Role of environmental interaction in interdisciplinary thinking: from knowledge resources perspectives |
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| Authors: | Esther Tan Hyo-Jeong So |
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| Institution: | 1. Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands;2. Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea;3. Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | This article examined the role of environmental interaction in interdisciplinary thinking and the use of different knowledge resource types. The case study was conducted with two classes (N?=?40) of 8th-grade students, ages 13 to 14. The outdoor trail aimed to help students synthesize history, geography, and science knowledge. Two groups’ discourse from each class was audio-recorded and transcribed for content analysis. We coded the discourse to examine: (i) the use of different knowledge resource types (i.e., contextual resource, new conceptual resource, prior knowledge resource); (ii) the relationship among these knowledge resource types; and (iii) evidences of interdisciplinary thinking. Findings showed that contextual resources enhanced students’ capacity to develop new conceptual resources and to activate prior knowledge resources. Further, about 80% of students’ discourse demonstrated interdisciplinary connections of two subjects. |
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| Keywords: | Environmental interaction interdisciplinary thinking knowledge co-construction knowledge resources outdoor learning |
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