ED266881 PS015698
Title: The Child's Conception of Learning. Goteborg Studies in Educational
Sciences 46.
Author(s): Pramling, Ingrid
Author Affiliation:
Goteborg Univ., Molndal (Sweden). Dept. of Education.(BBB19999)
Pages:
197
Publication Date: 1983
ISBN: 91-7346-131-8
Available
from: EDRS Price MF01/PC08 Plus Postage.
Availability: ACTA Universitatis
Gothoburgensis, Box 5096, S-402 22, Goteborg, Sweden (no
price quoted).
Language: English
Document Type: Dissertations/Theses--Doctoral
Dissertations (041); Reports--Research
(143)
Geographic Source:
Sweden
Journal Announcement: RIEJUL1986
The main purpose of this study was to trace the development of children's awareness
that
they can learn and to describe the forms of their ideas of learning.
A complementary aim was
to account for the extent to which such conceptions
can be found at different levels of
development. The investigation consisted
of two observational studies and a series of six
interview studies with 300
Swedish children ranging from 3 to 8 years of age. The child's
idea of learning
was dealt with in terms of what is learned and how. Concerning what is
learned,
findings suggest a developmental progression from learning to do, to know, and
to
understand; findings also indicate a corresponding set of answers to the
questions of how.
Developmental differences were found in children's awareness
of different forms in which one
can learn. It is concluded that preschool
education to a large extent relies on conceptions
which most children of preschool
age lack. Appended are coding criteria, interview
questions, and descriptions
of related age trends and the child's conceptions of "to be
able,"
"to know," "to understand," "changes in thinking,"
"to find out by thinking," and of
"what it takes to learn a
phone number." (RH)
Descriptors: *Cognitive Development;
*Concept Formation; Developmental Stages; Educational
Practices; Foreign
Countries; Interviews; *Learning; *Metacognition; Observation;
*Preschool
Children; Preschool Education
Identifiers: *Phenomenography; Qualitative Research;
*Sweden
