In this poster, we report results related to an NSF EEC CAREER project that characterizes
framing agency, defined as making decisions and learning in the process of framing design
problems. Our past studies of framing agency have relied on discourse analysis to characterize
agency in talk [1-3]. However, this analytical approach, with its focus on talk, misses much
about the materials in the design process, and given that design is commonly cast as a
conversation with materials [4], a fuller understanding of framing agency could come from
attention to material interactions. This study aimed to investigate a design setting in which
materials played a consequential role, and to incorporate another analytic method to attend to the
roles of materials in framing agency. Specifically, we examined ways learners negotiated their
agency with materials in the context of an informal STEM camp focused on learning about the
past, present, and future of radio frequency communications.
more »
« less
Textile Technology: Learning With and From Materials
Understanding the roles of agency in learning can be expanded by taking up a
posthumanist stance and examining material conversations in creative spaces—such as in this
participant observation study set in a university textile technology art class. Using video/audio
records, artifacts, and field notes, we categorize being, doing, and becoming agency of materials
and the learning opportunities they offer in ecoprinting and computer/machine embroidery.
Learning with becoming materials may depend more heavily on iteration.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1751369
- PAR ID:
- 10495171
- Publisher / Repository:
- ISLS
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2095 to 2096
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Undergraduate students ( N = 82) learned about microbiology with Crystal Island, a game-based learning environment (GBLE), which required participants to interact with instructional materials (i.e., books and research articles, non-player character [NPC] dialogue, posters) spread throughout the game. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: full agency , where they had complete control over their actions, and partial agency , where they were required to complete an ordered play-through of Crystal Island. As participants learned with Crystal Island, log-file and eye-tracking time series data were collected to pinpoint instances when participants interacted with instructional materials. Hierarchical linear growth models indicated relationships between eye gaze dwell time and (1) the type of representation a learner gathered information from (i.e., large sections of text, poster, or dialogue); (2) the ability of the learner to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information; (3) learning gains; and (4) agency. Auto-recurrence quantification analysis (aRQA) revealed the degree to which repetitive sequences of interactions with instructional material were random or predictable. Through hierarchical modeling, analyses suggested that greater dwell times and learning gains were associated with more predictable sequences of interaction with instructional materials. Results from hierarchical clustering found that participants with restricted agency and more recurrent action sequences had greater learning gains. Implications are provided for how learning unfolds over learners' time in game using a non-linear dynamical systems analysis and the extent to which it can be supported within GBLEs to design advanced learning technologies to scaffold self-regulation during game play.more » « less
-
more » « less
Abstract As the use of computers in education increases, adaptive learning platforms are becoming more common. However, these adaptive systems are typically designed to support acquisition of declarative knowledge and/or procedural fluency but rarely address conceptual learning. In this work, we developed the Crystallography Adaptive Learning Module (CALM) for materials science to provide students a tool for individualized conceptual learning. We used a randomized quasi‐experimental design comparing two instructional designs with different levels of computer‐provided direction and student agency. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of two different instructional designs; one design had students complete an individualized, adaptive path using the CALM (
N = 80), and the other gave students the freedom to explore CALM's learning resources but with limited guidance (N = 85). Within these two designs, we also investigated students among different cumulative grade point average (GPA) groups. While there was no statistically significant difference in the measure of conceptual understanding between instructional designs or among the groups with the same GPA, there is evidence to suggest the CALM improves conceptual understanding of students in the middle GPA group. Students using CALM also showed increased participation with the interactive learning videos compared to the other design. The number of videos watched in each instructional condition aligns with overall academic performance as the low GPA group received the most assigned supplements but watched the least videos by choice. This study provides insight for technology developers on how to develop educational adaptive technology systems that provide a proper level of student agency to promote conceptual understanding in challenging STEM topics. -
Lindgren, R ; Asino, T I ; Kyza, E A ; Looi, C K ; Keifert, D T ; Suárez, E (Ed.)Fostering locally relevant and community-centered forms of science learning that develop students’ critical science agency problematizes a “one-size-fits-all” model of teacher learning; teachers must examine how community needs and resources, local inequities and justice issues, and curriculum materials can converge to design novel learning opportunities for science learners. This paper presents the core commitments of EMPOWER, a cross-institutional effort that aims to support teachers' sensemaking and adaptations of curriculum materials to promote student ownership, engagement, and relevance at multiple sites across the U.S.more » « less
-
Supporting learners’ agency in constructing and using STEM knowledge is critical not only for fostering deeper learning, but also for making STEM education more equitable and inclusive. Informal learning environments like museums and science centers often prioritize agency within hands-on and interactive learning experiences, but few studies have defined what agency looks like within these spaces. The current study uses theoretical understandings of epistemic agency as a lens for understanding families’ experiences in science centers. A team of researchers, exhibit designers, educators, and museum facilitators collaboratively generated a working definition of agency in the context of families’ science center visits, and created a reflection tool to help museum practitioners notice observable aspects of agency in families’ interactions at STEM exhibits.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.22318/icls2023.791591
