Complex Thinking Research Articles

Thinking with complexity in evaluation: A case study review

Adopting complexity thinking in the design, implementation and evaluation of health and social development programmes is of increasing interest. Understanding institutional contexts in which these programmes are located directly influences shaping and eventual uptake of evaluations and relevant findings. A nuanced appreciation of the relationship between complexity, institutional arrangements and evaluation theory and practice provides an opportunity to optimise both programme design and eventual success. However, the application of complexity and systems thinking within programme design and evaluation is variously understood. Some understand complexity as the multiple constituent aspects within a system, while others take a more sociological approach, understanding interactions between beliefs, ideas and systems as mechanisms of change. This article adopts an exploratory approach to examine complexity thinking in the relational, recursive interactions between context and project design, implementation and evaluation. In doing so, common terms will be used to demonstrate the nature of shared aspects of complexity across apparently different projects.

Mathematical Sense And Its Relation To The Mental Skills In Third-Grade Middle School Students

The objective of the current research is to identify the nature of the correlation between the mathematical sense and mental skills of the third-grade middle and secondary students in the middle and secondary day schools of the General Directorates of The Education of Baghdad Al-Karkh (first, second, third) and The Al-Rasafa (first, second, third) and by answering the following questions: Do third-graders in the middle and secondary day schools of the general directorates in Baghdad have Al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third) have mathematical sense skills ? Do third-graders in the middle and secondary day schools of the General Directorates of Baghdad have the skills of Al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third) have mental skills ? What is the direction and strength of the correlation between the mathematical and mental skills of the third-grade middle and secondary school students of the General Directorates of Baghdad Al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third) ? To achieve the aim of research and answering its questions, the following zero hypotheses have been formulated: There is no statistically significant difference at the level of indication (0.05) between the hypothetical and mathematical averages of the third-graders in the mathematical sense test. There is no statistically significant difference at the level of indication (0.05) between the hypothetical and mathematical averages of the third-graders in the mental skills test. There is no statistically significant correlation at the level of significance (0.05) between the skills of the mathematical sense and the mental skills of the middle and secondary students of the middle and secondary day schools of the general directorates of Baghdad Al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third) . To achieve the objectives of the research, the descriptive research methodology was adopted, the current research sample consisted of (400) students from the middle and secondary school of the general secondary schools of Baghdad al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third.( To verify the objectives of the research, the researcher prepared two three-area mathematical sense test tools (Number sense, Standard sense, Statistical sense) that included twelve sub-skills, including 40 objective-type paragraphs (multiple selection), and the second mental skills test consisting of eight main skills that included twenty-one sub-skills, including 42 thematic-type paragraphs (multiple selection), and two tests on terms of honesty and consistency, and the degree of difficulty. The two tests applied to the research sample and the results were statistically analysed using the t-test for one sample and the Pearson correlation factor, and the results resulted in: Middle-grade students in the middle and secondary day schools of the General Directorates of Education of Baghdad al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third) possess mathematical sense skills. Middle-grade students in the middle and secondary day schools of the General Directorates of Education of Baghdad al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third) have mental skills. There is a positive correlation between the skills of sportsmanship and mental skills of the middle third grade students in the middle and secondary day schools of the General Directorates of The Education of Baghdad Al-Karkh (first, second, third) and Al-Rasafa (first, second, and third). In light of the findings, the researchers recommended: Training and qualifying math teachers through strengthening courses on the adoption of mathematical sense skills and mental skills and according to special criteria prepared for this matter and to ensure that teachers have used them when teaching students in addition to alerting math teachers to the importance of sports sense and mental skills among students as one of the important objectives of teaching mathematics. Mental skills are important educational outcomes for students and educational institutions should strengthen them and pay attention to them as a means of developing the mathematical sense of students by changing the teaching system in schools by not using traditional methods in the provision of the subject or calendar, but the trend towards changing the sources of information and its diversity. The possibility of generalizing the mathematical sense test and mental skills test to math teachers and urging them to adopt them in diagnosing their students' levels of mathematics before starting teaching and then using appropriate strategies, methods and methods of treatment. The researchers also proposed several proposals: Conduct research to uncover the relationship between mathematical sense and other variables such as: problem solving, creative thinking, inference thinking, mathematical thinking, complex thinking, complex thinking, product thinking, lateral thinking. Building an educational program for students that enables them to acquire athletic sense and mental skills. Conduct a pilot study to find out the impact of a teaching strategy in the development of the mathematical sense and mental skills of students.

Reconceptualizing Teacher Identity: Teachers’ Becoming in the Dynamic Complexity of Teaching Situations

Research in physical education often focuses on how to improve the education of teachers and the achievement of students, based on an assumption of a relatively stable teacher identity. The focus of this study is to unsettle this perspective, drawing on complexity thinking and the concept of becoming to reconceptualize teacher identity as a fluid, dynamic identity performance that depends on multiple levels of interacting elements in teachers’ contexts, and significantly challenges the concept of being embedded in ideas of “best practice.” The results of an in‐depth qualitative study with seven health and physical education teachers showed that each teacher performed an adaptive multiplicity of self that responded to constraints in each moment of context‐specific teaching. The results suggest the need for a reconceptualization of teacher identity that understands it as comprised of many different performances of “teacher” and expressed in context‐specific moments ofteacher becoming.

Making Decision-Making Visible-Teaching the Process of Evaluating Interventions.

Significant efforts in the past decades to teach evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation has emphasized increasing knowledge of EBP and developing interventions to support adoption to practice. These efforts have resulted in only limited sustained improvements in the daily use of evidence-based interventions in clinical practice in most health professions. Many new interventions with limited evidence of effectiveness are readily adopted each year—indicating openness to change is not the problem. The selection of an intervention is the outcome of an elaborate and complex cognitive process, which is shaped by how they represent the problem in their mind and is mostly invisible processes to others. Therefore, the complex thinking process that support appropriate adoption of interventions should be taught more explicitly. Making the process visible to clinicians increases the acquisition of the skills required to judiciously select one intervention over others. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the selection process and the critical analysis that is required to appropriately decide to trial or not trial new intervention strategies with patients.

Education for Sustainable Development: teaching deliberation and ethical decision-making in university coach education

ABSTRACT Despite increased recognition that a higher education sports coaching qualification plays an important role in shaping coaches’ ethical decision-making, few scholars have considered what ethics to teach and how best to deliver such curriculum. Examples of actual ethics courses are particularly amiss. This article furthers scholarship on ethics education by introducing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), a pedagogical perspective and approach that is employed to teach quality of mind competences considered necessary to make ethical decisions. To demonstrate how ESD can be translated into ethics curriculum, we present the university course “IIG206 Sustainable Sports Coaching”, which the authors delivered to coaching students, and outline how the course offered students’ opportunities to develop quality of mind competences, including “thinking on their feet”, complexity thinking, working interdisciplinarily, creativity, and “thinking outside the box”. Practical recommendations for scholars keen to create and deliver ethics education in coaching education conclude the article.

The complexity thinking approach: beginning teacher resilience and perceived self-efficacy as determining variables in the induction phase

ABSTRACT Schools are learning spaces determined by the singularities of their students, their teachers and particular contexts. The ‘complexity thinking’ approach implies understanding that schools are complex systems determined by multiple factors and unpredictable circumstances. Teacher Resilience (TR) has been often linked to self-efficacy in dealing with such challenging scenarios, as it intercedes between the complexities of the contexts of practice and the individuals’ actions. The aim of this study is to understand to what extent TR might help to increase self-perceived efficacy for beginning teachers. A total of 180 Spanish beginning teachers participated in this study. Findings reported a strong positive correlation between the two variables and statistically significant regression scores between the motivational and social dimensions of TR and self-efficacy. Therefore, TR could be a determining factor to enhance their adaptative skills to face challenging situations, leading to self-efficacy. Consequently, TR should be reconsidered in beginning teacher induction programmes.

Employees balance and stability as key points in organizational performance

Abstract System analyses deal with interrelationships between different variables that keep the system in balance. In many analysis of complex thinking, a system is viewed as a complex unit in which the ‘whole’ is not reduced to the ‘sum’ of its parts; the system becomes an ambiguous item because it consists of several entities that interact with unforeseen results or, in other words, it is situated at a transdisciplinary level, it is impossible for an area to have a complete reading of its complexity. It was also mentioned that the concept of the open system best describes complexity by stating that ‘the laws of the organization are not equilibrium, but an imbalance that is restored or compensated for by stabilized dynamics’. This idea originated from the field of thermodynamics and the second law, in which the imbalance that it maintains allows the system for an apparent balance. This fragile steady state has something of a paradox, since the structures remain the same, but their constituents are changeable. The concept of open system undoes the door to a theory of evolution that can only derive from the interactions between a system and its ecosystem. Within this systemic approach, the focus of the analysis takes into account the ambiguity, multidisciplinary and complexity associated with system adjustment, i.e. it is intended to qualify an employee job based on their experience and knowledge as a measure of their impact on the organization performance.

The Critical Thinking Process of Senior High School Students in Problem-Solving of Linear Equations System

In this 21st century, having critical thinking skill is a must. This critical thinking skill will lead students to solve the problem they find. Problem solving, one of mathematical abilities, is an advance ability that need more complex thinking process, like critical thinking. The purpose of this study is describing senior high school students critical thinking process in solving problem of linear equations system. This is descriptive qualitative research with two tenth grade students of SMA Negeri 1 Klego as the subjects. In this study, purposive sampling method is used to choose the subjects of the research. To collect the data of student’s critical thinking process, used tests, interviews, and observations. The study result showed that the students’ critical thinking process had not fully worked out. Both subjects can go through the clarification step of critical thinking well, but not in the analysis and strategy step.

P0311 / #1170: THE AUTONOMY OF THE NEONATAL NURSE IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF EDGAR MORIN’S COMPLEX THOUGHT

Aims & Objectives: Aims and objectives: The autonomy of the nurse is linked to their self-management capacity, based on their technoscientific knowledge, problem-solving ability in complex situations and their work towards qualified care. This study aims to reflect, from the Complex Thought interface, on the nurse’s autonomy in the neonatal nursing practice. Methods: This is a critical reflection on the neonatal nurse’s performance, in the light of the Complex Thought, and the relationship with that specialist nurse’s autonomy in the daily practice of the neonatal scenario. Results: Reflection/Results: the application of the complexity in the neonatal nursing practice proposes an emancipatory education and performance, precisely because it favors the reflection of the day-to-day, questioning, and social transformation. Conclusions: a new attitude of the neonatal nurse is proposed, as the protagonist of their role and functions towards the institution and society. Showing, in that way, their ability to reflect on their practice, technical importance and relevance in the health services, which will result in their search for autonomy.

Creating Complexity in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom

Complexity thinking provides a unique perspective on classroom interactions, student engagement and classroom management as well as insight into innovative pedagogies for teachers in the elementary mathematics classroom. A novel meeting strategy for classroom organization offers teachers the opportunity to observe complexity in action and to promote student participation through mathematical conversations thereby building the learning community and fostering the discourse of mathematics. The intervention of mathematical conversations created conditions for complexity in an elementary classroom and provided qualitative data for analysis. Transcripts and classroom mapping showed increased student engagement with students afforded more freedom, mobility and choice to host or participate in small-group conversations. An analytic framework indicated three types of conversations emerging: sharing information, building knowledge and exploring possibilities as well as instances of blocking behavior. Findings suggest possibilities for building student capacity for conversation skills, disciplinary integration and differentiating learning significantly for students.

A complex systems view of climate and development issues in South African coal power expansion

The implementation of climate change policy in South Africa inevitably requires decision-makers to navigate issues of development. This paper explores some of the implications of this requirement by examining the case of a proposed new independent coal-fired power producing plant, Khanyisa, in the province of Mpumalanga from the perspective of complexity studies, an emerging transdisciplinary field. Complexity thinking re-casts the Khanyisa project in a whole-system view, encouraging an active consideration of scale, perspectives, different knowledges, and cumulative impacts. In so doing, tensions both between and within dimensions of climate mitigation and development are quickly revealed, a complexity which is theorised in complexity studies as the raw material for systemic transformation. This whole-system conceptualisation also undermines incremental and relative arguments that Khanyisa mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the complex systemic property of non-linearity suggests that the Khanyisa decision is more significant than its power generation capacity indicates. Attention to the conceptual simplification inherent in ‘development’ highlights what is lost through such simplification, as well as what is gained, and by whom. Finally, complexity thinking foregrounds the multiple scales at which the systemic climate mitigation and development implications of Khanyisa play out. Currently there is very little policy-making capacity nationally, regionally or in eMalahleni to look at alternatives, or ‘spaces of possibility’ through the complexity lens for both development and climate mitigation. This case argues that new policy processes are needed, which go far beyond policy and regulatory processes steeped in path dependencies and incrementalism.
 Highlights• The case reveals the complex entanglement of climate and development issues as raw material for systemic transformation. • A whole system and scalar conceptualisation, paying attention to non-linearities, and the exercise of power through simplifications suggest productive areas of focus for policymakers• New policy processes are needed, which go far beyond policy and regulatory processes steeped in path dependencies and incrementalism.

A conceptual proposal and operational definitions of the cognitive processes of complex thinking

In the last decade studies on the notion of complex thinking have proliferated and there are several authors who propose the need of promoting it through educational systems; However, there is a lack of operational conceptualization allowing the development of instruments, tasks or evaluation systems for observation or measurement, especially from the conceptual perspectives developed by Edgar Morin and Mathew Lipman, considered the most relevant and referenced notions in the educational field. In this sense, this study aims to develop a conceptual model with the operational definitions of skills and/or cognitive processes of complex thinking. To accomplish this, the main proposed conceptualizations and the approach to their processes from the cognitive sciences were reviewed. Therefore, a new conceptualization for complex thinking is proposed through a process of synthesis and conjugation of different conceptual perspectives.

Utilization of adaptive methodology to underpin rail transportation systems: Sydney metro’s methodical formulation

PurposeAs a part of adaptive and complex system thinking, geographic information systems (GIS) are beneficial particularly for transportation projects, where uncertainty is frequent. Accordingly, this paper aims to examine the utilization of GIS in line with adaptive and complex system thinking, as the basis of the methodical formulation of perceived gaps within the integrated transportation planning (ITP) specifically for the mega transportation projects. Such a framework is undertaken, as the mega transportation projects although may seem straightforward, however, are problematic and require more consideration than the traditional triple bottom line factors. Using the Sydney Metro as the case study, the outcome demonstrates the significance of the fourth separate dimension of engineering into the aforementioned bottom-line factors.Design/methodology/approachThe research examines the utilization of adaptive and complex system thinking, as the basis of the methodical formulation of perceived gaps within the ITP. The use of Sydney’s Metro project is a novel example of the proposed methodical formulation and its empirical assessment and provides a better understanding of the use of mapping and planning tools for mega transportation projects.FindingsAptly, using the developed conceptual framework, this research further validates the inclusion of a separate engineering dimension with the usual triple bottom line factors. Such inclusion is paramount in responding to the existing ITP gaps found within the current literature.Originality/valueThis research uses GIS and ITP process to support the aforementioned adaptive and complex system thinking. This, in turn, is used as the basis of a methodical formulation framework in dealing with mega rail transportation infrastructure. To support such a proposition, Sydney Metro is examined as the basis of a case study.

Double Concert in F Major by Antonio Soler

: In his vast creation, Soler mirrors a complex and visionary thinking. The work we are analyzing is the 4th Solerian concert, which imagines a majestic picture. It is one of the six concerts for two bound organs destined for the infant of Spain, their festive character not being accidental. From the very beginning, Soler guides in finding the right tempo to create the royal atmosphere. It should be noted that this concert is the only one of the six with an anacrusis profile. In part 2, Soler greets us with Minué, the refinement and gallant style of the beloved dance developing during 4 variations. As a whole, this concert is a real jewel of instrumental complexity in a balanced construction of expressive richness. Noble, singable and virtuoso, Soler's complex language capitalizes on the three facets of the artist who brings them on stage: the expressive performer, the virtuoso instrumentalist and the inquisitive musician.

In Search of the Cognitively Complex Person: Is There a Meaningful Trait Component of Cognitive Complexity?

Researchers have long assumed that complex thinking is determined by both situational factors and stable, trait-based differences. However, although situational influences on complexity have been discussed at length in the literature, there is still no comprehensive integration of evidence regarding the theorized trait component of cognitive complexity. To fill this gap, we evaluate the degree that cognitive complexity is attributable to trait variance. Specifically, we review two domains of evidence pertaining to (a) the generalizability of individuals’ complex thinking across domains and the temporal stability of individuals’ complex thinking and (b) the relationship of complex thinking with conceptually related traits. Cumulatively, the literature suggests that persons’ cognitive complexity at any point in time results partially from a stable and generalizable trait component that accounts for a small-to-moderate amount of variance. It further suggests that cognitively complex persons are characterized by chronic trait-based differences in motivation and ability to think complexly.

Moving Beyond the Planning Fallacy: The Emergence of a New Principle of Project Behavior

The question—what explains cost overruns and benefit shortfalls—remains an important conversation in project management. Two theoretical principles, the Planning Fallacy and the Hiding Hand, shed light on project behavior, that is how projects take different and complex out-turns. The Planning Fallacy denotes the tendency for forecasts of project schedules, costs, and benefits to be unrealistically close to best-case scenarios. The Hiding Hand, however, suggests that it is not always bad to overrate benefits and underrate costs and difficulties of the proposed projects as creativity may help succeed in unforeseen ways. This article focuses on the Planning Fallacy <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">versus</i> Hiding Hand or the Planning Fallacy debate. The bone of contention is whether the Planning Fallacy trumps the Hiding Hand and thus best explains project behavior and performance. We unravel the ontological, epistemological, theoretical, and methodological assumptions behind the debate. Then, considering these contrasting assumptions and the uncertainties and complexities that surround large-scale projects, we <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">complexify</i> the debate in line with the tradition of complexity thinking. In the face of the either/or framing that prevails, we propose a balanced theoretical approach that would accommodate both the Planning Fallacy and the Hiding Hand explanations of project behavior, to understand why projects experience cost overruns and benefit shortfalls. In so doing, we lay the foundations for the emergence of a new project behavior principle— <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">The Fifth Hand</i> . We conclude with a research agenda that highlights the key methodological challenges that need to be addressed to determine the presence of the Fifth Hand.

A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Learning Disabilities in Social Studies Classrooms

Progressing through schools may be challenging for some students, especially those with learning disabilities (LD). In social studies, for example, students grapple with increasingly complex texts, independent work, direct instruction, critical thinking, analysis, and other learning demands. As students transition from elementary schools where generalist educators have strong literacy experience but typically poor social studies content knowledge to the secondary level where teachers are content specialists who may lack literacy pedagogical knowledge, learners may experience difficulty adjusting to expectations for independent learning and reading of expository textbooks, which is particularly difficult for students with LD. There is a continuing need to identify strategies to help struggling learners in the content area. The growing move to place students with LD in general education social studies classes warrants a closer look at learners’ experiences and teachers’ ability to meet their students’ needs. Evidence indicates that students with LD can achieve success through use of appropriate strategies; but social studies teachers do not feel equipped to successfully aid struggling learners. This study provides a systematic review of the literature to explore best practices for teaching students with LD in K-12 social studies classrooms.

Cognitive Processes and the Impact of Stress upon Doctoral Students: Practical Applications for Doctoral Programs

Doctoral-level graduate training is, by definition, very demanding from a cognitive perspective. As graduate students adjust to the significant academic demands of doctoral education, they are often in a period of financial, personal, and relational flux or challenge. In addition to what are likely more obvious social and emotional effects, cognitive performance may be impacted by these stressors and negatively impact doctoral training. In terms of cognitive functioning, these stressors most clearly affect working memory—the limited capacity to hold and engage units of information or concepts in one’s active thought. This foundational functional capacity is utilized in complex thought, problem solving, and learning/memory. Under stress, working memory might be over-utilized and then may become degraded during these times of distress, negatively impacting performance in the doctoral program. In these instances of stress, the limited capacity of working memory becomes allocated to the stressors rather than to the complex and high-level thinking of doctoral training and education. Graduate program directors must therefore consider not only how best to mitigate the risks of psychological and social difficulties related to these stressors, but also work to minimize the impact of these stressors upon cognitive performance. Given the potential influence upon academic and cognitive performance in graduate studies, the impact of stressful events upon working memory and the related effects upon cognition/cognitive performance and potential interventions/recommendations to enhance graduate student performance are considered.

The Category Human Condition and the Integrating Spirit in the Higher Education

The theoretical basis for this article is the category human condition and complex thinking. This category was created by the German author H. Arendt, with her highlights that the human being is a human being as a result of everything with which he relates. The great value of this category is that it leads us to think that in order to properly understand the human being, it is necessary to perceive it in its entirety. This category corresponds to the inclusive spirit that is increasingly important in the world of the 21st century. Technological scientific development and some theories, such as complex thinking, show that it is necessary to take into account the spirit of integration in society and also in higher education. If the category "human condition" is used in higher education, it can be promoted that the human being is conceived with an integrating spirit and that fractionation is avoided. The objective of this article is to argue, through the category of human condition and the integrating spirit of complex thought, the existence in higher education of manifestations of thought that fragments and reduces, which it is necessary to face. This study was developed through the documentary methodology, given by the critical study of texts and the analysis of written information, as well as from the methodological perspective of complex thinking, specifically regarding the careful attention to integration and opposition to reductionism and disjunction. Methods used: analysis, synthesis, logical history, as well as conjugation of the universal and the particular. Results: the value of the human condition category is argued to display the integrating spirit in higher education; the value of the integrating spirit is highlighted to face the overvaluation of professional qualities and rational capacity in higher education. Conclusions: current social conditions demand that the integrating spirit be deployed; the category human condition is essentially integrative; the use in higher education of the category human condition facilitates the deployment of the integrating spirit; In higher education, the integrating spirit is a valuable force to confront the fractional thinking that manifests itself in the overvaluation of work qualities and rational capacity.

Феномен сложностности и квантовая семиотика

The article is devoted to the discussion of some characteristic features of the “complexity paradigm” (Moraine). It is emphasized that thinking in complexity needs an adequate conceptual optics, methodological support, which can be rep­resented by a conceptual assemblage – a heterogeneous perceptual and com­municative network of concepts of quantum mechanics and Peirce semiotics, considered ontogenetically in terms of processality, temporality, becoming. The situation with thinking in complexity is such that this optics should arise as a certain set of cognitive operations as a certain topologically connected set of semiotically meaningful operations in the very process of realizing a cognitive situation as becoming specifically complex. And this awareness is a key prereq­uisite for the emergence of that epistemological situation, which we call “meet­ing with complexity”. Or, more precisely, thinking together with complexity. It is emphasized that the encounter with complexity itself implies the presence of a kind of sensitivity, an intuitive predisposition to its conscious recognition as such. We need such a conceptual character as the “observer of complexity”, un­derstood in the unity of the multiplicity of cybersemiotic, synergetic and quan­tum mechanical perspectives. A character who traces his ancestry from the quan­tum-relativistic physics of the twentieth century and the procedural philosophy of Pierce, Bergson and Whitehead.It is emphasized that in Peirce's scheme there is a specific, context-dependent relationship between signs and objects with which they are connected through the third element, an interpreter that plays the role of a connecting link between them" And this semiotic interpreter of Peirce is, in fact, a semiotic observer-a participant in the becoming turbulent flow of temporal complexity, synergistically included in the self-organizing quantum Universe.