Your CIOS file request: Q-METHOD/06189135.943 hotline item

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Received:  by CIOS Mailer; Thursday 18 Jun 2009 13:59:43
Date:         Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:55:28 -0500
From:         "Dani B. Thomas" 
Subject: Re: Learning strategies
To:           Q-METHOD@LISTSERV.KENT.EDU
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Michael et al.,   the following pieces would fall into the second =
tradition cited by Roland Artery:  Since education is pretty much what =
we make of it -- whether formal or otherwise -- these studies sought to =
gain better understanding, first, of how undergraduates at a liberal =
arts college understand (and act on, or not) their subjective =
understandings of the liberal arts; and in the second case, following =
George Kuh's work on the so-called "invisible tapestry" of learning =
cultures at different colleges, a study is reported which uses Q to make =
learning culture subjectivity operant via Q sorts by faculty, =
student-life administrators and students on the nature and purpose =
(i.e., "the point") of a college education.
=20

Dan Thomas, "Taking Subjectivity Seriously in Educational Outcomes =
Assessment: Undergraduate Understandings of=20

          the Liberal Arts."  Operant Subjectivity, 1999, 21, 120-145.

=20

Dan Thomas and Fred Ribich, "In Search of the 'Invisible Tapestry:'  =
Subjective Understandings of the Nature and

          Purpose of College."  Journal of Human Subjectivity, 5(1), =
2007, 5-22.

=20

Several Q studies by Diane Montgomery and her students over the years -- =
some published in OS -- deal with subjectivity

and learning in this manner.  Among their virtues is the focus on "where =
students are at" in the educational enterprise.  Often, the =
R-methodological work that dominates this area, particularly in =
so-called assessment research, incorporates (on perfectly understandable =
grounds) the perspectives of the teachers, administrators, state =
certifying or NCLB authorities. But as many of us who were students =
ourselves at one point in life can recall -- though that was for me in =
the era that was not so excessively concerned with "accountability" -- =
students bring their own understandings to the teaching-learning =
process.  Frequently, as those of us who are faculty members now can =
certainly appreciate,  those understandings are often strikingly =
different from our own.  It seems odd to me that in this age of =
proclaimed accountability that more attention is not given to the =
subjective impediments or precursors of quality learning.  (On the =
impediments side, Russ Hurd has a really cool piece in a recent issue of =
OS on "academic procrastination by college students," a phenomenon that =
gets scant attention from the scale-driven assessment crowd despite its =
self-evident importance to the teaching-learning process.)

=20

Best regards,

=20

Dan  =20

  =20
=20
************************************
Dan B. Thomas
Professor of Political Science
Wartburg College
Waverly, IA 50677
Voice:319-352-8384
Fax:319-352-8582
************************************

________________________________

From: Q Methodology Network on behalf of Roland Arter  at 
Sent: Thu 6/18/2009 11:17 AM
To: Q-METHOD@LISTSERV.KENT.EDU
Subject: Re: Learning strategies


Michael,

From what I've been able to gather most literature about learning =
processes seems to fall into two major areas.  Dewey, Piaget and =
Vygotsky, to name a famous few, address learning processes and how they =
develop, mostly during childhood development.  The other area seems to =
address learner subjectivity - the way learners' perceptions, attitudes, =
beliefs, desires, culture, religion, etc., affect how they learn.  =
Schommer, Muis and Dweck are a few researchers that address these =
issues. =20

The second area lends itself to Q-methodology.  (Ramlo is currently =
working in this area and actually uses Q-methodology to evaluate =
learning.)  So far I haven't found many Q studies that deal directly =
with learner subjectivity and how it impacts learning.  Not learning =
development.  Learning subjectivity.  Not what learners can do.  What do =
learners want to do to, and why do they want to do it from their =
standpoint of view.  Learning doesn't begin until the learner decides it =
does, not the teacher.

First, I hope this sheds some light on your comments.  Second, if anyone =
has any information about Q studies, or any studies that focus on =
learner (student) subjectivity, please forward this information to me at =
arter@uakron.edu.  I am developing my dissertation.

Roland



Michael Abrams wrote:=20

	How much educational research focuses on how people, themselves, say =
they
	"learn?" I see a lot of research on teaching strategies, some =
interesting
	work on "learning styles."  With all of the observation and measurement
	going on, I wonder how much attention subjectivity gets in these areas.
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	See the wildflowers of Florida at http://www.flwildflowers.com =
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