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A phenomenographic study of teachers’ conceptions of wisdom and their experiences of wisdom in education
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Type
Thesis
Author
Rozells, Diane Judith
Supervisor
Chua, Jude Soo Meng
Chai, Ching Sing
Abstract
In line with the growing research on wisdom as field of study in contemporary psychology (e.g. Ardelt, 2004; Baltes & Staudinger, 2000; Sternberg & Jordan, 2005), this research is a phenomenographic study of teachers‟ conceptions of "wisdom‟ and their experiences of "wisdom in education‟. It is researched from the perspective of educators who advocate that educational goals and practices ought to be directed towards the higher goal of "wisdom‟ (e.g. Sternberg, 2001; Maxwell, 2007; Craft, 2006; Lin, 2007), rather than merely aiming at achieving technical excellence or good academic outcomes. These authors and others (e.g. Ball, 2003; Chua, 2009) argue that with an increasing emphasis on technical competence and meeting performance outcomes, higher goals in education, which have to do with the holistic development of students – and teachers – as authentic human beings, are becoming increasingly marginalized. However, I believe that in order to teach for wisdom or incorporate wisdom into modern day educational goals and practices, teachers must first learn to develop the capacities to do so, and this ultimately has to begin at the level of their conceptions.
Hence, this research is aimed at discovering the qualitatively different ways in which teachers conceive of wisdom and experience wisdom within the context of education, so as to discern which theories and practices can be appropriately applied to facilitate conceptual change in teachers with regard to wisdom, in line with the paradigm of phenomenography (Bowden, 1988). To achieve this purpose, the following research questions were formulated:
1. What are the qualitatively different ways in which Singaporean teachers conceive of wisdom?
2. What are the qualitatively different ways in which they experience wisdom in the context of education in Singapore?
The data collection consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews with a sample of 12 teachers from various levels (primary, secondary and tertiary), subject areas, and years of experience in the teaching service. The data analysis gave rise to three categories of description – "Strategic Wisdom‟, "Social Wisdom‟ and "Transcendent Wisdom‟ – which represented the “limited number of qualitatively different ways” in which teachers both conceived of "wisdom‟ and experienced "wisdom in education‟ (c.f. Marton, 1992, p. 253). Each category was similarly structured according to four "themes of expanding awareness‟, or critical components of wisdom that teachers tended to refer to, when describing their conceptions. These were: "Learning from Experience‟, "Being Knowledgeable‟, "Making Wise Decisions‟, and "Acting Wisely‟.
The findings were then compared with the bodies of knowledge on "wisdom‟ and "wisdom in education‟, which, drawing largely from classical Western and Eastern philosophies as well as corresponding psychological theories, had been conceptualized prior to the data collection, according to the four dimensions of "Superior Knowledge‟, "Virtue‟, "Orientation towards a Superior Good‟ and "Spirituality‟. In view of the literature, the research findings (categories, themes and their relationships) enabled the discernment of which theories and practices were appropriate in enhancing teachers‟ conceptions of wisdom according to the different "lenses‟ through which they were found to typically conceive of wisdom in the context of Singapore education. In addition, the findings also contributed to the scholarly dialogue on "wisdom‟, a new and developing area in contemporary psychology, especially with regard to the literature on people‟s conceptions of wisdom from an Eastern perspective.
Hence, this research is aimed at discovering the qualitatively different ways in which teachers conceive of wisdom and experience wisdom within the context of education, so as to discern which theories and practices can be appropriately applied to facilitate conceptual change in teachers with regard to wisdom, in line with the paradigm of phenomenography (Bowden, 1988). To achieve this purpose, the following research questions were formulated:
1. What are the qualitatively different ways in which Singaporean teachers conceive of wisdom?
2. What are the qualitatively different ways in which they experience wisdom in the context of education in Singapore?
The data collection consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews with a sample of 12 teachers from various levels (primary, secondary and tertiary), subject areas, and years of experience in the teaching service. The data analysis gave rise to three categories of description – "Strategic Wisdom‟, "Social Wisdom‟ and "Transcendent Wisdom‟ – which represented the “limited number of qualitatively different ways” in which teachers both conceived of "wisdom‟ and experienced "wisdom in education‟ (c.f. Marton, 1992, p. 253). Each category was similarly structured according to four "themes of expanding awareness‟, or critical components of wisdom that teachers tended to refer to, when describing their conceptions. These were: "Learning from Experience‟, "Being Knowledgeable‟, "Making Wise Decisions‟, and "Acting Wisely‟.
The findings were then compared with the bodies of knowledge on "wisdom‟ and "wisdom in education‟, which, drawing largely from classical Western and Eastern philosophies as well as corresponding psychological theories, had been conceptualized prior to the data collection, according to the four dimensions of "Superior Knowledge‟, "Virtue‟, "Orientation towards a Superior Good‟ and "Spirituality‟. In view of the literature, the research findings (categories, themes and their relationships) enabled the discernment of which theories and practices were appropriate in enhancing teachers‟ conceptions of wisdom according to the different "lenses‟ through which they were found to typically conceive of wisdom in the context of Singapore education. In addition, the findings also contributed to the scholarly dialogue on "wisdom‟, a new and developing area in contemporary psychology, especially with regard to the literature on people‟s conceptions of wisdom from an Eastern perspective.
Date Issued
2012
Call Number
LB14.7 Roz
Date Submitted
2012