Today I finished an article on systems theory.  It's kind of amazing to me that I've never really had systems theory explained before. I feel now like I understand it fairly well, though some things in the article seem contradictory to me (postmodern systems theory?) or unclear (the application to education is highly theoretical and … Continue reading Banathy & Jenlink on Systems Theory

Chapter 12 & 13 Questions 1 & 2 12.1: Why is it important to consider all of the different stakeholders and audiences for an evaluation?  Which groups do you think are typically viewed as most important?  Which are most likely to be neglected?  How could ignoring these latter groups lead to a problem? 13.2: As … Continue reading Stakeholders and Evaluation

This particular article was specifically focused on developing critical thinking skills and dispositions.  I have other articles which likewise focus on critical thinking dispositions.  I'm wondering: can I generalize findings about "fostering critical thinking dispositions" to developing dispositions in general?  Already we have asked ourselves to what extent "developing dispositions" is the same as learning … Continue reading Abrami et al. on Interventions Affecting Dispositions

This article concluded with a quotation by Carl Jung that I like: The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. (Robertson, 1996, p. 50) This article argues that teachers -- especially adult educators -- must "establish educational helping relationships with learners and … Continue reading Jung, Robertson on Transformative Relationships

This article proposes a theory of thinking based on dispositions, rather than ability. The authors suggest that dispositions are composed of three elements: inclinations (motivation, habit, policy): "the person's felt tendency toward behavior X" (p. 4). sensitivity to occasion: "the person's alertness to X occasions" (p. 4); "a distinct perceptual or perception-like mechanism for detecting … Continue reading Perkins, Jay & Tishman on Dispositions

Lilian Katz was one of the early scholars to discuss and define dispositions. As we look into research about learning and becoming, we have thought that one related term is dispositions.  I read a couple of articles by Katz; one (1993) reviewed possible definitions of dispositions before positing her own.  She offers this definition: A … Continue reading Katz on Dispositions

Chapter 11 Question 4: Which competencies in Figure 11.3 are new or surprising to you? Which do you think are most important? Would you add any competencies to the list? The list provided in Figure 11.3 is quite detailed and comprehensive; at first glance, I can’t think of anything to add.  However, perhaps as I … Continue reading Essential Competencies for Program Evaluators

I finished an article by M. Gresalfi on dispositions in mathematics classrooms. She studies four students, two of whom had a teacher who expected, modeled, and continually promoted group collaboration in approaching mathematics, and two of who had a teacher who did not, but focused instead on the individual.  Gresalfi examines how the students' dispositions … Continue reading Gresalfi on Dispositions

Over the past two days my research has focused on "dispositions."  We are hoping that some of the research will give us insights into the development of dispositions, which might be part of becoming. I've already perused the titles of more than 300 works in EBSCO, and a lot of them have to do with … Continue reading Curran & Murray on Transformative Learning

This research studied the relationship between students' motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and task value), achievement emotions (enjoyment, boredom, and frustration), and satisfaction. The study found that students with greater self-efficacy beliefs, especially about their ability to learn online, were more likely to state that they would take online courses again in the future. However, students with … Continue reading Artino & Personal Factors