Learning dilemmas in undergraduate student independent essays

Abstract

Essay-writing is generally viewed as the primary learning activity to foster independence and analytical thinking. In this article, we show that independent research projects do not necessarily lead to critical thinking. University-level education on conducting independent projects can, in several respects, counteract enhanced analytical skills. The purpose of this study is to advance knowledge on the difficulties students experience in acquiring analytical skills. A group of undergraduate political science students were interviewed while they attended an independent research course. They were also asked to record their reflections. The digital diaries provide access to the students' perceptions regarding the assignment and their struggles as they handle scientific problems. We argue that the students are caught up in different learning dilemmas when asked to perform independent academic research. One result is that ambiguous and contradictory understandings of science affect the learning processes and thus affect the students' possibilities for developing analytical thinking.

‘How Much Politics Is There’? Exploring Students’ Experiences of Values and Impartiality from an Epistemic Perspective

“…By doing this, the teachers have also encouraged students to develop important academic skills, such as problematizing and critical thinking (c.f. Olsen and Statham 2005;Wendt and Åse 2014). According to some students this is typical for the academic context, "the university is all about the ability to think freely, by yourself, and that won't happen if the teacher is up there just stating his own opinion" (S2).…”

Between the modelling and the engineering of learning: preservice teachers’ performance in course essays

“…Laing, Chao, and Robinson 2005) where different interests might conflict. Consequently, it is possible that 'learning dilemmas' in essay writing (Wendt and Åse 2015) cannot be solely understood in relation to a specific subject matter, but also in terms of students' expectations and framing of the purposes of further and higher education. Teacher educators, and everyone else who teaches in the field of academic professional education, should take these expectations and framings into account when explicating course objectives and issues addressed in the course literature.…”

“…One way to bring further nuance to these approaches is to understand that different subject matters and disciplines may include different conditions and norms for essay writing, which may present special challenges for students (e.g. Entwistle and McCune 2004;McCune and Hounsell 2005;North 2005;Wendt and Åse 2015). For instance, North (2005) shows how differences in the content of student essays in a science CONTACT Jonas R. Trostek jonas.trostek@edu.su.se history course relate to the students' different disciplinary backgrounds; compared to 'science students' (with a background in mathematics, science or technology), 'art students' (with a background in the arts, social sciences or education) seem to find it easier to adapt to the discourse conventions of history and teacher expectations and produce longer essays displaying a greater concern for structure and interpretation.…”

“…For instance, North (2005) shows how differences in the content of student essays in a science CONTACT Jonas R. Trostek jonas.trostek@edu.su.se history course relate to the students' different disciplinary backgrounds; compared to 'science students' (with a background in mathematics, science or technology), 'art students' (with a background in the arts, social sciences or education) seem to find it easier to adapt to the discourse conventions of history and teacher expectations and produce longer essays displaying a greater concern for structure and interpretation. Within political science, Wendt and Åse (2015) show how essay writing includes certain 'learning dilemmas' that can be understood in light of the specific discipline. One of these dilemmas concerns students who interpret research problems as equivalent to political problems.…”

The Effectiveness of New Inquiry-Based Learning (NIBL) for Improving Multiple Higher-Order Thinking Skills (M-HOTS) of Prospective Chemistry Teachers

“…Analytical thinking should not be separated from critical thinking and creative thinking, because students were encouraged to think critically when analyzing their invention or facing ambiguous situations (McDonald, 2012;Nuangchalerm & Thammasena, 2009;Robins;. The development of analytical thinking skills at the college/university level should also be encouraged (Wendt & Ase, 2015).…”