Understanding classroom environments: An organizational sensemaking approach

There has been a call from quantitative and qualitative researchers to study classroom environments. Causal mapping offers a new methodological approach to understanding what might be occurring in classrooms in terms of student attitudes and beliefs. Ten students were randomly selected from two different fifth-grade classrooms. Students were interviewed to determine cognitive concept structures that they use to describe their classroom environments. Causal relationships were determined for variables identified. The primary focus of this study was to determine the efficacy of causal mapping in describing classroom environments. The data support the findings of researchers from political science and business that cognitive mapping is a method which can graphically represent an individual's assertion of causality among a set of variables.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Gilmore, Michael John

Contributors dc:contributor

• Murphy, Joseph

• Education, General
• Education, Elementary
• Education, Educational Psychology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1990 Gilmore, Michael John

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9021686
(UMI)AAI9021686

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/22039