Personal Epistemology

1
Personal Epistemology and Student Resistance to
Interactive Lecture Demonstrations Guy
Ashkenazi Rachel Zimrot Department of Science
Teaching The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem guy_at_fh.huji.ac.il
2
The Teaching Method (ILD)
Demo 3 The nozzle of an evacuated vessel is
inserted into a flask filled with water. Predict
the state of the system after the valve is
opened. Provide a short explanation _____________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
___________________________
vacuum
water a b c d
3
Constructivist Objectives

• Prediction Activates students conceptions, and
  employs them as resources for further conceptual
  development.
• Discussion Demonstrates the possibility of
  several plausible models for the same phenomenon.
• Demonstration Tests the range of validity of
  the different models in the context of an actual
  observation.

4
Student Resistance

• What is your preferred way of learning new
  concepts and scientific principles the way this
  course is taught (ILD) or regular lectures like
  in all other courses?
• ILD course 28.2
• Neutral 24.4
• Traditional courses 47.4
• Is this just because students are lazy and prefer
  the path of least cognitive effort?

5
Personal Epistemology (Hofer, 2004)

• The beliefs and theories that individuals come to
  hold about knowledge and knowing. These are
  comprised of multiple dimensions that can each be
  expressed as a continuum, from less sophisticated
  to more sophisticated
• Certainty of knowledge
• Simplicity of knowledge
• Source of knowledge
• Justification for knowing

6
Certainty of Knowledge

• Can a scientific theory change?
• Danny A theory is something which is not fully
  founded, not completely verified by experiment
  it has holes but it can later be tied to
  something which is well established.
• Heather It happens if new technologies lead to
  new discoveries which contradict theory.
• Michael Even if an experiment contradicts a
  theory, we may say this is the best we have and
  continue using it.

7
Complexity of Knowledge

• How do you learn a new concept?
• Danny I first try to understand it intuitively.
  When I see I cannot understand it intuitively, or
  when I dont feel like it, I memorize it.
• Heather I try to look for connections to things
  I do know it makes me feel more secure.
• Michael It always builds upon prior
  knowledge I know that with time, as more
  concepts and more structures are built upon the
  new material, I will know it better.

8
Student Resistance to ILD

• Three students interpret the same classroom
  experience in three different ways, through the
  lenses of their personal epistemologies
• Danny finds it confusing and antagonizing, and
  strongly opposes this teaching method.
• Heather can see the usefulness of specific
  elements, but overall doesnt feel secure in her
  knowledge.
• Michael strongly supports all elements of this
  constructivist teaching method.
• All three students are high-achievers (Final
  grades 89, 93, 91)

9
Prediction

• Danny A regular class is more focused, less of
  a roller-coaster low level amusement it is
  easier to concentrate.
• Heather It is more fun you sit with your
  friends, talk, and think together but Im not
  sure that it leads to better learning.
• Michael The fact that a person needs to sit and
  sort out what he thinks will happen, and to give
  an explanation and he can compare what he wrote
  to other things it is better.

10
Discussion

• Danny He writes the incorrect sentences, and
  then explains why they make sense, and you can no
  longer trust your professor he should not
  reinforce students mistakes!
• Heather It is a nice interaction it confronts
  your opinion with others. You should either
  defend it or become convinced.
• Michael I sometimes see a conflict between two
  sentences that I try to reconcile it helps me to
  sort out my thoughts.

11
Demonstration

• Danny An experiment is something that attracts
  my eye, and makes me understand but the way it
  was done it only confused me.
• Heather I think that from all the experiments,
  I remember more the ones which surprised me if
  it contradicts your intuition, it lights a bulb
  in your mind.
• Michael An experiment is more attractive and
  also demands more careful consideration and
  integration of knowledge you have.

12
Conclusions

• When knowledge is considered as something that
  can be simply transmitted, constructivist
  teaching methods may seem at best pointless and
  even distracting.
• Even when students are willing to go through the
  process, they have a need for a feeling of
  certainty Give us some phase of struggle, a
  chance to contemplate, but at the end of this
  process summarize and say this is correct, that
  is incorrect, for the following reasons.

13
Results - Attitude
Final Midterm Attitude Term
n.s. 23.3 22.6 54.1 2.551.04 28.2 24.4 47.4 2.771.18 Positive (4-5) Neutral (3) Negative (1-2) Average Fall 2002 (n151)
n.s. 59.5 28.1 12.4 3.661.06 51.0 30.8 18.2 3.501.10 Positive (4-5) Neutral (3) Negative (1-2) Average Fall 2003 (n156)
p (?2) lt0.001 lt0.001
14
Results Performance
Topics Topics Performance level Term
6-10 1-5 Performance level Term
0.003 9.6 44.3 46.1 25.2 44.4 30.4 High (4-5) Medium (2-3) Low (0-1) Fall 2002 (n115)
n.s. 29.8 48.2 22.0 28.4 52.5 19.1 High (4-5) Medium (2-3) Low (0-1) Fall 2003 (n141)
p (?2) lt0.001 n.s.