Community of Inquiry and Philosophy for Children (Coi P4c) as a Tool for Re-branding Educational System
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the Study
This study seeks to look into the problems devastating Nigerian educational system and how COI P4C can help in re-branding. The specific objectives are to:
- Document the influence of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children on the affective and cognitive development of students.
- Find ways to improve the affective and cognitive development of the learners through knowledge application.
- Stimulate research activity in Community of inquiry and philosophy for children in secondary school educational and curricula development and to advocate for increased involvement in Community of inquiry and philosophy for children research.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter considered the various conceptual discourses that exist in relation to terminologies associated with the influence of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children in the affective and the cognitive development of students in secondary school; this is in cognizance of the lack of consensus by experts on the subject.
Community of Inquiry
Teaching and Learning Collaboratively.
The “most widely referenced framework associated with the study of online and blended learning” (Garrison, 2015, p. 68), the community of inquiry has become the preeminent theory for the study and design of purposeful e-learning communities (Garrison, 2016). Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) popularized the community of inquiry framework in their work on computer-based conferencing. Unlike traditional distance-education theories, which positioned learning as an individualistic activity, computer-based conferencing utilized text-based, asynchronous discussions to connect learners to one another, thereby creating a community of learners (Garrison, 2016).
Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2010) credit the term “community of inquiry” to Dewey (1916) via Lipman (1991). From the Deweyan perspective, cognitive engagement and enrichment occur in social contexts. Learners first develop meaning within the context of the larger community and only therein create an individualized perspective (Oyarzun & Morrison, 2013). Habermas’s (1984) ideas about the intersection of private and public meaning also inform the framework. As such, the community of inquiry framework is built on the assumptions of the essential contexts for and purposes of education, videlicet the development of personal meaning in the context of public knowledge and understanding (Garrison, 2016).
This idea that learning occurs at the intersection of the psychological and the social, the private and the public, the self and other, is rooted in collaborative-constructivism. Accordingly, individual meaning-making (constructivism) is dependent on and informative of the learning of the entire community (collaboration). In short, constructivism suggests a commitment to facilitating the development of autonomous and independent thought in learners, while at the same time developing this independence of thought within the context of social settings— collaboration. Piaget (1977) and Vygotsky (1978) identified the social context as the environment in which cognitive conflicts are resolved. In the Vygotskian view, the community of inquiry creates a zone of proximal development wherein the community of learners, together, enable individual learners to create meaning and overcome cognitive dissonance (Garrison, 2013).
Three Essential Presences
To support this zone of proximal development, this community of learners, a supportive environment that encourages and facilitates critical reflection and discourse must be created (Garrison, 2016). Promoting the collaborativeconstructivism upon which communities of inquiry are built, this supportive environment must comprise both social (collaborative) and cognitive (constructivist) elements. In a community of inquiry, these elements are called presences; and both the social presence and cognitive presence components are undergirded by design and facilitation considerations, properly called teaching presence in a community of inquiry.
The term presence is used to connote the idea of fidelity—how real the learning and the learning environment are (Hosler & Arend, 2013). The greater the presence, the greater the fidelity, and thus the more realistic—that is, the less mediated—the learning experience is perceived to be. In creating an authentic collaborative-constructivist learning context, then, the three presences—social, cognitive, and teaching—work together and support one another. To wit, social presence has been shown to be the mediating factor between cognitive and teaching presence (deNoyelles, Zydney, & Chen, 2014; Joksimović, Gašević, Kovanović, Riecke, & Hatala, 2015; Whiteside, Dikkers, & Swan, 2017), cognitive presence is most indicative of student satisfaction and success (Holser & Arend, 2012; Yang, Quadir, Chen, & Miao, 2016), and teaching presence is understood to be of the greatest value to students (Hodges & Cowan,2012; Preisman, 2014) and the most critical in establishing purposeful communities of inquiry (Borokhovski, Bernard, Tamim, Schmid, & Sokolvskaya, 2016; Rockinson-Szapkiw, Wighting, & Nisbet, 2016; Rubin & Fernandes, 2013).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a detailed outline on how the research was designed and executed as well as the analysis of findings. This chapter will have eight subsections which are; research design; population of the study; sample; institution: teachers and students; pilot study; validity and reliability; collection of data and analysis of data.
Therefore, this section, discusses the methods and procedures adopted in carrying out the study, methods and materials used in data collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation. The study uses the primary and secondary sources of data to obtain the requisite information for the study.
Research Design
The research procedure adopted was the descriptive survey approach. According to Adetoro (1985) in Mamza (2008) descriptive research studies are designed to determine the facts of current situations.
Population
The population of this study consists of all the students in all of the secondary schools (473) in Nigeria.
Research Instruments
The instruments used comprise two sets of questionnaire (student assessment questionnaire and questionnaire for teachers) and interview schedule. According to Sobrepena (2011) these instruments are meant for collecting data and information. The researcher adopted the use of structured type of questionnaire and summated or five point Likert type of rating as suggested by Nworgu (1991). The five point Likert scale requests respondents to show the extent of their agreement or disagreement with each item by choosing one of five response category. The development of the instruments is preceded by a thorough search of literature on various processes of cognitive and affective developments. The review of the literature provided the necessary information for the items included in the questionnaire.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Introduction
The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children on the affective and cognitive development of secondary school students in Educational system of Nigeria. Therefore, this chapter presents the analyses and interpretation of the secondary students from the selected schools. It attempts to find out the influence of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children on the affective and cognitive development of the child. It shows the practical identification of approaches and methods to encourage the child develop towards Community of inquiry and philosophy for children. This chapter also focused on how to improve on the affective and cognitive development of the child through knowledge application. One hundred and fifty four questionnaires were administered to all selected respondents. In all one hundred and twenty five (81.2%) were retrieved. Thereafter, both the qualitative and quantitative data were synergized and presented according to the objectives of the study.
Data Analyses of Respondents
The study which consists of one hundred (154) education teachers and students selected from 14 secondary schools in Lafia zone of Nigeria, was conducted with the descriptive survey design. The instrument for the study was validated by three experts, two in Community of inquiry and philosophy for children and one in Measurement and Evaluation Unit. The variables include sex, age, academic qualifications and teaching experience for the teachers. For the students include sex, age and class.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
The study sought to find out the in influence of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children on the affective and cognitive development of secondary school students in Educational system of Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to document the influence of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children on the affective and cognitive development of students; find ways to improve the affective and cognitive development of the learners through knowledge application; stimulate research activity in COI P4C in secondary school education and curricula development and to advocate for increased involvement in Community of inquiry and philosophy for children research. Four research questions were raised to guide the study; does the teaching of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children influence the affective development of the learner? Does the teaching of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children influence the cognitive development of the learner? How can Community of inquiry and philosophy for children improve affective and cognitive growth of the learner? What is the evidence of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children on the affective and cognitive domains of development of learners?
Descriptive survey method of research was used. Simple random sampling method was used to select 140 COI P4C students and 14 teachers from 14 selected secondary schools. The instruments used for the study were questionnaire and interview schedule. Data collected were analyzed and results presented on tables using distribution, percentage and mean score to determine acceptable and unacceptable responses and a simple percentage of data analysis was also employed.
The findings of the study showed that; COI P4C plays a vital role on the affective development of the learners as COI P4C assisted them learn to manage their emotions; COI P4C influence
the cognitive development of the students by building new knowledge from prior knowledge; COI P4C can improve the affective and cognitive growth of the learner by providing a unique arena of human behavior and increasing the learners interest for learning; the evidence of COI P4C on the affective and cognitive domains of development of the learners include problem solving and attitude.
The study concluded that, the value of COI P4C lies in its great potential to help learners experience learning as a holistic endeavor that connects their personal feelings with intellectual and physical skills. As a result of the findings, it is suggested that, the teachers must understand child‟s psychology and appropriate teaching strategies and choose appropriate COI P4C activities for the effective development of the learners according to their various stages of development. Arts-based teaching and learning should be encouraged so that the learner will experience the development of skills such as ability in the area of creativity, self direction and complex thinking. The COI P4C teacher requires motivation, positive disposition, a strong knowledge base, possession of adequate skills and competence. Finally it is suggested that the Federal Ministry of Education and all stakeholders should adopt workable policies which will revive the educational sector.
Conclusion
The value of Community of inquiry and philosophy for children lies in its great potential to help learners experience learning as a holistic endeavor that connects their personal feelings with intellectual and physical skills. COI P4C has contributed to the ability for students to express themselves and have a voice and be risk taking creative active individuals. COI P4C has also lead to findings of problem solving skills for students in their own lives. Those who are exposed to the arts, its creativity, cultural significance, individuality and non-linear thinking may just become the more insightful, confident, creative, and cooperative members of society that will help us to realize our true purpose as educators.
Recommendations
The following recommendations are made based on the findings of the study:
- The teachers must understand child‟s psychology and appropriate teaching strategies and choose appropriate COI P4C activities for the affective development of the learner. They should know which activity is appropriate for students at the different stages of development and the teacher should know how to fit COI P4C subjects within the developmental levels of his pupils both in choice of materials, content and teaching technique.
- Arts-based teaching and learning should be encouraged so that the learner will experience the development of skills such as the ability to expertise in the area of creativity, self direction and complex thinking. The eagerness and interest of the learner need to be encouraged both by the teacher and the parents.
- A good Community of inquiry and philosophy for children requires sequential curriculum, integrating aesthetics studio COI P4C and COI P4C materials. Arts as a component should not be looked down upon whereby it is considered as a means for the other subjects. There is also the need to have arts on the same basis in the curriculum as mathematics and English. The subject should be compulsory in all primary and secondary schools within Educational system and Nigeria at large.
- The curriculum for education should be structured in such a way that the pupils will enjoy their classes by including participatory activities in arts. The COI P4C teacher requires motivation, positive disposition, a strong knowledge base, possession of adequate skills and competencies. These factors will shape the teachers perception in their training and ultimately their effectiveness.
- For the implementation of the curriculum, the government should take measures to see that the nation‟s culture is kept alive through COI P4C, music and other cultural studies in our schools as well as through local, state and national festivals of arts. In order to encourage aesthetic, creative and musical activities, government should make staff and facilities available for the teaching of creative COI P4C curriculum in Nigeria; calls for an integrated effort of the government, teachers, students and parents and the society at large.
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