Dissertation Proposal Defense Announcement by Bo Young Bae

Location

Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, 201

Cost

0

IN PURSUIT OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING: EXPLORING THE STIMULATION OF CURIOSITY THROUGH CRITICAL REFLECTION IN THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM

by Bo Young Bae

Abstract

     Educators in higher education are faced with growing pressures to modify and enhance their teaching methods in order to improve student learning outcomes. Skills and knowledge attainment alone are insufficient in preparing students to succeed professionally in a rapidly changing environment. Curiosity is a powerful motivator in the learning process that has the potential to elevate learning and develop students’ ways of thinking and knowing. Designing teaching practices that intentionally focus on how curiosity can be stimulated may develop students’ abilities to access higher levels of thinking that are critical in their learning. The purpose of this study is to examine curiosity as a vital component in students’ motivation to learn in the college environment. Fostering curiosity in college classroom environments may improve students’ abilities to navigate the complex, global world.
     Despite the growing awareness of the importance of cultivating curiosity, research has been limited with regard to how educators can stimulate curiosity through various pedagogical practices in colleges and universities. This study will use a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to determine the extent to which curiosity can be stimulated and enhanced through critical reflection activities implemented in two undergraduate psychology courses at a West Coast private university. Transformative learning theory will be utilized to design and structure critical reflection activities. The study will first utilize a pre- and post-curiosity test to assess existing levels of trait curiosity (a student’s propensity to experience curiosity) in approximately 80 undergraduate students. In a second step, observations and in-depth interviews will determine how critical reflection activities impact changes in state curiosity (curiosity in a particular situation evoked by situational factors). The findings of this study will provide insight into how curiosity may impact students’ learning and meaning making processes, in addition to helping educators better understand how pedagogical practices can be enhanced.

*Note: Dissertation proposal defense is open to current USD faculty, graduate students, and staff.