International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Volume 2, Number 1, January 2008
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Abstract
Casting a Wider Net: Deepening Scholarship by Changing Theories
Research questions are shaped, explicitly or implicitly, by the theories we bring to bear upon our scholarship. Broadening our theoretical perspectives allows us to frame richer, deeper questions about the teaching and learning happening in our classrooms. This paper explicates the research implications of three broad theories of learning (constructivist, socio-cultural, and complexivist), exploring what scholarship framed by each theory might look like and some of the strengths and limitations of each framework. The authors use their experience engaging in research on teaching and learning in an undergraduate interdisciplinary science program to illustrate the argument that changing theories can help improve the scholarship and practice of teaching and learning in higher education.
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Gillian Gerhard
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
gerhardg@interchange.ubc.ca
I have a Master of Applied Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria, and am a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum Studies (Science and Higher Education) at the University of British Columbia. My dissertation research explores undergraduate students’ experiences of interdisciplinary education in the sciences. This research is funded through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council doctoral fellowship and a Killam pre-doctoral fellowship. My research interests emerged from my experiences over six years co-teaching interdisciplinary courses in measurement and instrumentation, scaling, control systems, and field studies in the Faculty of Science at UBC. My ultimate career goal is to participate in the transformation of undergraduate education in the sciences and engineering.
Jolie Mayer-Smith
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
jolie.mayer-smith@ubc.ca
I am an Associate Professor in Curriculum Studies and Chair of Science Education Programs at the University of British Columbia. I teach courses in Curriculum and Instruction for pre-service science teachers and graduate courses in Teaching and Learning and Research Methodology. While studying plant protists and completing my Ph.D. in Botany, I became interested in problems associated with teaching and learning of science. I explored those issues for seven years as a High School biology and chemistry teacher and then began to research the problem when I joined the Faculty of Education. My research into improving pedagogy has focused on teacher education, postsecondary science teaching and learning, genetics education, environmental education, and the application of digital technologies in science classrooms.