knowledge,interest,andstrategicprocessing.docVIP

KNOWLEDGE, INTEREST, AND STRATEGIC PROCESSING: PROFILING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN A SEMESTER-LONG COURSE Emily M. Grossnickle, Daniel L. Dinsmore, Patricia A. Alexander, and Alexandra List University of Maryland, College ParkAbstract The interrelations between knowledge, interest, and strategic processing have been well documented. However, much remains to be learned about how these interrelations manifest under particular conditions or how they change over time. Using Alexander’s Model of Domain Learning (Alexander, 2003), the interrelations between these constructs at the beginning and end of an undergraduate course were investigated to understand contextual and developmental conditions. Data for 150 students were examined and 6 distinct clusters were established at the beginning of the term. Membership in the various clusters was tracked from the beginning to end of the course to understand developmental changes. Results suggested that the direction and degree of changes in knowledge, interest, and strategic processing depended upon cluster membership. Knowledge, interest, and strategic processing: Profiling undergraduate students in a semester-long course Well-rounded (adjective): showing interest or ability in many fields Webster’s New World College Dictionary (1999) Higher education aims to educate individuals broadly, across a variety of domains, as well as intensively, within a selected area of study. The former of these aims is typically manifest as a general education curriculum to be completed in addition to courses within a major area of study (Warner Koeppel, 2009). The purpose and nature of general education has recently come into the public spotlight as colleges and universities have sought to revamp the general education requirements, and as current requirements have been criticized for being too general or too specific (ACTA, 2009; Bourke, Bray, Horton, 2010). As colleges seek to produce individuals who are w