HIGHER LEVEL APPROACHES TO KNOWLEDGE AND COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SIMULATIONS Donald Neil Philip A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (a Copyright by Donald Neil Philip 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie SeMces services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington QnawaûfU K1AON4 ûttawaON K1AW afwa Canade The author bas granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sel1 reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of thts thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de rnicrofiche/6lm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be p~tedor otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Canada Donald Neil Philip HIGHER LEVEL APPROACHES TO KNOWLEDGE AND COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SIMULATIONS Department of Cumicuium, Teaching and Leaniing Ontario Institute for Studies in Edwtion University of Toronto Master of Arts A bstrsct An analytic matrix was created which adapted and merged Bereiter and Scardamalia' s ( 1996) levels of approach to knowledge with concepts from Bloom' s taxonomy (Knirnme, 1998) and Egan's (1997) concept of undentandings. This instrument was used to examine the discourse between students as they worked on a problem-based lhngiask using a commercial amputer simulation for evidence of the presence of the eight levels of' approach ta knowledge ptulated by Berriter and Scardamalia in 19%. There was a particular focus on the higher levels of appn>ach to knowledge, levels 4 ('%now ledge viewed from different perspectives"), 5 ('knowledge as personal artif', and 6 ("knowledge as improvable personai artifacts") . In a study of 17 students from grades six COeight in ihree sutnuban schods, evidence was found that level 3 ( 'knowledge as representable") was neceV to group functioning and that level4 was used cdstently by these students. Evidenœ of levels 5 and 6 was dso present, but less prominent than level4. APPENDKA.. ........................................................................................................................ 1 16 SimEmth Test ....................,, ............. .. ............................................................................. .I 16 SimCity Test ................................................................................................................... .I 17 TME 1: BLOOM'STASONOMY............................................................................................... 19 TMLE2: BAN'SUNDERSTANDINGS ........................................................................................2 1 TABLE3 ~ALYTICMATRIX K)R UVELS OF MPROACHTO KNOWLEDG E .........................................27 TABLE4: S~MCITYm: NüMBERS OF RESPONSES IN EACH OF THE CATEGORIES MOWHICH THE RESPONSES WERE GROUPED.. .............................................................................................. TABLE5: S~MEARTHTISI': : NUMBERSOF RESPONSES IN EACH OF THE CATEGORIES INTO WCHTHE RESPoNSES WERE GROUPED.. ..............................................................................................%) TABLE6: SIMClTY TE5X NU~~BERSOF TElCT UNIT§ Di EACH OF THE CATEGORIES MT0 WICH THE RESEQNSES WERE GROUPED. ............................................................................................... TABLE 7: S~MEARTHTESI': : NUMBERSOF EXT UNI'S IN EACH OF THE CATEGORIES INTO WHICH THE RESPoNSES WERE GROUPED. ...............................................................................................9 1 List of Figures FIGURE1: CmEVALUATION WINDOW .................................................................................... 37 FIGURE2: GRAPHWINDOW .................................................................................................... 37 FIGURE3: VIDEOCLIP ......................................................................................................... 38 FIGURE4 VIDEOCLEP 2........................................................................................................ 39 FIGURES: V~DEOCLN~........................................................................................................ 39 FIGURE6: STARTUP O~ONSAVAILABLE TO STUDENTS................................................................. 42 FIGUE~:TERRAPIMAP ........................................................................................................ 43 FIGURE8: HISTORYWINDOW (GRAPH SHOWING LEVELSOF C02, 02,AND RAINFALLVS . TIME).......... 44 FIGURE9 GAIAWINDOW SHOWING THE GENERAL "HEALTH" OF THE PLANET ...................................45 FIGURE10: ATMOSPHERICCOMPOSITION GRAPH ......................................................................... 45 FIGURE1 1: SMWLATIONIN PROGRESS.................................................................................... 56 FIGURE12: VIDEOCLIP 4 ...................................................................................................... 38 FIGURE13: VIDEOCUP 5 ......................................................................................................a FIGURE14: PHYSICAL SET-W AT THE SUBURBAN SCHOOL(SPECIAL, EDUCATION ROOM) ...................... 51 FIGURE15: PHYSICALS ETQ. FIRSTURBAN SCHOOL .................................................................. 53 FIGURE16: PHYSICAL SET-UP AT THE SECONDURBAN SCHOOL ....................................................... 9 FIGURE17: GEXERALCONFIGURATION FOR DATA GATHERING ...................................................... 56 FIGURE18: CODINGGROUPINGS FOR ANALYSIS.......................................................................... 62 FIGURE19: TABLESHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTSBY SEX AND SCHOOL............................. 68 FIGURE20; GRAPHOF TEXT ws CODED VS . LEVELS OF APPROACH TO KNOWLEDGE .........................71 FIGURE2 1: GRAPHOF ANALYSIS MSVS . LEVELS OF APPROACH TO KNOWLEDGE ..............................72 FIGURE 22: GRAPHSHOWING PERCENTAGES OF WEL 3 EXCHANGES ALSO INVOLVED IN INTERFACE EXCHANGES ...................................................................................................................79 FIGURE23: GRAPHOF THE RELATIVE PERCENTAGES IN LEVEL 4 EXCHANGES INVOLVED IN BOTH INTERFACE AND COORDINATION EXCHANGES .......................................................................................80 FIGUREW: GRAFHSHOWWG THE NUMBER OF UNITS (LEVELS 2 - 6) COMPARED TO TWO CATEGORIES OF EXCHANGE TYPE ........................................................................................ 81 FIGURE25: GRAPHOF wEL 3 CODINGS .................................................................................85 FIGURE26: GRAPHOF LEVEL 4 CODINGS ...................................................................................86 FIGURE27: GRAPHSHOWING THE SCATTER PLMTS OF LEVELS 3 AND 4 CODINGS .................................87 FIGURE28: GRAPH SHOWING THE SCATTER PtOTS OF LEVEL 4 AND 5 CODINGS ...................................89 FIGURE29: GWH SHOWG RESULTS OFTHE SIMEARTHTEST IN THE SUBURBAN SCHOOL.................... 91 FIGURE30: GRAPHSHOWING THE S ~RTHTESTRESULTS FOR THE SUBURBANSCHOOL ...................... 92 FIGURE 3 1: GRAPHOFTHE SIMcllY TEST:TmAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS AS PERCENTAGE CATEG0RIES.93 FIGURE^^: SIMC~TEST:T~ALNUMBERSOF~~SAS PERCENTAGES OFTOTALANSWERS...... 93 FIGURE33: S~MEARTHTEST . TOTALANSWERS TO QUESllONS AS PERCENTAGE CATEGORIES ............. % FIGURE . SIMEARTH: SIMCL'W TEST. T~ALWERS OFTEXT UNlTS AS PERCENTAGES OFTmAL ANSWERS*..................................................................................................................... -95 FIGURE35: FIGURESHOWWG LEVELS 5 AND 6 BENG SUPPORTED BY LENELS 3 AND 4 ....................... 106 List of Apprndkes List of Exmpks FIGURE1: CITYEVALUATION WIN DO w.................................................................................... 37 FIGURE2: GRAPHWINW w ................................................................................................... -37 FIGURE3: VIDEOCWP 1 ......................................................................................................... 38 FIGURE3: VIDEO CLIP2....................................................................................................... -39 FIGURE5: VIDEOCLIP 3 ........................................................................................................ 39 FIGURE6: STARTUPO~ONS AVAILABLE TO ~ENTS................................................................. 42 F~GURE7: TERRAIN bh~........................................................................................................ 43 FIGURE8: HISTORYWmw (GRAPHSHOWING LEVELSOF CO,, 0,, AND RUNFuvs . TIME)....*...*. 44 FIGURE9: GAIA WENDOWSHOWING THE GENERAL "HEALTH" OF THE PLANET ................................... 45 FIGURE10: ATMOS~CCOMPOS~QN GRAPH ...................................................................~....