An Empirical Study of the Process of Crafting and Using Definitions

Autor/in	Little, Angela Jean
Titel	An Empirical Study of the Process of Crafting and Using Definitions
Quelle	(2013), (101 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-3038-3599-5
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Definitions; Classification; Concept Formation; Scientific Concepts; Physical Sciences; Undergraduate Students; Majors (Students); Evaluation Criteria; College Science; Cooperative Learning; Science Instruction; Design; Workshops + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Begriffsbestimmung; Classification system; Klassifikation; Klassifikationssystem; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Natural sciences; Naturwissenschaften; Naturwissenschaft; Kooperatives Lernen; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Lernwerkstatt; Schulung
Abstract	In this dissertation I analyze the process of crafting definitions whose purpose is classification. The context I examine is undergraduate upper-division physical science majors defining and naming sub-categories of a physical phenomenon in the context of a design task over an extended period of time. The goal of the design task is one of classification: help people better identify the phenomenon out in the world. I first develop an analytic framework for the process of improving a definition. This framework involves an interplay between four main elements: the current state of the definition, criteria for what makes a good definition, examples, and definitionally unarticulated knowledge (DUK). By DUK, I mean implicit judgments that definers make about categorization that have not been incorporated into the definition, per se. I show how criteria and the practices associated with meeting them guide the refinement work. Once participants craft their definition a question emerges: to what extent does it serve them as a tool when they make sense of new examples? I zoom in on moments where new examples are introduced by participants or the facilitator and describe the extent to which students rely on their own crafted definition. The consideration of a new example can sometimes lead to participants naming a new sub-category and I analyze this process as well. The detailed empirical analysis is bookended by a set of workshop design principles that made the analysis possible and some educational implications of the work. I lay out a set of design principles for creating activities wherein people engage productively in collaboratively defining. I conclude by exploring the educational implications for college physics teaching as well as more general instances where one is interested in crafting a definition for the purpose of classification. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01