EXPLORING LEARNER UNDERSTANDING OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES’ (EMS) CONCEPTS THROUGH VARIATION OF LEARNING THEORY: CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES

Journal Title: Problems of Education in the 21st Century - Year 2011, Vol 29, Issue 5

Abstract

This paper addresses one of the fundamental issues in learning and the strategy for enhancing learning within the context of outcomes-based education. The paper argues that the Theory of Variation (ToV), within the phenomenographic paradigm, could be used as a classroom resource to enhance learning particularly in Economic and Management Sciences’ (EMS) education. The article discusses the results of how the understanding of value/price determination of the South African currency (the Rand) among grade 9 (15-16 year olds) was enhanced using the variation theory of learning approach within the phenomenographic studies as a classroom resource. The notions of conceptions, outcome space and object of learning, are found to be key aspects in ToV as a classroom resource. Using these notions, the article analyses the effect of ToV integration into EMS classroom learning activities. It also argues that the use of ToV as learning support strategy significantly enhanced the quality of learning. ToV approach could, therefore, supplement the simplistic outcomes-based learning schemes that overly simplify the outcomes and products of learning and which have received much criticism of late in South Africa.

Authors and Affiliations

Thomas (Tom) Edwin Buabeng Assan

Keywords

Related Articles

PROBLEMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM IN ACCOUNTING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LATVIA

The article is dedicated to problems and possibilities of development in terms of realization of Academic and Professional Master’s Degree program in Accounting at the University of Latvia. Carrying out continuous compar...

EDUCATING RURAL SOUTH AFRICAN WORKERS IN THE EASTERN CAPE: IMPLICATIONS, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Around 20-24% of South African rural workers in the Eastern Cape are illiterate and unfamiliar with modern and more productive methods of practicing their occupations. Given the challenges that are associated with rural...

CULTURAL CAPITAL AND THE RICHES OF MANNA: INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANT SCIENTISTS IN ISRAELI ACADEMIA

The article deals with transnationalism – the flow of cultural capital across borders. Around 16,000 scientists entered Israel during the 1990s. Some of them joined the academic staff. This case study is the frst to com...

DEVELOPMENT OF CLASSIFICATION FOR CLOSED TEST TASKS

The expediency of inclusion in one test of various types of test tasks (TT’s) that adequate to the content of the studied materials and to the purposes of testing in the best way is often marked. However, developers of t...

CONTRIBUTION OF PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM TO QUALITY PRIMARY EDUCATION IN UGANDA

With the frequent changes in education environment caused by dynamic economy, politics, and global trends among others, primary teacher education should keep abreast with these trends. However, in Uganda this has not b...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP34942
  • DOI -
  • Views 245
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Thomas (Tom) Edwin Buabeng Assan (2011). EXPLORING LEARNER UNDERSTANDING OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES’ (EMS) CONCEPTS THROUGH VARIATION OF LEARNING THEORY: CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 29(5), -. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-34942