Richard T. White

Promoting self-control of learning

The process of learning with understanding was investigated by case study of three male students learning genetics at a tertiary college. Five conclusions regarding the process arise from the study. These conclusions are: (1) Learning outcome is determined by decisions made by the learner. These decisions are influenced by learner perceptions and interpretations. (2) Inadequate learning is due to ineffective decision-making. This ineffective decision-making is associated with specific, recurring learning deficiencies. The main types of deficiency, deficient processing tendencies and misconceptions, cause inadequate performance and preclude learning with understanding. A total of seven tendencies was observed. Each learner applied tendencies idiosyncratically. Tendencies also generated particular misconceptions which further inhibited learning. (3) It takes energy to learn with understanding, or to unlearn a misconception. (4) Learners often are unaware of their deficiencies. This lack of awareness generates inappropriate attitudes. (5) Increased learner awareness of the nature and process of learning changes attitudes and procedures. The major implication of this study relates to promoting self-control of learning. It is proposed that improved learning will result from increasing learner awareness of the nature and process of learning, and by training learners in procedures for enhancing self-evaluation and decision-making.

Students' Perceptions of Teaching and Learning in First-Year University Physics

The transition from school to university involves substantial change in the structure and organization of teaching, and in the nature and purpose of learning contexts. This paper, which reports some data from a broader study of learning and teaching in first year university physics, focuses on aspects of the school-university transition. In particular, we report perceptions of first year physics students about how they should learn physics, what it is intended they should learn, and what they believe to be the functions of the various teaching situations in which they are placed.

Understanding Intellectual Skills.

This article presents a framework for analyzing what it means to understand an intellectual skill. Building on the task analysis framework of Gagné and others, we suggest that many different types of knowledge may be associated with the core skills and subskills involved in a learning hierarchy. Second, we suggest that certain types of associated knowledge may lead to much greater understanding of the skill than will other types—an outcome we call skill plus productive knowledge. Then we present a classification system for analyzing the types of knowledge that are associated with skills concerning functional relations such as Ohms Law. Finally, we suggest instructional prescriptions for developing learning outcomes that include appropriate associated knowledge. The article is intended as a framework for future research on understanding skills. The general direction of such research is outlined.

Trends in research in science education

Counts of key words from summaries of articles in ERIC showed trends in the topics of science education research from 1965 to 1995. Analysis of articles in the 1975, 1985, and 1995 volumes ofResearch in Science Education showed trends in the style of research. The move is from brief well-designed and controlled laboratory-style experiments to lengthy observations and descriptions of classrooms. Reliance on inferential statistics declined; interviews became common. The proportion of women researchers rose. It is asserted that research became more relevant to practice.

Relevance of practical work to comprehension of physics

It is suggested that three types of experiment should be added to those normally used in physics courses. One type is the unusual experiment which engages the emotions through being odd, dramatic, beautiful or puzzling. Another type is intended to establish generalised episodes involving materials and events of common experience, with the purposes of linking school subject matter and daily life and of providing experiences which will be called into play in making subsequent information comprehensible. The third type consists of true problem solving exercises which serve to integrate students knowledge of physics, making that knowledge more readily recallable and applicable to further problems.

Hydroliquefaction of Victorian brown coal in a continuous reactor: 2. Comparison of tetralin and a coal-derived oil as hydrogen donor solvents

Abstract Slurries of Victorian brown coal in either tetralin (1:3) or a hydrogenated creosote oil (HKC 300) (1:3) were reacted with hydrogen in a continuous reactor system both with and without the addition of iron/tin based catalysts. The product yields and distributions from reactions using HKC 300 oil as a solvent are different from those obtained using tetralin. Under similar operating conditions, conversions are slightly lower and the asphaltene yields are higher for reactions in HKC 300 relative to those in tetralin. These differences are presumably due to the poorer hydrogen donor ability of the HKC 300. The yields of asphaltols, asphaltenes and oils for reactions in both solvent systems under a wide range of conditions are discussed as a function of overall conversion.