| 1. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes. Investigating Swedish 12-13-year old students’ geographical understanding
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. - : Routledge. - 1038-2046 .- 1747-7611.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate students’ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes and to examine their geographical understanding of such hazards in terms of spatial and societal-nature relations. Data consists of 134 responses from 12 to 13-year-old students who had completed an assignment in the Swedish national test in geography (2013). The responses were analysed using content and thematic analyses. Data was complemented with interviews. Results show that many students hold alternative conceptions of processes causing earthquakes at different plate boundaries, and why poor societies are more severely affected by earthquakes than rich societies. Furthermore, results show that students have a limited understanding of the extent and location of earthquakes in the world. We conclude that instruction aiming to develop students’ understanding of earthquakes as a geographical phenomenon and hazard may integrate map-reasoning skills with examples that support contextual thinking. We also suggest that in order to develop students’ relational thinking on society and nature, instruction can utilise the concept of “capital”. Furthermore, teaching needs to take in to account and design instruction to meet students’ alternative conceptions that societal consequences of earthquakes are solely predetermined by natural factors such as climate or heat.
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| 2. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, 1971-
(författare)
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Datorbaserade animationer i geografiundervisningen : En studie om gymnasieelevers lärande i mötet med datorbaserade animationer om bergartscykeln
- 2013
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Animations are new visualization tools for the teachers to use in their education practice when teaching about complex models in science. The school environment is a social arena where collaborative learning is a recognized teaching method, often used by teachers as it motivates students and enables them to participate and share knowledge with each other. This method is used by teachers when students are working with animations in computer-based instructions. In these environments the spoken language, as well as other forms of body-language such as gestures, becomes the means for communication between the participants. By using a prag-matic/sociocultural perspective on learning, this form of communication is described in terms of actions. The aim of this thesis is to study how learning is constituted in one of these social environments by using action as an analyzing unit. The empirical material consist of video-taped sessions of 61 upper secondary school students divided in 22 groups, working with 6 animations in an interactive web-based software on different geological processes of the rock cycle. The results from the study shows that successful animations, in terms of fulfilling the teaching objectives, enables students to focus their attention on the important events in the animation and form relevant relations between key concepts required for understanding a specific geological process. The result also shows that the groups of students experienced different problems (gaps) in their learning process in their encounter with the animations. Different types of gaps were identified as a result from what the students focused their attention on in the 6 animations. There were four main reasons why gaps occurred, three of them were related to the design, scientific content and new concepts introduced in the animations. The fourth reason was related to situations when students could not relate to previous experience of the rock cycle. The results shows that collaborative learning benefits students in their learning process in the encounter with animations, as some types of gaps were solved with the aid from other students. The results also show that the teacher is very important for students, as they are the only resource in the classroom that has the potential to solve all types of gaps that may occur in the students encounter with animations. Although many of the gaps identified in the study were solved by these two social resources, some other gaps remained unsolved. The research study contributes with new empirical results to the international animation research field, as well as a methodological development which gives researchers new analyzing tools for studying students and teacher’s actions in social environments where animations are used.
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| 3. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Processes and earthquakes - investigating Swedish students conceptions and relational thinking
- 2019
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Ingår i: Book of Abstracts. ; , s. 92-92
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to investigate students´ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes in relation to plate boundaries. We also focus on students´ conceptions of earthquakes in relation to society, and why some societies are more affected than others. Data consist of 134 written responses on two assignments from the Swedish national test in geography with 12-13 year old students. The responses were sampled and then analysed using content and thematic analysis. Results show that the majority of students relate earthquakes to convergent boundaries rather than to divergent or transform boundaries, holding alternative conceptions on the processes involved. Furthermore, students often describe different geological events such as tsunami and volcanoes, but rarely explain where and how earthquakes occur. The results also show that many students have developed a geographical relational understanding on why consequenses of earthquakes are more severe in poor countries by addressing socioeconomic processes including weak buildings or lack of preparedness related to poor economy, whereas some students hold alternative conceptions relating earthquakes in poor countries directly to a general increase in heat, proximity to the equator, or presence of plate boundaries in only poor countries. We believe these finding will help provide insights for teachers when designing classroom instruction aiming at changing alternative conceptions and strenghtening scientific understanding.
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| 4. |
- Nygren, Thomas, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Lärarstudenters ämnesdidaktiska reflektioner i geografi, historia, religion och samhällskunskap
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nordidactica. - Karlstad : Karlstads universitet. - 2000-9879. ; 12:3, s. 122-148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study we investigate subject didactic reflections of 183 teacher students in civics, history, geography or religion in primary, elementary or secondary schools. We ask teacher students to reflect on what they perceive to be important and difficult to teach in their subject and also what methods they think would be productive. A comparative content analysis shows that a majority of the teacher students view academic knowledge and skills as important and challenging to teach in their respective subjects, and pupil-centered methods as those that primarily should be used in teaching. We do, however, find significant differences between the four subjects, for example concerning focus on facts and teacher-centered methods versus attitudes and values and student-centered methods. The students’ subject didactic reflections indicate important insights about teaching but they generally lack insights into pupils’ subject specific difficulties and how different methods may be used to support pupils’ learning.
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