My Question of Interest: How can the criteria “to grow cognitively, performatively and affectively in nursing education” be objectively measured?
The Process of Defining Operational Definitions:
The posed question includes areas of potential controversy that need to be defined: growth, cognitive, performative, and affective learning and objective measurement.
“Growth”: In searching for an adequate definition of growth, the terms process, development and maturity were used as well as the ideas of progressing from “lower or simpler to higher or more complex” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/growth). Dictionary.reference used the secondary definition of growth as “the process of developing or maturing physically, mentally, or spiritually. This speaks to holistic improvement or positive change.
It is interesting to note that “development” is defined as “A specified state of growth or advancement.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/development ).
“Learning” utilizes similar language in its definitions “the act or experience of one that learns”; “knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study”, and “modification of a behavioral tendency by experience (as exposure to conditioning)” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/learning ).
Piecing all of these definitions together links growth with the processes of development and learning. The secondary definition of growth can be linked to performative, cognitive and affective learning (physical, mental and spiritual).
Thus, the operational definition of “growth” for the purposes of my posed question can read: “Growth is the process of holistic advancement or maturation reflected in behavioural tendency.” Nursing looks for consistency of behaviour in measuring any given nursing competency.
“Objective measurement” is scientifically explained by the Rasch organization, Program Committee of the Institute for Objective Measurement (December 2000) as: “the repetition of a unit amount that maintains its size, within an allowable range of error, no matter which instrument, intended to measure the variable of interest, is used and no matter who or what relevant person or thing is measured.” They go on to explain that “an objective measurement estimate of amount stays constant and unchanging… across the persons measured, across different brands of instruments, and across instrument users. The goal of objective measurement is to produce a reference standard.” The Rasch group suggests that instruments, data or theory need to triangulate with each other in order to determine if objectivity is reached, or at least, improved. (http://www.rasch.org/define.htm )
Another source for the definition of objective measurement is the dictionary. As an adjective, “objective” can mean “not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/objective )
Kerlinger (1973), behavioural researcher, described objective measurement as "an objective procedure is one in which agreement among observers is at maximum… (and) observer variance is at a minimum," suggesting reasonable inter-rater reliability. (Kerlinger, 1973)
Thus, the operational definition of “objective (measurement)” for the purposes of my posed question can read: “Objective measurement is a repeatable, consistent reference standard, not influenced by subjective influences, that is based in facts.”
Three of the chosen terms in the posed question are from the realm of types of learning: cognitive, performative and affective learning. An excellent synopsis of the growth of the theory of types of learning was developed by Performance Juxtaposition (2012) a training, leadership and human performance business website. The following is an abridge version of their explanations gleaned from Professor B. Bloom’s writings (1956) and recognized, subsequent researchers and theorists.
Bloom (1956) and colleagues identified three types of learning: cognitive (mental skills), affective (growth in emotions or attitudes) and psychomotor (physical skills) referred to as “the goals of the learning process.” Subdivisions of the domains into behaviours have been added and refined since. (Performance Juxtaposition, 2012).
Progressive cognitive skills achievement progresses through: evaluation, synthesis, analysis, application, comprehension, and knowledge. Lorin Anderson altered the cognitive domain taxonomy into: creating, evaluating, analyzing, applying, understanding and remembering.
The affective domain involves how we handle emotions, values and attitudes and consists of simple to complex behaviours: Receiving Phenomena; Responding to Phenomena, Valuing, Organization, and Internalizing values.
The Psychomotor domain has morphed into including (Simpson, 1972 physical movement, coordination, and use of the motor-skill areas, measured in terms of speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques in execution. The categorization of ranked achievement of psychomotor learning is as follows: perception, set, guided response, mechanism, complex overt response, adaptation and origination. In 1975, researcher Dave, and in 1972 Researcher Harrow posited similar lists of progressively more sophisticated skills (Performance Juxtaposition, 2012).
This synopsis forms the basis for the definition of performative learning. My developed definition for cognitive learning was rounded out by a medical dictionary definition. Three of the chosen terms (cognitive, performative and affective) in the posed question can broadly be defined as the goals of the learning process. The three types of learning can be more succinctly defined. Whereas, the cognitive and affective definitions were readily available or easily created from the literature, the performative definition proved to be more challenging. The preferred operational definitions for this posed question, are as follows.
Thus, the operational definition of “Cognitive learning” for the purposes of my posed question can read: “Cognitive learning: is the acquisition of more progressively complex problem-solving abilities, with intelligence and conscious thought, through which acquired information about the environment leads to behavioural change” (Mosby', 2009)
Thus, the operational definition of “Performative Learning” for the purposes of my posed question can read: “Performative Learning: is physical movement, coordination, and use of the motor-skill areas developed to more complex levels of response, through practice and is measured in terms of executed speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques” (Performance Juxtaposition, 2012).
Thus, the operational definition of “Affective Learning” for the purposes of my posed question can read: “Affective Learning: is the personal, social and emotional behaviour of the learner in terms of values and attitudes, progressively exhibited from an awareness, to the relating, synthesizing and prioritization of values, and culminates in a pervasive, consistent and predictable value system that controls behaviours and is inherent in the character of the learner.”
In summary, my initial operational definitions that seem to define my posed question are based on common definitions. Time and inquiry will tell if these definitions are acceptable by which to potentially answer my question! Any feedback would be most welcome, please!
Key Operational Terms:
Growth is the process of holistic advancement or maturation reflected in behavioural tendency.
Objective measurement is a repeatable, consistent reference standard, not influenced by subjective influences, that is based in facts.
Affective Learning is the personal, social and emotional behaviour of the learner in terms of values and attitudes, progressively exhibited from an awareness, to the relating, synthesizing and prioritization of values, and culminates in a pervasive, consistent and predictable value system that controls behaviours and is inherent in the character of the learner.
Cognitive Learning is the acquisition of more progressively complex problem-solving abilities, with intelligence and conscious thought, through which acquired information about the environment leads to behavioural change.
Performative Learning is physical movement, coordination, and use of the motor-skill areas developed to more complex levels of response, through practice and is measured in terms of executed speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques.
References
Dictionary.reference. (2012). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/growth) and http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/development and http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/objective
Free Dictionary (2012). Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/growth
Hudspith, B. & Jenkins, H. (2001). Green guide 3: Teaching the art of inquiry. Halifax , NS
Kerlinger FN: Foundations of Behavioral Research: Educational, Psychological, and Sociological Inquiry, ed 2. New York , NY
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/learning
Mosby. (2009). Mosby's medical dictionary, 8th ed., Elsevier. Retrieved from
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cognitive+learning
Performance Juxtaposition. (2012). Bloom's taxonomy of learning domains. The performance juxtaposition site. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html
Rasch. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.rasch.org/define.htm
You take a really systematic approached to defining your terms. That's great and it is clear you've conducted a lot of research and considered this research.
ReplyDeleteI did find myself having some questions/concerns as I read through your blog. As I read your definitions I felt that there are some terms that also need defining or clarification. For instance, "holistic advancement". First, what does it mean to be holistic and second, can there be cases where someone experiences growth but that growth isn't holistic?
Performative learning seems to suggest that such activities, such as counseling patients, would not be considered performative (unless you acknowledge the movement of the mandible!).
I felt that you put so much effort into producing really tight definitions that in someways, the definitions control you, rather than aid you. This may be because your approach seems to assume that everything can be objectively measured. Even your definition for objective measurement rules out the idea subjectivity. Have you thought about refining your question to ask "How can/should p,a,c learning be measured in nursing education?'
Mandible movement...tongue wagging ;) You're so funny, Jules. At first glance, I saw exactly what you mean and maybe I should give examples. In the case of counselling as you suggested, there are more of the affective and cognitive approaches, I agree. The use of non-verbal body language is performative even in its subtlties and is the largest part of communication. So, yes, I argue that counselling is highly performative.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct that I attempted to be very definitive with my key terms. I do wonder at the need for very proscribed definitions versus a broader degree of interpretation. I suppose I'll learn if the definitions are too restrictive and require modification as I explore this posed question further. Thanks for your insights! Much appreciated!
Good work; very methodical. So, you started by researching the key terms in your question. I just have a little comment; mainly about performative learning. My own perception is that this is mainly skills, as opposed to cognitive which is mainly declarative. I had to go back to our course primer from M. Potter's CDCA. There he says, if you know about something or know why- that is cognitive. While, if you know how, that is performative.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps! Best of luck with this week's post.
ahmed
Thanks, Ahmed,
DeletePrevious course notes are certainly helpful. I will go back and review the CDCA notes as you suggest.
Cognitive learning, I believe, can be measured through the processing of data in critical thinking. Certainly declarative statements showing integration and linkages of knowledge into new and rational conclusions demonstrates cognitive learning.
Being able to demonstrate knowledge through a polished performance where modification of a known, memorized procedure solves a unique problem, demonstrates critical thinking, too. The levelling of criteria from simple to complex within each of the 3 learning domains helps to define and defend a student's learning.