สุนันชัย ออนตะไคร้. The Relevance of Beliefs in Learning and Innovation : An Empirical Study. Doctoral Degree(Learning Innovation and Technology). King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. KMUTT Library.. : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 2010.
The Relevance of Beliefs in Learning and Innovation : An Empirical Study
Abstract:
Cognitive theories describe learners as goal-orientated individuals who actively seek to
expand their knowledge. These individuals bring a vast of prior knowledge, attitudes,
values and belief when coming into formal education. It was these previously acquired
attributes and beliefs that significantly influence how the learners will organize and
interpret newly presented information, and in effect, how they will remember, reason,
solve problems using this newly acquired knowledge. A person's beliefs, by far, play
the biggest role in their interpretation and understanding as they were the personalised
subjective understandings, and investigate how a person will react or behave. They
acquired from their socio-cultural context, including peers, family, school, community,
and disciplines, all of which transmit cultural attributes that include dispositions, norms,
attitudes, values, expectations, and modes of communication. Beliefs that cluster
around an object or situation and were predisposed to action were called attitudes and
beliefs. Evaluative, comparative, and judgmental functions were called values (Pajares
1992). Cognitive theorists have suggested that learning involves the cultivation of
positive beliefs (Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2007).
This dissertation will look at these theorists' findings and summarize the results of a
survey design investigation on students beliefs towards environment. The survey was
carried out on 1000 students, 340 males and 660 females, undertaking undergraduate
studies across the fields of science, math, and arts (both liberal and applied arts), at two
different universities one in Bangkok and one in Chiangmai, Thailand.
The survey questionnaire consisted of items translated into Thai from previous surveys
(Kaiser, Wolfing, & Fuhrer, 1999; Althauser, 1990; Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992;
Koul, 2006). The questionnaire was divided into three parts. Part I of the survey
measured religious outlook (See Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992; Koul, 2006). Part II
of the survey measured students' environmental knowledge, environmental values and
environmental. Part III of the survey measured demographic information such as
gender, socio-economic status, father's education, and mother's education. The results
of factor analysis and the analysis of variance find these case studies underline the
educational signifinicance of general epistemological stances of students in learning and
innovation and change as well.