知识建构理论能用在家庭非正式学习环境中吗?--基于儿童偶发性科学探究的个案追踪研究

The Application Possibility of Knowledge Building Theory in Family Informal Learning Environment:A Case Study Based of Emerging Scientific Problems of Children

家庭非正式学习环境是儿童早期认识世界的主要场所,具有与儿童科学学习相似的偶发性、复杂性、机会主义等特征。作为国际学习科学界的前沿理论,知识建构理论在学校等正式学习环境下的应用得到了很好的验证,能否应用于家庭环境中、如何应用、能否促进儿童的科学教育等是值得关注的热点问题。本研究首先在理论上论证了知识建构理论用于家庭科学教育的可能性和价值,然后采用人种志的研究方法,追踪了一个7岁男孩及其家庭在3年半的时间里出现的3个典型科学探究活动案例。结果发现,从直观形式来看,知识建构活动能够显著促进儿童科学"观点"的持续改进;从"人-活动-知识"三维建构层面来看,家庭成员能够形成知识建构理论倡导的动态社区,经过设计的活动能够极大地促进儿童的主动学习,儿童的问题数量和观点深度都有了明显提高。这表明知识建构理论能够用于家庭非正式学习环境中,有效支持儿童基于偶发性科学问题开展探究学习。

The informal learning environment in families is the main place for young children to perceive the world at an early stage,which accords with the characteristics of children’s science learning:occa sional,complex,and opportunistic. As a frontier theory of the international science learning,Knowledge Building Theory has been applied well in the formal learning environment like schools. More attention should be paid to problems like whether it can be applied to the family environment,how to apply it,and whether it can promote children’s science education. This study explored the value and possibility of Knowledge Building Theory in family science learning from a theoretical point of view. Through the ethnography method, this study traced three science learning cases of a seven-year-old boy and his family in the past three and a half years. Design-based Research was adopted in Knowledge Build ing activities. The results show that Knowledge Building activities can significantly promote children ’s scientific"idea". From the perspective of"Participant-Activity-Knowledge",family members can form a dynamic Knowledge Building community. The designed activities can greatly promote children ’s active learning,and increase the number of their problems as well as the depth of their ideas. From theoretical argumentation to practical verification,this research indicates that the theory of Knowledge Building can well support the exploratory learning of children’s emerging scientific problems in the family.