gateway engineering education coalition cognitive development a look at how students think

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition

Cognitive Development

A Look at How Students Think

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition 2

Do any of these sound familiar?

“So…which is the right answer?”

“What exactly do you want from us?”

“Well, if there is no right answer, then my opinion is just as valid as yours.”


If so, it’s not surprising…

And it’s not necessarily because the students have been given wrong answers…

Or, because you’ve been confusing or unclear…

Rather…your students’ cognitive development may not have reached a level appropriate to what you are expecting from them


Cognitive Development

What is Cognitive Development?

Why is it important to understand?

Perry’s model of Cognitive Development

Other models

References


What is Cognitive Development?

Cognitive development is a process through which people develop more sophisticated methods of understanding or perceiving information, opinions, theories, or facts.

In a sense…it describes the intellectual transition a person makes from being able to deal with a black and white world, to one with many shades of gray.



Provides insight into student perspectives

Helps instructors appreciate how students understand or perceive information

Allows instructors to appropriately tailor information or questions

Current level

Beyond



Concepts appropriately beyond the current cognitive level result in:

disequilibrium

followed by

accomodation

Going too far can cause frustration. If too great, the student may leave.


Perry’s Model

Perry’s model is concerned with:

How students move from a dualistic (black and white) view of the universe to a more relativistic (shades of gray) view

How students develop commitments within the relativistic world

Perry’s model includes four separate stages which are broken down into nine individual positions


Perry’s Model: The Positions

Stage 1: Dualism

Position 1 – Basic Duality

Position 2 – Dualism: Multiplicity Prelegitimate

Stage 2: Multiplicity

Position 3 – Early Multiplicity

Position 4 – Complex Dualism and Advanced Multiplicity


Perry’s Model: The Positions

Stage 3: Relativism

Position 5 – Relativism

Position 6 – Relativism: Commitment Foreseen

Stage 4: Commitment

Positions 7, 8 and 9 – Levels of Commitment


Stage 1 – Dualism

Students learn how to learn

There are right answers and wrong answers.

Learning is information exchange.

Knowledge is quantitative and the right answers are dispensed by authorities.


Position 1: Basic Duality

World view is dualistic – right versus wrong

Authorities know all of the answers

Men identify with authority. Women do not.

Instructor should teach correct answers. Failure to do so indicates the instructor is bad.

Conflicts with multiplicity result in accommodation by modifying position 1 and moving to position 2.


Position 2: Multiplicity Prelegitimate

Multiplicity exists, but basic dualistic view maintained

There is a right and wrong.

Multiple views are either wrong or “the authority is playing games to make us figure out the right answer”

Since authorities can be wrong, the absolute answers are independent of authority, and consequently some authorities are smarter than others.


Position 2: Multiplicity Prelegitimate

Engineering students in this position can solve problems

Closed-end

Single correct answer


Stage 2 – Multiplicity

Students learn to think independently and improve their ability to think analytically.

There are conflicting answers, so one must trust their inner voice, not authority.

A continuum exists such that diverse views can be accepted when the answer is unknown.

All opinions are valid.


Position 3: Early Multiplicity

Multiplicity unavoidable – even in hard sciences/engineering

Still one right answer, but it may be unknown by authority

Gap widens between authority and the one truth


Position 3: Early Multiplicity

Realization begins that knowledge in some areas is “fuzzy”

Conflict arises – how can instructor evaluate student’s work if the answer is not yet known?

“What do they want?”

In engineering few opportunities exist, outside of design classes, to move to positions 3 or 4


Position 4: Complex Dualism and Advanced Multiplicity

Tries to retain dualistic view, but understands that variety of opinion legitimately exists

Conforms to “what authority wants” by learning independent intellectual thought

Learns that independent-like thought will earn good grades


Position 4: Complex Dualism and Advanced Multiplicity

May oppose authority’s wants in areas where multiplicity is important

Engineer in position 4 can generate clever, creative solutions to problems.

May lack vision and ability to prioritize.

Many engineers with advanced degrees are in positions 3 and 4


Stage 3 – Relativism

Individual recognizes the need to support opinions

Rationale for beliefs takes into account questioning as well as a contextual basis for positions taken.

Knowledge is viewed more qualitatively.

Knowledge is contextually defined, based on evidence and supporting arguments.


Position 5: Relativism

Student now sees everything as relative

Relativism is now the common characteristic and absolutes are the exceptions. This is the reverse of position 4.

Relativistic thought becomes habitual without being noticed.

Students in a relativistic position advances beyond the “all opinions are equal” stage by using evidence to develop positions which are more likely.


Position 6: Relativism – Commitment Foreseen

Student can see the need for commitment, but has not yet made it

Commitment is a mature decision made after one has accepted that the world can be viewed as relativistic and has seen all of the possibilities


Position 6: Relativism – Commitment Foreseen

Previous decisions recalled and examined from a detached viewpoint.

Commitments can be made in a variety of areas such as career, religion, marriage, politics, values, etc.

Major commitments are not to be rushed. Student may stay in position 6 for a while.


Stage 4 – Commitment

Student finds the sense of identity searched for elsewhere.

Knowledge learned from others integrated with personal experience and thought.

Making choices in a contextual world.

Initiates the ethical development of the thinker


Positions 7, 8 and 9: Levels of Commitment

Positions 7 through 9 are levels of commitment beginning initially in position 7.

Positions represent degrees of development and depth.


Other Cognitive Development Models

Baxter Magolda's Model of Epistemological Reflection

Belenky's Epistemological Perspectives from Which Women Know and View the World

Sinnott’s Complex Postformal Thought


References

Wankat, Phillip C., Oreovicz, Frank S., Teaching Engineering, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, Chapter 14.

www.cs.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/perry.positions.html

www.ericfacility.net/ericdigest/ed284272.html

www.new.towson.edu/iact/main_files/cognitive.htm

admin.vmi.edu/ir/sid.htm


References

academic.pg.cc.md.us/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/perry~1.html

arl.cni.org/newsltr/193/ld.html

english.ttu.edu/kairos/2.1/features/brent/perry.htm

gateway engineering education coalition cognitive development a look at how students think

Documents

advanced multiplicity

dualism position

dualism students

right answers

levels of commitment

relativism position

positions stage

wrong answers