Schooling as a complex system: Appropriate frameworks for educational evaluation
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
The purpose of this presentation is to propose appropriate frameworks for educational evaluation based on current research in complexity science and its application in education and the social sciences. Complex systems are, by definition, holistic, non-linear, unpredictable, emergent, adaptive, and changing. The brain and weather are examples of complex systems, as are social phenomena such as learning, teaching, and schooling. Although most would agree that schooling is a complex phenomenon, many of the frameworks used for instruction, student assessment, and educational evaluation do not account for this complexity—they are based on linear, cause and effect notions of schooling. Given the need for rigorous evaluations of educational programs, and the increasing complexity of schooling, it is important that evaluators use appropriate frameworks so that results are valid and meaningful.
