supervising the process and intervened only when needed. A pre-/post-test design monitored individual creativity, relative autonomy, and career choice preference. Path analysis elaborated the role of creativity (measured with two subscales: act and flow), and it showed that post-act, post-flow as well as relative autonomy are valuable predictors of career choices. Similarly, pre-creativity scores were shown to significantly predict the related post-scores: act and flow. As a consequence, our STEAM module was shown to trigger both the creativity level and the career choice preferences. Conclusions for appropriate educational settings to foster STEAM environments are discussed. Keywords: STEAM; math learning; inquiry-based; hands-on; art; informal learning; motivation; career choice. A sample of 392 students (aged 12-13 years, M± SD: 12. 52% girls) completed a learning module integrating informal hands-on mathematics and arts activity (extending STEM to STEAM). Within a 140 minute workshop period participants worked with commercially available ‘4Dframe’ Math and STEAM learning toolkits to design and create original, personal and individual geometrical structures. Two science pedagogues acted as tutors supervising the process and intervened only when needed. A pre-/post-test design monitored individual creativity, relative autonomy, and career choice preference. Path analysis elaborated the role of creativity (measured with two subscales: act and flow), and it showed that post-act, post-flow as well as relative autonomy are valuable predictors of career choices. Similarly, pre-creativity scores were shown to significantly predict the related post-scores: act and flow. As a consequence, our STEAM module was shown to trigger both the creativity level and the career choice preferences. Conclusions for appropriate educational settings to foster STEAM environments are discussed. Keywords: STEAM; math learning; inquiry-based; hands-on; art; informal learning; motivation; career choice. |
| Subject: |
516 Educational sciences
Inquiry-based learning hands-on learning STEAM career choice informal learning motivation 111 Mathematics learning to learn learning effect learning theory learning activity Learning materials |
| Peer reviewed: | Yes |
| Rights: | cc_by |
| Usage restriction: | openAccess |
| Self-archived version: | publishedVersion |
Files in this item
Total number of downloads: Loading...
| Files | Size | Format | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| SalmiThunebergB ... OPenEducStudiesAug2021.pdf | 920.9Kb |
View/ |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
-
Articles from TUHAT system
[53268]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
(Helsingin yliopisto, 2014)The aim of this doctoral thesis is to explore successful learning and studying in biosciences at two levels. Its purpose is to examine how students' conceptions of learning and their approaches to learning as well as their experiences of the teaching-learning environment are related to study success during Bachelor level studies in the context of biosciences. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to further examine how students' studying develops during their bachelor studies. This doctoral thesis applies a mixed-method approach. The first two studies employed a quantitative approach to explore the relationship between students' approaches to learning, their experiences of the teaching-learning environment and academic achievement at general level. Study 1 focused on first-year studies and Study 2 on final-year studies as well as students' development during studies. The results showed that, in addition to interest in the subject, organised studying was related to study success during bachelor studies. The deep approach to learning in the first year predicted study success in the final year. Organised studying, in addition to peer support, was also related to academic progression in the first year. Furthermore, the deep approach to learning developed during Bachelor studies and was positively related to changes in students' experiences of teaching. The last two studies explored successful learning and studying at course level. Study 3 explored students' study profiles in two different bioscience courses with different exams. The results revealed a contradictory relationship between students' learning processes, assessment and study success: the results suggest that, due to inappropriate assessment, course grades do not necessarily reflected the quality of learning outcomes. Study 4 explored the variation in students' conceptions of learning by applying a phenomenographic approach. The results revealed that a broad variation in students' conceptions of learning, which emphasised the integration of knowledge and evaluation of different viewpoints. This doctoral thesis argues that organised studying and effort management plays a crucial role in effecting students' study success and progression at the university. The results also suggest that students develop in ther deep approach to learning during university studies, and their conceptions of learning are relatively sophisticated. In addition, the results show that inappropriate assessment can cause students with poor learning outcomes to receive higher grades. Keywords: approaches to learning; conceptions of learning; the teaching-learning environment; study success
-
(Helsingin yliopisto, 2022)During the last decades of higher education research, new student-centred learning environments have emerged with the emphasis on students’ own activity, responsibility, and independence for learning. Still, in the context of university mathematics, teacher-led instruction remains the most frequent instructional practice. Although the urgent need for developing more student-centred university mathematics learning environments is acknowledged in the literature, research focusing on this area is scarce. This doctoral dissertation addresses the research gap by creating new knowledge on how student-centred learning environments can support mathematics students’ quality of learning at university. To offer a holistic perspective, quality learning is conceptualised with three theoretical concepts, namely students’ approaches to learning, academic self-efficacy, and self-regulation of learning. The students’ approaches to learning (SAL) tradition comprehends an approach to learning as a combination of students’ aims for learning and the processes used to achieve them. Typically, two distinctive approaches are considered, a deep approach aiming to understand, and a surface approach aiming to reproduce knowledge. The tradition values a deep approach to learning and its development during university studies. The notion of academic self-efficacy refers to a person's belief in their ability to perform a specific task in a specific context. Self-efficacy has been identified as the strongest indicator of study success in higher education. In addition, self-efficacy has a central role in the disciplinary context of mathematics, as it increases especially women’s retention in mathematics-related majors. The notion of self-regulation of learning (SRL) characterises how students regulate their cognition, behaviour, motivation, and emotions to enhance their personal learning processes. In this doctoral dissertation, self-regulation of learning is viewed as both an individual and a social practice, and in this vein, the notion of co-regulation refers to a transitional process of acquiring self-regulation skills. Learning environment refers to “the social, psychological and pedagogical contexts in which learning occurs and which affect student achievement and attitudes” (Fraser, 1998). In this doctoral dissertation, the same students are investigated in two parallel student-centred mathematics learning environments, offering an opportunity to address the role of the context on students’ quality of learning. The two learning environments were chosen for their well-established but different student-centred instructional practices; Course A functioned within a typical lecture-tasks-small groups framework with the inclusion of student-centred elements, and Course XA was implemented with Extreme Apprenticeship, a form of inquiry-based mathematics education with a flipped learning approach. The results of this doctoral dissertation are based on both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data consists of students who answered an electronic questionnaire in both courses (N=91). The questionnaire included items measuring students’ approaches to learning, self-efficacy, self-regulation of learning, and experiences of the teaching-learning environment. In addition, data collected during the courses (number of completed tasks, participation, and course exam results) were merged with the questionnaire data. All participants of the prior quantitative data collection point were invited for an interview on a voluntary basis. The qualitative data consists of 16 semi-structured interviews where the students reflected on their experiences in both learning environments. This doctoral dissertation summarises four studies, each articulating the quality of learning in the university mathematics context from different perspectives. Study I quantitatively contrasts students’ approaches to learning, self-efficacy, and perceptions of the learning environments in the two learning environments. In addition, the study identifies three student subgroups: 1) students applying a deep approach to learning, 2) students applying a surface approach to learning, and 3) students applying a context-sensitive surface approach to learning. Study II is a follow-up of Study I and takes a qualitative approach when contrasting the student subgroups and their aims for learning and the actualised learning processes in the two learning environments. Study III quantitatively examines gender-specific differences in self-efficacy, and Study IV takes a mixed-methods approach when contrasting students’ self- and co-regulation of learning in the two learning environments. The results of this doctoral dissertation show that there can be substantial variation in students’ quality of learning between different student-centred learning environments. The central elements of the learning environment contributing to the quality of learning were tasks, lectures, scaffolding, and student collaboration. In particular, student collaboration was focal in supporting students to move away from undesired learning practices, such as applying a surface approach to learning or unregulated learning. Moreover, the results demonstrate that disrupting the typical course structure by a flipped learning approach elicited various benefits for the quality of students’ learning. In this vein, this doctoral dissertation argues for a holistic approach to design university mathematics learning environments and promotes pedagogical development as a significant factor in supporting students to learn mathematics within higher education. Overall, this doctoral dissertation demonstrates how discipline-based higher education research can advance both the fields of university mathematics education and higher education towards the development of research-based student-centred learning environments.
-
(2010)TRIM Research ReportsIn Finland, there is a desperate need for flexible, reliable and functional multi-e-learning settings for pupils aged 11-13. Southern Finland has several ongoing e-learning projects, but none that develop a multiple setting, with learning and teaching occurring between more than two schools. In 2006, internet connections were not broadband and data transfer was mainly audio data. Connections and technical problems occurred, which were an obstacle to multi-e-learning. Internet connections today enable web-based learning in major parts of <br/>Lapland and by 2015, broadband will reach even the remotest villages up north. Therefore, it is important to research the possibilities of multi-e-learning and to build collaborative, learner-centred, versatile network models for primary school-aged pupils. The resulting model will facilitate distance learning to extend education to rural, sparsely populated areas, and it will give a model of using mobile devices in language portfolios. This will promote regional equality and prevent exclusion. Working with portfolios provides the opportunity to develop mobility from a pedagogical point of view. It is important to study the pros and cons of mobile devices in producing artefacts on portfolios in e-learning and language learning settings. <br/>The current study represents a design-based research approach. The design research approach includes two important aspects concerning the current research: ‘a teacher as researcher’ aspect, which means there is the possibility to be strongly involved in developing processes and an obstacle-aspect, which means that problems while developing, are seen as a <br/>promoter in evolving the designed model, as apposed to negative results.