Thesis

Learning by self-study of a statistical analysis technique

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2012
Thesis identifier
  • T13181
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • The state of mindfulness is investigated in the present paper with particular reference to learning, specifically its ability to overcome rote memorisation in learners and enhance performance and understanding. Traditional teaching methods have long been criticised for encouraging rote memorisation through the importance placed on the accretion of grades and test scores (Ritchhart & Perkins, 2000; Sherretz, 2011) as opposed to developing a deep level of understanding of the material. Langer (1989) addressed this problem proposing mindful interventions such as instructions to enhance learning in students. The design of the present study is an extension of Langer's experimental design with the aim of developing a novel technique to enhance mindful thinking than that initially proposed by Langer. Prompt questions were inserted into the conditional instruction group in an attempt to add flexibility and uncertainty to the information. This technique was used to encourage learners to consider different perspectives and view Page's L trend test as an option as opposed to definitive fact. It was therefore hypothesised that participants in the mindful, conditional instruction group would perform better and demonstrate a higher level of understanding which was measured through justification scores, than participants in the non-mindful, absolute condition. It was thought that through the concrete presentation of information in the absolute condition, participants would 'mindlessly' replicate the information from the instructions to each task. The present study also aimed to investigate if one's propensity to be mindful would affect task performance and understanding when presented with information in a mindful way. The results suggest that conditional instructions had a significant effect on task performance and understanding with participants in the conditional group performing better and providing more justification for their answers than participants in the absolute condition. The results also suggest that participants propensity to be mindful had no significant effect on performance or understanding when learning mindfully. The results therefore provide evidence for an effective educational tool that enhances short term performance and understanding in learners.
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2012
Former identifier
  • 947526

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file details File 2021-07-02 University of Strathclyde