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| Perspectives on Learning History: A Case Study | ||
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| Michele
L. Simpson Sherrie L. Nist University of Georgia |
The purpose of this case study was to generate a description of the elements that supported students’ performance in a university history course. Throughout the study, the researchers were guided by a phenomenographic theoretical framework. Taking the role of observers, the researchers collected data over a 10-week period in the form of lecture notes, field notes, and documents. In addition, multiple interviews from both the history professor and the 10 informants, who were chosen in a purposive manner, were transcribed. Data were subjected to a qualitative content analysis. Three categories that emerged as salient were students’ belief systems, students’ strategic knowledge, and students’ ability to be flexible. Informants differed on these beliefs depending on whether they were in the high-performance, low-performance, or improved-performance group. One of the major conclusions drawn from this case study was that students who were flexible in their belief systems about learning and history, perceptions of task, and strategic approaches were the ones who succeeded in the course. In addition, students who performed better in the course shared the professor’s perceptions of learning and task. | |
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| JLR v. 29 no. 3 1997 pp. 363–395 |
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