ERIC ED427769: Insights into Singaporean Pre-Service Teachers' Mental Models of the Internet.

11 Pages·1998·0.22 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 427 769
IR 019 424
Mashhadi, Azam
AUTHOR
Insights into Singaporean Pre-Service Teachers' Mental
TITLE
Models of the Internet.
PUB DATE
1998-00-00
10p.; Paper presented at the Educational Research Conference
NOTE
(Singapore, November 23-25, 1998).
PUB TYPE Speeches/Meeting Papers (150)
Reports
Research (143)
Tests/Questionnaires (160)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Instructional Design;
DESCRIPTORS
Instructional Effectiveness; *Internet; *Metaphors; *Models;
Preservice Teacher Education; Questionnaires; Student
Teachers
*Mental Models; Singapore
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
The interpretation of information and the generation of
knowledge is dependent on the existing metaphorical conceptual frameworks or
mental models of the learner. Metaphorical mental models are both a method of
representing and a way of organizing knowledge, and summarize an individual's
beliefs about a system. Since the particular metaphors underlying an
individual's understanding of the Internet serve to stimulate or limit the
human imagination, it is essential to explore students' mental models in
order to appropriately design the learning experience. Following a review of
previous research eliciting metaphorical models or conceptions of the
Internet, a structured questionnaire was developed and used to explore the
metaphors employed by a sample of pre-service teachers in Singapore; this
provided insights into their conceptual understanding of the nature and uses
of the Internet. Findings indicate that the Internet is perceived more as a
depository of information (passive) rather than as an interactive environment
(active). The "Metaphors of Internet Questionnaire" is appended. (Author/AEF)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
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from the original document.
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Paper presented at the 1998 Educational Research Conference, Singapore
25 November]
[23
into the Curriculum
Enhancing Leaning: Challenge of integrating Thinking and Information Technology
of the Internet
Insights into Singaporean pre-service teachers' Mental Models
EDUCATION
Dr Azam MASHHADI
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Abstract
schoolboy, student, engineer
[Models]..carry the picture with which everyone,
with problems in his field.
and research worker, operates in dealing
Rom Hari-6 (1961: 56), Theories and Things
generation of knowledge is dependent on the
The interpretation of information and the
mental models of the learner.
existing metaphorical conceptual frameworks or
representing and a way of organising
Metaphorical mental models are both a method of
about a system. Since the particular
knowledge, and summarise the individuaPs beliefs
of the Internet (e.g. spider web,
metaphors underlying the individual's understanding
imagination it is essential to explore
highway etc.) serve to stimulate or limit the human
design the learning experience.
students' mental models in order to appropriately
eliciting metaphorical mental models or
Following a review of previous research
1996) a structured
Levin et al.,
conceptions of the Internet (e.g. Jonassen, 1995;
Internet Questionnaire was used to
questionnaire was developed. The Metaphors of the
sample (n = 35) of pre-service
explore the metaphors employed by an opportunity
into their conceptual understanding of
teachers in Singapore, and thereby obtain insights
the nature and uses of the Internet.
Key words: mental models, Internet
Bio-data
School of Education (Nanyang Technological
Dr Azam Mashhadi is a lecturer in the
(University of Oxford) investigated science
University, Singapore). His doctoral thesis
worldviews of quantum physics. Following
students' cognitive structures or perceptual
of London) and Astronomy (University of
degrees in Physics and Astrophysics (University
before completing a MSc in Educational
Sussex) he taught for several years in London (UK)
includes student cognition, teacher
Research Methodology (Oxford). His research interest
and philosophy of science education.
education, use of IT in education, research methodology
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
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[Models]..carry the picture with which everyone, schoolboy, student, engineer
and research worker, operates in dealing with problems in his field.
Rom Harr& (1961: 56), Theories and Things
1 Introduction
is resulting in knowledge
The explosion of the information and communication technologies
world fast becoming a knowledge
becoming the most important of commodities, with the
knowledge) become
Lifelong learning will be required as skills (and
based economy.
products and services. Central to this
obsolete and are replaced with those necessary for new
Internet, with it being estimated that
phenothena is the exponential growth in the use of the
The Internet has major implications for
there are currently over 40 million users world wide.
1996). In order for technology to have the
both education and teacher education (Bates,
Mashhadi and Han (1996: 7) point out that
impact on education that it, arguably should have,
be addressed:
a number of issues need to
the information highway (i.e.
1. Equitable access to the on-ramps leading to
anywhere, anytime access to the Internet).
travel on the information
2. Universal access to the computers needed to
highway.
(i.e there are an enormous
3. Worthwhile places or web-sites to explore
quality).
number of web-sites, but quantity does not necessarily assure
skills among both faculty
4. Developing the necessary information retrieval
staff and research students.
communication age can be used to build
5. Understanding how the tools of the
the future, and not simply reproduce the past.
What is the Internet? Why is knowledge about
A number of questions need to be addressed.
being thought about by pre-service
metaphors important? In what ways is the Internet
teachers?
2 What is the Internet?
which spans the world and can be accessed
The Internet is the public 'network of networks'
business links. The Internet carries several
through dial-up connections or direct high-speed
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World Wide Web and a
kinds of services but for most users today it means two things: the
makes use of Uniform
universal channel for e-mail (Monahan and Dharm, 1995). The Web
The operation of the Web
Resource Locators (URLs) to identify resources, often documents.
for users. This is done by
relies mainly on hypermedia structures as a way of navigation
Hyper Text Markup Language
anchoring links to other resources through the use of the
other.
(HTML). Any resource can be linked by reference to any
hypermedia initiative for global information
The World Wide Web is an Internet-based
The author William Gibson in his
sharing, and is the incarnation of the concept of cyberspace.
'cyberspace' to describe his vision of a global
futuristic novel Neuromancer invented the term
world through
machines, and sources of information in a
computer network, linking people,
which one could navigate as through a virtual space:
experienced daily by billions of
Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination
children being taught mathematical
legitimate operators, in every nation, by
of data abstracted from the banks of every
concepts... A graphic representation
Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged
computer in the human system.
and constellations of data. Like city lights
in the nonspace of the mind, clusters
receding...
Gibson (1986: 49)
'cyberspace' is that it involves the annihilation
One interpretation of what is meant by the term
the Internet
communications revolutions that have resulted in
of space. The information and
and
which has 'annihilated' distance and time,
have built a means of information exchange
1994;
global community of inquiry (Thornburg,
accelerated the process of perhaps creating a
in the 1960s argued that:
Silvio, 1995). Marshall McLuhan (1964: 5)
is no more than a village. After three .
As electrically contracted the globe
of fragmentary and mechanical
thousand years of explosion, by means
imploding. During the mechanical ages we
technologies, the Western world is
after more than a century of electric
had extended our bodies in space. Today,
system itself in a global
technology, we have extended our central nervous
far as our planet is concerned.
embrace, abolishing both space and time as
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in the evolution of Karl Popper s
Cyberspace can be viewed, arguably, as the latest stage
in
objective, real, and public structures. In wandering
World 3 (Magee, 1973) - the world of
'mental
cyberspace people are navigating through a
the multidimensional virtual world of
people situated in different
However the question does arise as to whether
geography'.
through the same mental geography.
cultural and philosophical traditions are moving
3 Why are metaphors important?
the process of
world through both language and through
The individual makes sense of the
granted
Metaphors form the basis for taken for
active interaction with other individuals.
transform
provide models for explanation, and can
assumptions about the world. Metaphors
meaning. As Haste (1993: 43) points out:
through
meaning is easily communicated
Common metaphors are shared;
communicate
familiar. Metaphors help us to
them, and the novel is easily made
novel ideas, and facilitate their
familiar ideas; they help us to generate
able to
frameworks within which we are
transmission. Metaphors provide
theory
components of lay social
think, and to communicate. Metaphors are
for the
will conceptualise the issues, and
which set the agenda for the way we
solutions we will find.
for how
underlying a particular concept has consequences
The appropriate choice of metaphor
used (Hron, 1998; Strokes, 1997).
is perceived and therefore fruitfully
a particular technology
will be dependent on
and the generation of knowledge
The interpretation of the information
well be culturally
of the learner, frameworks which may
the existing conceptual frameworks
they can uncover
tool for creative thought in that
mediated. Metaphors also serve as a
metaphors
perspectives (Black, 1979). The particular
relationships and even suggest new
The success
stimulate or limit the human imagination.
underlying conceptual models serve to
perceived will in the end
the ways in which technology is
of the marriage of technology and
1995).
of technology in education (see Jonassen,
determine the success of the incorporation
the use of
models Kenneth Craik (1943: 13) stressed
In introducing the idea of cognitive
models in thinking:
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and of its own
If the organism carries a "small-scale model" of external reality
alternatives,
possible actions within its head, it is able to try out various
before they arise,
conclude which is the best of them, react to future situations
and future, and
utilize the knowledge of past events in dealing with the present
competent manner to
in every way to react in a much fuller, safer, and more
the emergencies which face it.
science, for instance, is a 'matter of conveying
Bliss (1995: 166) points out that teaching
(1983) contain several cognitive studies
mental models of science'. Gentner and Stevens
of mental models is essential in order to
based on the premise that the development
Ogborn (1994: 8) also point out that:
understand the physical world. Bliss and
indicate the importance of mental models
Current theories in cognitive science
1983; Johnson-Laird & Byrne,
(Gentner & Stevens, 1983; Johnson-Laird,
the crucial role in reasoning of the
1991) and point (as does Piaget's theory) to
mental manipulation of imagined objects.
models.
describe the ability to construct such mental
The term 'physical intuition' is used to
Mental
development of mental modelling abilities.
Cognitive development is described as the
student's
and a way of organising knowledge. The
models are both a method of representing
change
incomplete, confused and subject to sudden
mental model of a system may be
consistent. However the possession of a model
(Redish, 1994). It may not even be internally
Arnold
in coming to terms with a problem. As
enables the student to save mental effort
the student's beliefs about a system, however
(1992) points out the model summarises
of the model is to enable predictions to be
unjustified they may be in scientific terms. The aim
The student is unlikely to be concerned
made about the likely future behaviour of a system.
This study is , therefore, concerned with
about aspects of the model that do not make sense.
conceptualise the Internet.
gaining insight into the ways that student-teachers'
identified previously ?
4 What are the models for the Internet
previously by Hert (1994), and Levin et al.
Models for the Internet have been identified
for the
following conceptual schemes or metaphors
(1996). Hert (1994: 40) points out the
Internet:
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feeder
1. Internet as superhighway (the high-speed network backbone) with
routes (smaller networks)
2. Internet as geographic space or cyberspace
3. Internet as a socially constructed space such as a city
4. Internet as mine
5. Internet as ecosystem
diverse conceptual models - with 'web', and
Levin et al. (1996) identified a large number of
and novices models they point out
'highway' as the most widely held. In comparing expert
that:
and the Web are much more
Experts' mental models of the Internet
1.
elaborate and detailed than novices'.
each area, and use the different
Experts have multiple mental models of
2.
problem solving.
models at different time when engaged in
Levin et al. (1996: 6)
held by pre-service teachers in Singapore?
5 What are the models for the Internet
identified in the research literature (e.g.
the Internet
The conceptions or mental models of
develop a structured questionnaire (see Appendix
Hert, 1994; Levin et al., 1996) were used to
scale.
metaphorical model on a 5-point ordinal response
A). The students responded to each
used to explore the metaphors for the
The Metaphors of the Internet Questionnaire was
(n = 35) of pre-service teachers in Singapore
Internet employed by an opportunity sample
although to
all the metaphorical models suggested,
The student teachers largely agreed with
strongly were:
varying extent. The metaphors agreed to most
Encyclopaedia
Library
Cyberspace
Superhighway
Network of clients and servers
opinion were:
The metaphors that, on average, elicited no strong
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Foggy world
Computer chip
Nervous system
Fungus
outside Singapore, but they do
The findings are partly similar to previous studies carried
of information rather than
indicate that the Internet is being perceived more as an depository
rather than an active perspective).
as an interactive environment (i.e. a passive
6 Conclusion
representing and a way of organising
Metaphorical mental models are both a method of
Since the particular
about a system.
knowledge, and summarise the individual's beliefs
of the Internet (e.g. encyclopaedia,
metaphors underlying the individual's understanding
imagination it is essential to explore
highway etc.) serve to stimulate or limit the human
appropriately design the learning experience.
students' mental models further in order to
7 References
Superhighway. Electronic document at
Bates, T. (1996). Educational value of the Information
ates/index .html.
website: http ://www-emrg. op en. ac. uk/fli sh/tony_b
A. Ortony (Ed.) Metaphor and thought.
Black, M. (1979). More about metaphor. In
Cambride: Cambridge University Press.
science. Studies in Science Education,
Bliss, J. (1995). Piaget and after: the case of learning
25, 139-172.
Learning and
(1994). Force and Motion from the Beginning.
J. & Ogborn, J.
Bliss,
Instruction, 4, 7-25.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Craik, K. (1943). The Nature of Explanation.
Mental Models. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Gentner, D. & Stevens, A. L. (Eds.) (1983).
Erlbaum.
Gibson, W. (1986). Neuromancer London: Grafton.
Sheed and Ward.
Harré, R. (1961). Theories and Things. London:
Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Haste, H. (1993). The Sexual Metaphor. London:
8
Organization Perspective on Training: Critical Success
Hert, C. A. (1994). A Learning
document
Internet Research, 4(3), 36-44, electronic
Factors for Internet Implementation.
available at website: <http://www.mcb.co.uk/cgi-bin>.
Environments.
Didactic Means for Multimedia Learning
Hron, A. (1998). Metaphors as
International, 35 (1), 21- 28.
Innovations in Education and Training
Mental
Mental Models: Strategies for Assessing
Jonassen, D. H. (1995). Operationalizing
Environments.
and Design-Supportive Learning
Models to Support Meaningful Learning
Learning,
Computer Support for Collaborative
Paper presented at the Conference on
<http://www-
website:
at
downloaded
version
electronic
21-3-98.
csc195.indiana.edu/csc195/jonassen.html> on 14.39 on
mental models of
M. J. (1996). A comparison of
Levin, J. A., Stuve, M., & Jacobson,
1996 (New York),
teachers. Paper presented at AERA
networks among pre- and in-service
website: <http://www.ed.uluc.edulTTAlPapers/AERA96-
electronic version downloaded at
mental-models.html> on
Fontana.
Magee, B. (1973). Popper. Glasgow:
Paper presented at the
Educational research and the Internet.
Mashhadi, A. & Han, C. (1996).
Educational Research
Research in Education and Singapore
Joint Australian Association for
(Nanyang Technological
National Institute of Education
Association Conference at the
University), 25-29 November 1996.
London: Routledge.
Media: the extensions of man.
McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding
A User's Guide.
(1995). The Internet for Educators:
Monahan, B. D. & Dharm, M.
Educational Technology, 35(1), 44-48.
World. Electronic
Virtual Communities in the Academic
Silvio, J. (1995). Potential Users and
document at website: http://inet.nttam.com.
personal
Teacher education students engage in
Strokes, J. (1997). Metaphors and computers:
Tlfinking, Singapore
the 7th International Conference on
meaning making. Paper presented at
(1-6 June, 1997).
Research, 5(1), 64-70,
the communication age. Internet
Thornburg, D. D. (1995). Welcome to
http://www.mcb.co.uk/cgi-bin.
electronic document at website:
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Appendix A Metaphors of the Internet Questionnaire
Internet?
How do you think about the
Name:
(several of which are listed
People think about the Internet in a number of different ways
1.
below).
For each of these models indicate whether you:
Strongly Agree (SA) with it
Agree (A) with it
have No Strong Opinion (NS) about it
Disagree (D) with it
Strongly Disagree (SD) with it
Strongly
Disagree
No Strong
Agree
Strongly
Disagree
Opinion
Agree
Superhighway
1
Spider web
2
City
3
Geographic space
4
Cyberspace
5
Mine
6
Ecosystem
7
Encyclopaedia
8
Community
9
Computer chip
10
Filing cabinet
11
Foggy world
12
Fungus
13
Telephone system
14
Solar system
15
Octopus
16
Lattice (interconnected)
17
Library
18
Network of clients and servers
19
Neural network
20
Brain
21
Fishnet
22
Maze
23
Nervous system
24
Tree
25
Sea
26
Supermarket
27
Storeroom
28
TV channel
29
Wave
30
listed please mention it below:
If you think about the Internet in a way that is not
teaching/ education?
2. How do you think the Internet can be used in
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