Situated Cognition Theory Research Articles

Combining enactivism and systemic functional linguistics: a methodology for examining (mathematics teacher educator) language

AbstractAs mathematics teacher educators (MTEs), we are motivated by the lack of research concerning the language that MTEs use in initial teacher education settings. In this paper, we turn our attention towards developing a methodological approach to studying the language-in-use during teacher education situations, with a specific focus on the language of the MTE in the form of a monologue. The methodological approach that we present draws upon two theoretical perspectives, specifically, the situated cognition theory of enactivism and the social semiotic perspective of systemic functional linguistics (SFL). To develop this methodology, we explore both of these theoretical perspectives, focussing on their respective conceptualisations of language, from which we derive a set of methodological principles and practices. A significant feature of the methodology presented in this paper, is that it takes into account the researchers’ relationships with the subject of research. Thus we propose this methodology as being of particular significance to practitioner–researchers studying the language of other practitioners within the same field (e.g. MTEs studying the language of other MTEs), as well as to the study of one’s own use of language in mathematics education settings. From our methodological perspective we explore the meaning of quality research, proposing relevant criteria. We exemplify the methodological principles and practices by analysing a transcript of a mathematics teacher education lecture for prospective primary teachers in Sweden.

It’s the vibe – Course environment and the intersection of environmental psychology and learner experience design

Overstimulated, anxious, and overwhelmed or relaxed, focused, and confident. Our environment affects the way we feel and recently the impacts of our environment on health and wellbeing have been widely publicised. We often associate mood-impacting environmental factors with our physical environments, both natural surroundings or built environments such as homes, workspaces, or classrooms. When considering learning environments through a post-digital lens, it is important to consider the impact of the design of the physical and digital learning spaces. Creating a learning environment that supports the wellbeing of learners, in addition to supporting academic success, can be difficult due to the individual needs of diverse learners and the nuances of the content being presented. However, by combining insights from environmental psychology and learner experience design (LXD), a sweet spot can be found. In this session, we will examine how these fields intersect with learning theory and how this intersection was leveraged to enhance course design through the inclusion of an LMS course template for credit bearing courses in a university. Canter and Craik (1981, p.2) defined environmental psychology as the relationship between “human experiences and actions with pertinent aspects of the socio-physical surroundings”. Aspects of the online environment as well as the physical environment that learners are in when engaging in online learning will be examined. We will look at how learners engage with components of the environment including course media, content organization, and connections with others and the alignment with learning theories such as cognitive load theory, situated cognition, and cognitive theory of multimedia learning (Brown, et al., 1989; Mayer, 2020; Schumacher, et al., 2013; Sweller, et al., 1998). According to Schmidt and Huang (2021), “LXD is a human-centric, theoretically-grounded, and socio-culturally sensitive approach to learning design, intended to propel learners towards identified learning goals, and informed by UXD methods.” It extends on principles from usability and User Experience (UX) design. This focus on the technical aspects of the learning environment considers how the learners’ interactions with the environment impacts the learning process (Schmidt & Tawfik, 2021). LXD may consist of both the learner's interaction with the learning environment and the perception of value of the elements in the learning space (Tawfik, et al., 2021). In January of 2023, the University of Canterbury implemented a course template for all credit bearing course instances in the LMS. The design of the template was informed by principles from learning theory, environmental psychology, and learner experience design. Efforts were made to decrease cognitive load, provide consistent organization of administrative information across courses, and to allow for flexibility in the presentation of subject specific content. Essential to this case is the human experience with the interactions with technology and content, as well as the role social elements play. When guided by the overlap of research-based theories and methods focused on learning, well-being, and technical interactions, courses can be designed to best support acquisition of knowledge and skills as well as to promote the wellbeing of the learners. This session aligns with the conference themes of Diverse People, Digital Partnerships, and Digital Pedagogy by supporting the work of learning designers, educators, and digital technologists. Deeper partnerships are encouraged between pedagogy and the community as well as people in distinct roles. The wellbeing of learners is supported through the advocacy of purposefully designed learning environments. The session also explores the relationship between people and technology.

Influence of mobile technology and smart classroom environment on learning engagement

To expand the application of mobile technology and smart classroom environment in education, and explore their influence on learning engagement, this paper, based on the Situated Cognition Theory, took 296 sophomores from six universities in China as the research objects and investigated the relationship between mobile technology, smart classroom environment, and learning engagement. The findings show that: (1) in the mobile technology and smart classroom environment, the frequency of learning by mobile devices in class, the frequency of learning by mobile devices after class, the duration of learning by mobile devices in class, the duration of learning by mobile devices after class, the hardware environment, software resources, and technology acceptance have positive effects on learning engagement; (2) mobile technology and smart classroom environment can better mobilize learners’ interest and initiative in learning and increase learners’ engagement in learning; (3) mobile technology and smart classroom environment can greatly improve college learners’ behavioural engagement, emotional engagement, and cognitive engagement respectively. This study helps turn the learners’ external learning needs into their internal learning motivation, thus enhancing their learning engagement.

Research on the Infiltration of Mathematical Culture in Class from the Perspective of Situated Cognition Theory

Mathematical culture contains mathematical ideas, methods, spirits, and their occurrence and evolution processes. Integrating mathematical culture into the mathematics class can develop students’ thinking and promote their comprehension of knowledge. The situated cognition theory helps students connect mathematical culture with real life. This paper analyzes the possibilities of integrating situated cognition theory with mathematical culture and explores the practical paths for such integration.

The Effects of the Culturally Tailored Narratives on COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Among Hispanics: A Randomized Online Experiment

Guided by the health belief model (HBM), cultural sensitivity approach, and the theory of situated cognition, this study compares the effects of culturally tailored narratives and generic narratives on the COVID-19 vaccine confidence among Hispanics. It also examines an array of cognitive responses (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and perceived side effects) associated with the COVID-19 vaccine confidence, and the interaction of these cognitive responses with the two narrative types of messaging. The findings suggest that Hispanics exposed to culturally tailored narratives are more confident in the COVID-19 vaccine compared to Hispanics exposed to generic narratives. The study provides support for the HBM, as the perceived benefit was positively related to vaccine confidence, and the perceived barrier was negatively associated with vaccine confidence. Finally, vaccine confidence was the strongest among Hispanics who had high perceived susceptibility and were exposed to culturally tailored narratives.

Effect evaluation of case-based learning with situated cognition theory on competence training for student nurses in pediatric surgery

ObjectiveThe case-based learning with situated cognition theory (CBL-SCT) approach focuses on teaching over learning, making it suited to student nurse education. However, it is rare in student nurse training in pediatric surgery, and some subjective evaluations of the learning effect are still affected by the assessor. This study investigated the effect of the CBL-SCT approach on improving the nursing quality/safety and comprehensive performance of student nurses, and explored a method for analyzing the reliability of subjective evaluations. MethodsThirty-six student nurses were divided into a control group and an experimental group and received seven days of orientation via conventional and CBL-SCT training, respectively. The learning effect was evaluated via examining their implementation of nursing quality criteria within the following month and their comprehensive clinical performance after six months. Among the evaluation indicators, professional skills, job competency, and professional quality were evaluated by assessors, whose scores were tested for consistency using Cronbach's alpha. ResultsAmong the 11 nursing quality criteria, the correct implementation of patient identification and communication (t = 2.257, P = 0.031), medication-checking (t = 5.444, P < 0.001), tumbles/bed-falling prevention (t = 3.609, P = 0.001), pressure injury prevention (t = 3.834, P = 0.001), catheter management (t = 3.409, P = 0.002), and nursing record writing (t = 2.911, P = 0.006) in the experimental group were all higher than in the control group. Six months after training, the experimental group was also higher in professional theory (t = 4.889, P < 0.001), professional skills (t = 2.736, P = 0.010), job competency (t = 5.166, P < 0.001), and professional quality (t = 16.809, P < 0.001). Cronbach's alpha test verified that the assessors' evaluations had good internal consistency and reliability for job competency (alpha = 0.847, 95% CI lower limit = 0.769), professional quality (alpha = 0.840, 95% CI lower limit = 0.759), and professional skills (alpha = 0.888, 95% CI lower limit = 0.822). ConclusionsThe CBL-SCT method can help student nurses quickly change their nursing role, and Cronbach's alpha test can verify the reliability of subjective evaluations, thus indirectly reflecting the training effect equitably and objectively.

Investigating the Classroom Environment With Physical Computing

To integrate digital technologies into the curriculum, teachers must support learners to use digital tools in authentic contexts. Physical computing, which involves the use of small portable electronic devices, provides an opportunity to achieve these goals. This article reports on the initial stages of a design-based research (DBR) project that will enable students to monitor and investigate their own learning spaces, with a focus on the impacts on their own well-being, and to propose solutions to any issues that they identify. The study focuses on a series of workshops, run with staff from an educational organisation, designed to explore environmental monitoring in the classroom and identify opportunities to apply the theory of situated cognition to authentic learning in context. The article reports on the first two phases of the DBR approach, defining the project focus and understanding the problem, to propose and refine a set of five design principles. The insights gained will be used in the subsequent phases of the DBR process.

Playing with tradition in communities of Swedish folk music: Negotiations of meaning in instrumental music tuition

The present article explores meaning in relation to musical learning. One starting point is the assumption that a meaningful music education is strongly related to the social domain of music-making. The aim of this article is to provide analytical tools to understand how meaning is negotiated within instrumental music tuition. Our interest lies in formal higher music education, an arena where the social dimension tends to be rather obscure, in contrast to the genre of Swedish folk music, which is our empirical context. There is a strong case for revaluing the social dimension in the study and creation of a meaningful music education. In line with this, our analytical framework draws primarily upon theories of situated cognition, situated learning, and communities of practice. In particular, our analytical focus is negotiations of meaning, which are understood as constituted by two reciprocal processes of participation and reification. Meaning negotiation can be defined as a process that is incomplete, ongoing, and open-ended. Since negotiations of meaning refer to a larger picture, they become a useful point of interest in understanding the dynamics between a single learning situation, the educational framing, and the wider musical world of the learner. We exemplify how this analytical perspective can be applied by referring to our ongoing research project, which investigates trajectories of learning within different communities of Swedish folk music. We focus on two analytical nodes that have bearing across the communities and serve as locus points for ongoing meaning negotiations: (i) the identity of spelman and (ii) the approach to notation. With these two examples, we hope to show the potential of the framework. We also present methodological considerations that come from applying the proposed analytical tools in our study. Using an ethnographic approach, we lean toward the ideas of “messy research,” musical research sensibilities, and stepwise-deductive induction. In the final section of the article, we elaborate on the educational implications that follow from a perspective that takes meaning as its point of departure.

Informed self-assessment during the transition to medical school: a longitudinal narrative study

ObjectivesTo explore how medical students’ narratives of informed self-assessment (ISA) change during their first 18 months of study.DesignThis longitudinal study used student narratives drawn from qualitative interviews and written reflections...

A Design Framework of Medical Wayfinding Signs for the Elderly: Based on the Situational Cognitive Commonness.

Older people in China have a poor understanding of hospital signage. To address this problem, in this study, we combined the theories of situated cognition and cognitive commonness in order to introduce the three main factors that affect the generation of situational cognitive commonness: composition of the situation, familiarity, and concreteness. We used these theories to construct a methodological framework for the design of geriatric hospital wayfinding signs that were based on situational cognitive commonness. The design of nine healthcare signs for Chinese national standards were used as examples in the study. First, users who were familiar with medical scenarios were asked to draw concrete cognitive conception graphics for the purposes of individual wayfinding targets from both physical and social situations. Next, we coded and grouped the generated graphics based on their situational features in order to extract groups of representative common graphics. Finally, we reorganized the common graphics and developed concrete designs, which were tested by the judgment test. The wayfinding signs designed according to the methodological framework of this study effectively improved the understanding of hospital signage among older Chinese people. This study took geriatric hospital wayfinding signs as the examples to provide a feasible theoretical basis and research reference for symbol design.

Exploring Interprofessional Learning in Collaborative Care Teams

This study focuses on interprofessional learning and education in collaborative care teams in primary health care. Using a case study methodology, the researcher collected data through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Through purposeful sampling, the study explores the experiences of five diverse health professionals (two nurses, two dietitians, one physician) working within collaborative care. A critical incident framework approach was used to identify interprofessional learning themes, which were classified as collaborative, continuous, and reflective. The study identified enablers to interprofessional learning as supportive time and space, trusting relationships, and shared values among team members. The interpretive framework of this study aligned experiential learning, situated cognition, and reflective practice learning theories to support the interprofessional learning process within collaborative practice teams. The study affirms the importance of informal interprofessional learning among health-care professionals.

An Exploration of the Contribution of Embodied, Situated Research Strategies to Cultural Ecosystem Services and Landscape Assessment Frameworks: An Environmental Empathy Case Study

Since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005, interest has increased in cultural ecosystem services (CESs) research to understand the complexity of the non-material benefits that people obtain from ecosystems. The intangible and interactive characteristics of CESs present many challenges regarding how to approach, quantify and even define CESs. In this paper, we suggest looking at CESs through the lens of embodied and situated cognition theories. We advocate that such an approach should be applied to the development stage of CES research projects, as the embodied and situated experience of the site aids the development of research questions and future interventions. We described a case study—namely, the Environmental Empathy Research Challenge, which took place during the ColLaboratoire 2020 Research Residency in the Philippines. This case shows how interactive, embodied and situated workshops, such as Embodied Empathy and Walking Maps, contributed to developing a research proposal and a novel research framework, ecological embodied cognition (EEC). EEC focuses on the concept of environmental empathy to redefine the human-environment relationship. Further, based on an example of a participatory research activity, Sensing-Playing-Moving, we examined how interventions founded upon EEC principles enhance environmental empathy.

“Yes, I know you”: the role of source familiarity in the relationship between service adaptive behavior and customer satisfaction

PurposeThis study investigates the role of source familiarity in moderating the effect of service adaptive behavior (SAB) on customer satisfaction. Applying the accessibility–diagnosticity framework and situated cognition theory as the theoretical basis, this research hypothesizes that when customers are familiar with the source that provides the service (i.e. brand familiarity for Study 1 and personal familiarity for Study 2), customer satisfaction responses to SAB would be more moderate than when customers are not familiar with the source. Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses.Design/methodology/approachTwo experiments manipulating SAB and the brand name familiarity (Study 1) and personal familiarity with the service staff (Study 2) as the source familiarity were conducted. Customer satisfaction as a function of source familiarity was measured to test the hypothesis that source familiarity moderates the relationship between SAB and customer satisfaction.FindingsCompared to unfamiliar sources, familiar sources generated a more moderate response in customer satisfaction as a function of SAB. High familiarity with the brand and service staff induced top-down, memory-based processing that overrides external stimuli as the basis of satisfaction judgment; bottom-up, stimulus-based processing relying on SAB for judgment kicked in only when the source familiarity is low.Practical implicationsFrom a practical point of view, this study indicates the importance of SAB, especially for brands with low awareness, and alludes to the comparative importance of relationship building in service delivery processes.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by validating the role of contextual factors in influencing the impact of SAB on customer satisfaction.

REACT: Rapid Evaluation Assessment of Clinical Reasoning Tool.

IntroductionClinical reasoning encompasses the process of data collection, synthesis, and interpretation to generate a working diagnosis and make management decisions. Situated cognition theory suggests that knowledge is relative to contextual factors, and clinical reasoning in urgent situations is framed by pressure of consequential, time-sensitive decision-making for diagnosis and management. These unique aspects of urgent clinical care may limit the effectiveness of traditional tools to assess, teach, and remediate clinical reasoning.MethodsUsing two validated frameworks, a multidisciplinary group of clinicians trained to remediate clinical reasoning and with experience in urgent clinical care encounters designed the novel Rapid Evaluation Assessment of Clinical Reasoning Tool (REACT). REACT is a behaviorally anchored assessment tool scoring five domains used to provide formative feedback to learners evaluating patients during urgent clinical situations. A pilot study was performed to assess fourth-year medical students during simulated urgent clinical scenarios. Learners were scored using REACT by a separate, multidisciplinary group of clinician educators with no additional training in the clinical reasoning process. REACT scores were analyzed for internal consistency across raters and observations.ResultsOverall internal consistency for the 41 patient simulations as measured by Cronbach’s alpha was 0.86. A weighted kappa statistic was used to assess the overall score inter-rater reliability. Moderate reliability was observed at 0.56.DiscussionTo our knowledge, REACT is the first tool designed specifically for formative assessment of a learner’s clinical reasoning performance during simulated urgent clinical situations. With evidence of reliability and content validity, this tool guides feedback to learners during high-risk urgent clinical scenarios, with the goal of reducing diagnostic and management errors to limit patient harm.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-022-07513-5.

When festitivity meets heritage site: co-developed experience through the lens of situated cognition

ABSTRACT This inquiry articulates the co-development phenomenon in which improvisation of tourism products is created from multiple suppliers across different domains. Drawing on the S-O-R model and situated cognition theory, a framework was proposed and tested through multilevel analysis with empirical evidence taken from an array of shows held within a festival at various heritage sites. Findings demonstrate a cross-level moderated mediated chain of relationship leading from co-developed festivalscape to an array of event and site outcomes through the mediation of co-developed experience. This research extends the stimulus-organism-response mechanism to conjecture the situated S-O-R model based on the situated cognition thesis.

Global Pandemic Prevention Continual Learning—Taking Online Learning as an Example: The Relevance of Self-Regulation, Mind-Unwandered, and Online Learning Ineffectiveness

Since the global COVID-19 pandemic began, online learning has gained increasing importance as learners are socially isolated by physical and psychological threats, and have to face the epidemic and take preventive measures to ensure non-stop learning. Based on socially situated cognition theory, this study focused on exploring the relevance of online learning ineffectiveness (OLI) predicted by self-regulated learning (SRL) in different phases of learning (preparation, performance, and self-reflection) and its interaction with mind-unwandered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The subjects of the study were senior general high and technical high school students. After completing the online questionnaire, the PLS-SEM method of the structural equation model was used to analyze the data. Results demonstrated that self-regulation in two phases of preparation (i.e., cognitive strategy and emotional adjustment) and performance (i.e., mission strategy and environmental adjustment) in SRL are positively related to mind-unwandered in online learning. Moreover, mind-unwandered in online learning was positively related to the self-reflection phase (i.e., time management and help-seeking) of SRL. Additionally, self-reflection of SRL was negatively related to online learning ineffectiveness. PLS assessments found that the preparation and performance sub-constructs of SRL were negatively related to online learning ineffectiveness mediated by mind-unwandered and self-reflection of SRL. The results suggest that teachers can enhance their students’ self-regulation in online learning, and assist them in being more mind-unwandered in online learning.

Customer engagement in the context of retail mobile apps: A contingency model integrating spatial presence experience and its drivers

This study develops and investigates the mechanisms through which retail mobile-app cognitions—i.e., interactivity and vividness—are translated into spatial presence experience and subsequently result in customer engagement under the parasol of the hierarchy-of-effects model and the situated cognition theory. The contingency roles of need for cognition and domain-specific interest as individual intrinsic tendencies and issue-specific motivations, respectively, are also scrutinized. A dataset obtained from a survey of 558 customers is employed to estimate the proposed research model. The results indicate that interactivity and vividness significantly stimulate the spatial presence experience, i.e., feelings of “being there” in the mobile-app environment; in turn, this drives customers to become more engaged and contribute to retailers that provide such experiences. The moderating roles of the two motivations are also identified.

Learning effectiveness of 3D virtual reality in hospitality training: a situated cognitive perspective

虚拟现实在酒店培训中的学习效果：一项以情境认知为视角的研究研究目的培训是内部营销的关键维度之一。 虚拟现实 (VR), 一种复制某种环境（真实的或想象的）并模拟在该环境中实质性存在的用户的计算机技术并且允许用户交互, 从培训的角度来看提供独特的机会, 例如允许用户在没有培训的情况下提高他们的技能避免承担损失真实客户的后果或需要实际身处真实环境中。 本研究的重点是比较 VR 酒店培训与现实世界的招待培训的效果。研究设计/方法/途径本研究采用情境认知理论对情境变量（社交互动、位置和任务）的认识对学习和比较 VR 和现实世界实验环境中的旅游培训之间的学习成果进行实证检验。研究发现结果表明, 位置和任务意识增强了认知吸收, 但社会意识不影响认知吸收。 在现实世界和 VR 环境中的训练之间没有显着差异。 最后, 认知吸收对心理模式改变（学习结果）有显著积极作用。研究原创性/价值该结果通过在酒店培训中应用情境认知理论促进了对学习情境重要性的理论理解, 并对旨在成本、地点和时间限制内实现严谨和高效的培训具有重要意义。

Effect Evaluation of Case-Based Learning with Situated Cognition Theory on Student Nurse Training in Pediatric Surgery

Effect Evaluation of Case-Based Learning with Situated Cognition Theory on Student Nurse Training in Pediatric Surgery

Tangibility of representations in engineering courses and the workplace

AbstractBackgroundSituated cognition theory suggests that representations of concepts are products of the environment wherein we learn and apply concepts. This research builds on situated cognition by investigating how concepts are tangible to a professional engineering environment.Purpose/HypothesisThe tangibility of concepts in relation to social and material contexts was defined and explored in this study. Specifically, the conceptual representations of structural loads were examined within workplace and academic environments.Design/MethodA researcher conducted ethnographic fieldwork at a private engineering firm and in undergraduate engineering courses. Data sources from this fieldwork included the ethnographer's participant‐observation field notes, formal and informal interviews, and artifact documentation.ResultsFindings from this study described how academic representations of structural loads are more or less tangible to the social and material contexts of engineering practice. Representations documented in the workplace were found to be tangible to (1) real‐world conditions, (2) project/stakeholder constraints, and (3) engineering tools. Conversely, representations documented in the courses studied exhibited various degrees of tangibility to none, some, or all of these three traits.ConclusionsThese findings explicitly identify the ways in which representations of structural loads differ across academic and workplace environments and how these differences may contribute to the education–practice gap. Specific suggestions for making academic representations more tangible to workplace environments are provided based on findings from in the workplace, previous engineering education literature, and best practices observed in the courses studied. Future research considerations and the value of ethnographic methodology to situated cognition theory are also discussed.