Collaborative Research: GARNET (Geoscience Affective Research NETwork)

GARNET（地球科学情感研究网络）正在研究情感域对学生学习物理地质学入门课程的影响。GARNET机构代表了高等教育光谱的一个横截面，包括阿克伦大学、科罗拉多大学博尔德分校、加州州立大学奇科分校、北亨内平社区学院、马卡莱斯特学院和北达科他大学。GARNET的目标是：1)使用两种工具，即学习动机策略问卷（MSLQ）和科学价值量表（SVI），调查情感领域的各个方面，特别是学生的动机和价值观在物理地质学入门课程中是如何变化的；2)确定这些方面是否以及如何随教师和学习环境的具体方面而变化。主要假设是：1)情感域是学生学习的主要控制因素；2)我们的教学方式可以显著改变学生的情感行为。这项研究的结果将是教学资源和策略，指导更有效的地球科学入门课程的发展。GARNET项目关于情感域对地球科学学习的影响的结果，以及确定的教学最佳实践，开始填补我们对学生科学学习的理解中一个很大程度上未被重视、研究很少、但又非常重要的空白。该项目的重点是探索学生在地球科学方面的学习方式，迄今为止，地球科学在大学层面几乎没有得到一致的关注，也没有在单一学科内进行广泛的分析。GARNET建立在教育心理学现有知识库的基础上，该知识库已以有限的方式应用于一些大学科学课程，但在地球科学入门课程中缺乏关于情感领域的信息，这阻碍了教师吸引学生并增强科学学习过程的潜力。GARNET评估计划测量的结果为后续研究提供了基础，该项目的合作性质有可能导致创建小型研究团队，探索情感领域的特定方面。评估项目的结果将揭示哪种教学策略在创造学习环境方面最有效，其特点是学生更有动力，对学习地球科学有良好的态度，对学习课堂材料的能力更有信心。

GEOSCIENCE (42) GARNET (Geoscience Affective Research Network) is examining the impact of the affective domain on student learning in introductory physical geology. GARNET institutions represent a cross-section of the higher education spectrum and include the University of Akron, University of Colorado-Boulder, California State University-Chico, North Hennepin Community College, Macalester College, and the University of North Dakota. GARNET's goals are: 1) To use two instruments, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the Science Value Inventory (SVI), to investigate how aspects of the affective domain, in particular student motivation and values, vary for students in introductory physical geology; and 2) Identify if and how those aspects vary with instructor and specific aspects of the learning environments. The key hypotheses are that: 1) The affective domain is a major control on student learning; and, 2) How we teach can significantly change students' affective behavior. The outcome of this research will be pedagogical resources and strategies that guide the development of more effective introductory geoscience classes. The GARNET project results on the influence of the affective domain on geoscience learning and the pedagogical best practices identified begin to fill a largely underappreciated, little studied, yet highly significant gap in our understanding of student learning of science. The project focuses on a way to explore student learning in the geosciences that to date, has received almost no consistent attention at the college level, and no broad analysis within a single discipline. GARNET builds on an existing knowledge base in educational psychology that has been applied in a limited way to some college science classes but there is a paucity of information on the affective domain in introductory geoscience courses that hinders the potential of instructors to engage students and enhance science learning processes. The GARNET assessment plan measures outcomes that provide a foundation for subsequent research and the collaborative nature of this project has the potential to result in the creation of small teams of investigators exploring specific aspects of the affective domain. Results of the evaluation program will reveal which pedagogical strategies are most effective in creating learning environments characterized by more motivated students, with good attitudes about learning geoscience, and greater confidence in their ability to learn class material.