Doctor in Education (Ed.D.)

This study explores the integration of the Double Diamond Model (DDM) and Design Thinking with Knowledge Building principles (DTKB) within polytechnic education, focusing on how these models enhance cognitive engagement and educational outcomes in design thinking processes. The study was conducted in a Singaporean polytechnic with a cohort of students engaged in design thinking tasks facilitated through the Knowledge Forum (KF), an online collaborative platform.

The research juxtaposed DDM, a structured, phase-based model, with DTKB, a model that incorporates Knowledge Building principles throughout the design thinking process. The study assessed these models across multiple dimensions, including engagement patterns, cognitive impact and educational outcomes, leveraging both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Quantitative analysis revealed that the DTKB participants displayed higher behavioural engagement levels, as measured by activities within the KF. This was complemented by qualitative data from focus groups and facilitator observations, highlighting a richer depth of dialogue and higher quality of idea development in the DTKB group compared to participants following DDM. The DTKB model, underpinned by principles of community knowledge, improvable ideas and epistemic agency, facilitated more dynamic and continuous interaction among students, fostering a richer educational experience and deeper cognitive engagement. This enhanced engagement translated into higher SOLO taxonomy scores for DTKB group participants, indicating a deeper understanding and application of design thinking principles. In terms of educational outcomes, prototypes developed under the DTKB model were rated as more feasible and viable, suggesting better real-world applicability. These findings suggest that integrating Knowledge Building principles into design thinking processes can significantly enhance the quality and effectiveness of educational outcomes. In contrast, DDM, with its sequential and structured approach, while beneficial for systematic exploration and adherence to the design process, occasionally restricted deeper cognitive engagement due to its rigid phase-oriented progression. Although DDM facilitated clear and organised exploration of design challenges, it was less effective in fostering the iterative, reflective and collaborative learning processes central to Knowledge Building.

The study also delved into the role of digital platforms in facilitating these design thinking models. The Knowledge Forum played a crucial role in both the DDM and DTKB groups by supporting collaborative work and idea development. However, its impact was more pronounced in the DTKB group, where the platform’s tools and scaffolds were used dynamically to enhance collaborative inquiry and continuous idea improvement. This study contributes to the field of educational technology by demonstrating the potential of combining structured design thinking models with dynamic Knowledge Building processes. It provides a framework for educators to implement these models in online settings, enhancing student engagement and improving learning outcomes. Additionally, this research suggests directions for future studies, including exploring these models across different educational settings and demographic groups to enhance the generalisability of the findings. In summary, integrating design thinking with Knowledge Building principles offers a promising approach to enhancing educational practices within polytechnic education. This model not only fosters a deeper cognitive engagement among students but also enhances their practical skills in creating viable and innovative design solutions, preparing them for the challenges of the modern world.

The reasons why early childhood teachers leave the early childhood sector have been extensively studied, but very few studies have examined the reasons behind some teachers' retention in the field. This study investigated the reasons why veteran early childhood teachers remain in the classroom as an alternative approach to understanding manpower issues in the early childhood workforce. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand and interpret the lived experiences of veteran early childhood teachers who continue to work in a sector that is plagued by high teacher turnover and attrition. By gaining insights into their reasons to stay, this study aims to identify what veteran early childhood teachers perceive as motivation and support for their continued retention in the sector. Through the lens of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT, Deci & Ryan, 2017), the study examines the factors of motivation and conditions that contribute to veteran teacher retention in the early childhood sector.

A purposive sampling method was employed to identify 15 veteran early childhood teachers who had at least 10 years of experience working in the early childhood sector in Singapore. Data was collected through autophotography and semi-structured interviews. Colaizzi's (1978) strategy of descriptive phenomenological data analysis was applied to extract, organize, and analyze the data collected. Results suggest that the motivation for these veteran early childhood teachers to stay in the profession is largely intrinsic, and supportive relationships played a pivotal role in sustaining them to stay in the sector. Based on the data analysis, six key themes emerged in relation to teacher retention: (1) intrinsic rewards, (2) personal factors, (3) perceived organizational support, (4) satisfaction of the need for autonomy, (5) satisfaction of the need for competence, and (6) satisfaction of the need for relatedness. These veteran teachers also revealed the challenges they faced as well as strategies they adopted to overcome these challenges, resulting in their persistence and continued involvement in the early childhood field.

Skill acquisition theories plays a foundational role in the development of skilled performance as coaches attach themselves to beliefs about skill learning and coaching practices based on theoretical explanations of skill acquisition (Parry & O’Rourke, 2023). Coaches believe that their practices “work” but what ‘works” must be framed in the form of skill transfer where players can effectively apply what they practice during game performance (Coker, 2017). This is where some forms of practices fall short as players fail to make an effective transition into game situations. For example, the game of football is full of complex interactions between players in a dynamic performance environment which something that a repetitive isolated and prescribed practice do not replicate.

Over the last decade, research in skill acquisition have provided strong evidence to underpin coaching practices that account for the dynamism and complexity inherent in learning a sports skill (Chow et al., 2021) An implication of such findings are that coaches should redesign training to include tasks that offer opportunities for players to explore and adapt movement solutions that closely represent competitive sports performance.

Adopting such a coaching perspective that centres on the player interacting with the performance environment brings about the emergence of Nonlinear Pedagogy (NLP). NLP is defined as an “application of the concepts and tools of non-linear dynamics” that provide coaches with key principles to design practice pertaining to the structure of practice tasks, delivering instructions and providing feedback (Chow et al., 2013). Those principles include representative learning design, development of meaningful information-movement coupling, relevant manipulation of constraints, reducing conscious control of movement through attentional focus and leveraging on functional movement variability.

The focus of this programme of study was on investigating the actual application of the principles of NLP in coaching by quantifying the degree of nonlinearity of coaches’ practice, at a micro-level of coaching (i.e., during the session) and through the different pedagogical channels (i.e., practice, instruction, feedback). During a training session, all the three pedagogical channels could be used by coaches at the same time. The main challenge when looking at quantifying pedagogical practices is the strong interactions between the different pedagogical channels that occur during coaching. To overcome this challenge, this study used a newly designed NLP observation tool that applied Random Forest machine learning algorithm to the raw analysis of a coach activity (e.g., focus of attention, analogy use, demonstration, task decomposition), to account for interactions between input variables.

In this study, the NLP observation tool was used on 14 secondary school football coaches to observe their pedagogical activities within the three pedagogical channels of practice, instruction, and feedback to obtain the Nonlinearity Index of coach (NI of coach) for each coach. Further analysis was then undertaken to examine the pedagogical channel of each coach for interactions of their Teaching Actions (TA) that affect the nonlinearity of the pedagogical activity (PA).

Four out of the 14 coaches recorded a 0% NI of coach while only one coach recorded a 100% NI of coach. The other coaches had 33% (2 coaches), 40% (2 coaches), 60% (1 coach), 67% (2 coaches), 86% (1 coach) and 87% (1 coach) NI of coach. In total, eight out of the fourteen coaches (57%) had less than 50% NI of coach. Examining the pedagogical channel of the coaches, 13 out of the 14 coaches had ‘Isolated skill’ practice and was the most common TA in the pedagogical channel of practice. In the pedagogical channel of instruction and feedback, the TA of ‘Movement outcome’ were given by all 14 coaches in the study and was the most common TA in these two pedagogical channels. There were different ways to affect linearity (LP) or nonlinearity (NLP) in a PA. The most common way to affect an LP decision was when a coach designed an ‘Isolated skill practice’ and ‘Repetitive task’ for practice and provided ‘Movement outcome’ as instruction. On the other hand, the most common way to affect an NLP decision was through the combination of ‘Game representative practice’ and ‘Room for variability’ for practice organization and providing ‘Movement outcome’ as instruction.

The findings provided insights on the current practices of coaches in school football CCA such as on how they structured practice and delivered instructions and feedback. The information on how coaches structured their practice provided new knowledge on how coaches can achieve nonlinearity in their practice. Furthermore, the NI of coach was a useful tool to benchmark current practices and to further guide coaches in increasing the degree of nonlinearity in their sessions.