"Bringing Tiny and Small to Something You Can Never Imagine": A Grounded Theory Study (Poster 24)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thirteen
  In Poster Session: Learning Sciences SIG Poster Session One: Games, Embodiment, Design, and Computational Thinking

Abstract

This grounded theory study examines the social interactions among middle school students during their imaginative explorations in STEAM projects using data from four educational settings in which students produced shared creative products. Data included 82h of video records, field notes, interviews, and students’ artifacts. Findings suggest that adolescents bring their own funds of knowledge (i.e., personal experiences, scientific knowledge, embodied experiences, creativity, aesthetics) to the imaginative tasks, which affect five dimensions of imagination (spatial, temporal, emotional, reasoning, and plausibility). Regarding scientific funds of knowledge, students do not tend to negotiate their alternative perceptions, however, they negotiate aesthetics and creativity. Factors that facilitated the collaborative imagination were: 1) friendship, familiarity, common interests 2) time 3) assigning roles, 4) scaffolding, 5) embodiment.

Authors

• Maria Kolovou, University of Miami
  Presenting Author

• Ross C. Anderson, Creative Engagement Lab
  Presenting Author