Ralph E. Reynolds

What Is Learning Anyway? A Topographical Perspective Considered.

The overarching purpose of this treatise was to develop a means by which to describe and evaluate existing perspectives on learning and to guide future explorations in this domain. Specifically, using the metaphor of a river system, we advance a framework into which theoretical perspectives and empirical investigations of learning can be positioned. We began by articulating nine principles of learning shared by diverse theoretical orientations. The primary focus of our analysis was a framework with four dimensions of learning (i.e., the what, where, who, and when) in continual interaction constituting the products and processes of learning. Based on these common principles and the interactive dimensions, we offered a definition of learning. Finally, we used three cases drawn from real-life experiences, and representing different configurations of the what, where, who, and when dimensions, to illuminate the comprehensiveness and utility of the topographical perspective on learning forwarded.

The Nature of the Refutation Text Effect: An Investigation of Attention Allocation

ABSTRACT Students often hold misconceptions that conflict with scientific explanations. Research has shown that refutation texts are effective for facilitating conceptual change in these cases (Guzzetti, Snyder, Glass, & Gamas, 1993). The process through which refutation texts have their effect is not clear. The authors replicated and extended previous research investigating cognitive processes involved in the refutation text effect. Undergraduates read either a refutation or an expository text on seasonal change. Individual reading times were recorded. Participants’ conceptions were measured at pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. Results showed that readers spent less time reading the refutation paragraph compared to the expository paragraph. The refutation text group had fewer misconceptions at posttest. These findings suggest that refutation text processing differences mirror similar findings in the attention literature, which may account for their effectiveness.

PERSONALITY INTERACTIONS AND SCAFFOLDING IN ON-LINE DISCUSSIONS*

The potential of on-line discussions to prompt greater reflection of course material is often stymied by a tendency of students to agree with one another rather than to formulate counter-arguments. This article describes an experiment using note starters and elaborated cases to encourage counter-argumentation and examines interactions with personality characteristics. Participants were 48 undergraduates who wrote on-line discussion notes in response to two issues in educational psychology. Participants also completed a personality survey, based on McCrae and Costas (1997) five-factor personality model. There was a significant positive main effect of note starters on the frequency of disagreement, as well as personality-treatment interactions between note starters and several personality characteristics, The results suggest that note starters are most useful for students with low degrees of curiosity (“openness to ideas”) or assertiveness, and who are not overly anxious. Note starters appear to encourage students to consider other points of view during on-line discussions.

An Atlas Has More Than One Map: A Reply to Our Commentators

In this response, we acknowledge the central concerns of the commentators to our article on learnings topography. We respond to those concerns on the basis of the multiplicity of views about learning that reside within the learning terrain we outlined in Alexander, Schallert, and Reynolds (2009/this issue).

College First-Year Seminars: What are We Doing, What Should We Be Doing?

The modern concept of first-year seminars was introduced in 1972. Ninety-four percent of Americas accredited 4–year colleges and universities offered a seminar by 2002. First-year seminar defines a fairly diverse instructional construct, but the goal remains to improve student retention rates. Research trends indicate a positive and almost always statistically significant relationship between seminar participation, college achievement, and higher persistence rates. However, existing studies reflect a variety of methodological issues. These studies tend to make causal assertions despite potential confounds and few consider the theoretical basis for the content of this construct called a first-year seminar. The purpose of this investigation was to begin defining the parameters of what first-year seminar means. Case study methodology was used to identify the common components and how they could relate to a theoretical framework.