Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors

Prior findings highlight school students’ low motivation to study science, while 21st-century education aims to achieve their key competencies: scientific literacy and autonomous problem-solving to be prepared for smooth adaption to quickly changing circumstances. Real-life learning scenarios can me...

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Main Authors: Õnne Uus, Kadri Mettis, Terje Väljataga
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2022-12-01
Series:Cogent Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2074342
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author Õnne Uus
Kadri Mettis
Terje Väljataga
author_facet Õnne Uus
Kadri Mettis
Terje Väljataga
author_sort Õnne Uus
collection DOAJ
description Prior findings highlight school students’ low motivation to study science, while 21st-century education aims to achieve their key competencies: scientific literacy and autonomous problem-solving to be prepared for smooth adaption to quickly changing circumstances. Real-life learning scenarios can meet these shortfalls to engage the learners by the knowledge-in-use perspective. This, however, requires that learners have high-level abilities of complex learning. We conducted a case study of outdoor learning with 8th–graders (age 14–15) to foster their scientific thinking addressing a real-life problem hands-on. Although the results showed that students’ conceptual knowledge increased, they also indicate participants’ cognitive taxonomy difficulties. An insight into the cognitive load aspects is given as it may appear in different autonomous learning situations. This work highlights the aspects little discussed so far (1) school students’ varying cognitive skills; (2) difficulties arising from the high cognitive load caused by multitasking, accompanied by the complex learning approach. This raises the questions of how to conduct motivating science lessons, where to practice the multi-component learning skills; and how to foster autonomous learning, where to gain the relevant knowledge without overburdening novice learners.
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spelling doaj.art-5e2248aba67340cbb7ed8b80eb2cd2992023-08-02T08:23:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Education2331-186X2022-12-019110.1080/2331186X.2022.2074342Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoorsÕnne Uus0Kadri Mettis1Terje Väljataga2School of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, EstoniaSchool of Digital Technologies, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, EstoniaSchool of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, EstoniaPrior findings highlight school students’ low motivation to study science, while 21st-century education aims to achieve their key competencies: scientific literacy and autonomous problem-solving to be prepared for smooth adaption to quickly changing circumstances. Real-life learning scenarios can meet these shortfalls to engage the learners by the knowledge-in-use perspective. This, however, requires that learners have high-level abilities of complex learning. We conducted a case study of outdoor learning with 8th–graders (age 14–15) to foster their scientific thinking addressing a real-life problem hands-on. Although the results showed that students’ conceptual knowledge increased, they also indicate participants’ cognitive taxonomy difficulties. An insight into the cognitive load aspects is given as it may appear in different autonomous learning situations. This work highlights the aspects little discussed so far (1) school students’ varying cognitive skills; (2) difficulties arising from the high cognitive load caused by multitasking, accompanied by the complex learning approach. This raises the questions of how to conduct motivating science lessons, where to practice the multi-component learning skills; and how to foster autonomous learning, where to gain the relevant knowledge without overburdening novice learners.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2074342working memory capacitycomplex learningcognitive loadoutdoor-learningexecutive functionsyoung learners
spellingShingle Õnne Uus
Kadri Mettis
Terje Väljataga
Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors
Cogent Education
working memory capacity
complex learning
cognitive load
outdoor-learning
executive functions
young learners
title Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors
title_full Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors
title_fullStr Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors
title_full_unstemmed Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors
title_short Self-directed learning: A case-study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors
title_sort self directed learning a case study of school students scientific knowledge construction outdoors
topic working memory capacity
complex learning
cognitive load
outdoor-learning
executive functions
young learners
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2074342
work_keys_str_mv AT onneuus selfdirectedlearningacasestudyofschoolstudentsscientificknowledgeconstructionoutdoors
AT kadrimettis selfdirectedlearningacasestudyofschoolstudentsscientificknowledgeconstructionoutdoors
AT terjevaljataga selfdirectedlearningacasestudyofschoolstudentsscientificknowledgeconstructionoutdoors