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It’s the Situation That Matters: Affective Involvement in Context-Oriented Learning Tasks

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Affective Dimensions in Chemistry Education

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the evaluation of affective variables in context-based learning (cbl) environments. Although the majority of studies in the field have shown positive effects on attitude, the need to investigate specific elements of cbl tasks has become evident. On the basis of prior research designs and instruments, it is argued that attitude has to be perceived as a multifaceted construct. Different research designs and attitude instruments are discussed and related to the theoretical background of motivation and interest. In the second part of the chapter, three studies are presented that address the need to differentiate between different contexts, content elements, and attitude measurements. Therefore, the general statement that cbl courses have a positive effect on student attitude is maintained, however, enriched by a more differentiated and substantiated perspective that may shed light on how to select an adequate context within a specific content-related area.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Freudenthal Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Sabine Fechner

  2. University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

    Helena Van Vorst & Elke Sumfleth

  3. PH Zürich, 8090, Zürich, Switzerland

    Eva Kölbach

Authors
  1. Sabine Fechner
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  2. Helena Van Vorst
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  3. Eva Kölbach
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  4. Elke Sumfleth
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sabine Fechner .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Education Division, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart Univ., Canakkale, Turkey

    Murat Kahveci

  2. Dept. of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    MaryKay Orgill

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Fechner, S., Van Vorst, H., Kölbach, E., Sumfleth, E. (2015). It’s the Situation That Matters: Affective Involvement in Context-Oriented Learning Tasks. In: Kahveci, M., Orgill, M. (eds) Affective Dimensions in Chemistry Education. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45085-7_8

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