| dc.description.abstract | Active Learning Spaces (ALSs) are spaces designed to facilitate for Active Learning (AL), often improving the benefits of such teaching methods. The impact of AL has been extensively researched, and evidence suggest that AL generally improves students' learning outcomes. As AL has been increasingly addressed, so have spaces designed to facilitate for AL been designed and discussed. These spaces, here referred to as ALSs, have generally been found to enhance the positive outcomes of AL. A topic that has been less researched is what challenges teachers and students experience when they are working in ALSs. Even less researched is how such challenges are experienced by teachers transitioning into ALSs and students who are mostly new to ALSs. While ALS use is often beneficial, it is not without challenges to both teachers and students, and it is highly desirable to better understand these challenges, as well as the benefits of using these spaces to increase the knowledge of how to use ALSs beneficially.
The aim of this thesis is not to measure the student learning outcome of AL and ALSs. Instead, the goal is to understand better the challenges and factors that have been perceived by teachers and students as important in their process of using ALSs.
The thesis takes a closer look at the use of ALSs in mathematics and statistics courses through the perceptions of teachers and students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). In order to investigate perceived challenges of transitioning to ALSs, a team of four teachers was formed by the researcher. All four were new to using ALSs, and their perceptions of their adaptation to the ALSs highlighted how they experienced this transition process. They were already interested in teaching with AL methods but had yet to transition into ALSs. In addition, the interactions with the researcher provided the teachers with support to overcome basic challenges in the process, and a better teaching experience. Such interactions and support also lay the ground for more profound reflections concerning ALSs, albeit at the price of introducing some added subjectivity by the researcher in a research method that already is characterized by some subjectivity.
The data from the teachers consist of classroom observations, post-observation conversations with the teachers after observing some of their classes, group reflection conversations with the team of teachers, and individual semi-structured interviews. The data from the students consist of classroom observations, surveys, and semi-structured focus group interviews.
A consistent theme in the results is how the teachers express that it is essential, yet challenging, to have students engage in the active elements. Further, the students often chose not to participate in the classes due to the discomfort that they experienced. Several strategies were suggested by the teachers to reduce discomfort and increase engagement, such as building good student relations and developing good teaching strategies. It is also reflected that in mathematics and statistics, conceptual and contextual tasks are experienced as positive for creating engagement and discussions between students.
In summary, this thesis contributes to the growing general knowledge of ALSs, specifically addressing teachers’ and students’ experiences of transitioning to these spaces. Challenges related to AL use in the ALSs are also addressed. A better understanding of ALSs can highlight potential problematic areas of using these spaces and lay the ground for enhancing future use of such spaces. | en_US |
