Detail Page

Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development
written by Eleanor C. Sayre
Physics education research is fundamentally concerned with understanding the processes of student learning and facilitating the development of student understanding. A better understanding of learning processes and outcomes is integral to improving said learning. In this thesis, I detail and expand upon Resource Theory, allowing it to account for the development of resources and connecting the activation and use of resources to experimental data.

Resource Theory is a general knowledge-in-pieces schema theory. It bridges cognitive science and education research to describe the phenomenology of problem solving. Resources are small, reusable pieces of thought that make up concepts and arguments. The physical context and cognitive state of the user determine which resources are available to be activated; different people have different resources about different things. Over time, resources may develop, acquiring new meanings as they activate in different situations. In this thesis, I introduce "plasticity," a continuum for describing the development of resources.

The plasticity continuum blends elements of Process/Object and Cognitive Science with Resource Theory. The name evokes brain plasticity and myelination (markers of learning power and reasoning speed, respectively) and materials plasticity and solidity (with their attendant properties, deformability and stability). In the plasticity continuum, the two directions are more plastic and more solid. More solid resources are more durable and more connected to other resources. Users tend to be more committed to them because reasoning with them has been fruitful in the past. Similarly, users tend not to perform consistency checks on them anymore. In contrast, more plastic resources need to be tested against the existing network more often, as users forge links between them and other resources.
University: University of Maine
Academic Department:  Physics
Pages 220
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Cognition
Education Practices
- Active Learning
= Problem Solving
- Upper Undergraduate
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Thesis/Dissertation
Intended Users Formats Ratings
- Researchers
- application/pdf
  • Currently 0.0/5

Want to rate this material?
Login here!


Access Rights:
Free access
Restriction:
© 2007 Elenor Sayre
Type:
PhD
Keywords:
cognitive processing, cognitive science, problem solving, resource theory
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created September 30, 2010 by Bruce Mason
Record Updated:
May 21, 2012 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
December 1, 2007
Other Collections:

ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!

Record Link
AIP Format
E. Sayre, , PhD, University of Maine, 2007, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10359&DocID=1839).
AJP/PRST-PER
E. Sayre, Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development, PhD, University of Maine, 2007, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10359&DocID=1839>.
APA Format
Sayre, E. (2007, December 1). Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development (PhD, University of Maine, 2007). Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10359&DocID=1839
Chicago Format
Sayre, Eleanor. "Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development." PhD, University of Maine, 2007. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10359&DocID=1839 (accessed 29 March 2024).
MLA Format
Sayre, Eleanor. "Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development." PhD. 1 Dec. 2007. University of Maine, 2007. 29 Mar. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10359&DocID=1839>.
BibTeX Export Format
@phdthesis{ Author = "Eleanor Sayre", Title = {Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development}, School = {University of Maine}, Type = {PhD}, Month = {December}, Year = {2007} }
Refer Export Format

%A Eleanor Sayre %T Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development %R PhD %D December 1, 2007 %P 220 %I University of Maine %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10359&DocID=1839 %O Physics %O application/pdf %O PhD

EndNote Export Format

%0 Thesis %A Sayre, Eleanor %D December 1, 2007 %T Plasticity: Resource Justification and Development %B Physics %I University of Maine %P 220 %8 December 1, 2007 %9 PhD %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10359&DocID=1839


Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.

Citation Source Information

The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual.

The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References.

The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation.

The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ.

Save to my folders

Contribute

Similar Materials