A Study On Cognitive Apprenticeship

Cognitive Apprenticeship, born against the background that in the late 1980s and early 1990s the paradigm of instruction has just begun to shift from being instruction-centered to learning-centered, that the research on learning has transferred from cognition to situatedness, and the thought of learning environment design has just emerged, is a learning theory, a notion on the design of learning environments and a kind of instructional model, as well as an approach to and an existence of the new paradigm of education. As is revealed by countless studies, this theory is very effective in overcoming the drawbacks of traditional schooling. Nevertheless, seldom can we find any comprehensive studies about the origin and development of the theory, and relevant studies in China are backward and abound in misunderstandings. Against this situation, this research tries to undertake an in-depth exploration of this theory in two aspects. First, in theoretical dimension, this research tries to probe into the origin and the conditions of raising the theory, its theoretical framework, basis and its latest developments. Then, in practical dimension, this research tries to explore the design of cognitive apprenticeship-based learning environments through the analysis of two American cases and an empirical study in China mainland. This research is aimed at providing a new perspective and an alternative model for the innovation of curriculum and instruction in China on the one hand, and making some contributions to the flourishing Learning Sciences research in China on the other hand.The whole dissertation covers six chapters.Chapter One traces the origin of the theory of cognitive apprenticeship. It begins with an analysis of the traits and functions of traditional craft apprenticeship, and then against the background of the two educational revolutions in human history, this chapter explores the two "surpasses" underlying the putting forward of the theory, namely the surpass of formal schooling over traditional apprenticeship and the surpass of cognitive apprenticeship over formal schooling. After that, the chapter elaborates on the conditions of and the clue to the raising of the theory, and the past and present situation on its research.Chapter Two focuses on the content of the theory. It first presents the content, theoretical basis and characteristics of the theory, and then inquires into the evolution of the theory in the past 20 years since it was first advanced. Finally this chapter makes a comparison and contrast between cognitive apprenticeship and some other forms of apprenticeship.Chapter Three put emphasis on the design of cognitive apprenticeship learning environments. It first probes into the design of "method" components of the environment. Since technology has the potential of making cognitive apprenticeship more powerful, the chapter also dwells on the design of technology-based cognitive apprenticeship learning environments. Finally, a comparison and contrast is made between the design of cognitive apprenticeship learning environment and that of open learning environments, and between cognitive apprenticeship and the design of constructive learning environments, for the purpose of highlighting the features of cognitive apprenticeship learning environments.Chapter Four is a case study, in which three typical American cases are presented and commented upon in the light of the principles of cognitive apprenticeship framework, with one focusing on the application of this theory in classroom teaching, one emphasizing students' after-class inquiry, and the third one showing the application of cognitive apprenticeship theory in non-academic fields, not only to further clarify the design of cognitive apprenticeship, but also to provide affordance for the use of cognitive apprenticeship in Chinese education.Chapter Five focuses on the empirical studies on cognitive apprenticeship in China mainland. It first reviews all the existing empirical studies in China and then picks up one of them for the analysis of the application of the principles of cognitive apprenticeship. Then, it shows the author's own research on the application of this theory in the teaching of College English reading and writing. The research reveals that cognitive apprenticeship does promote the students' motivation for learning and enhance the learning results, and can serve as an alternative of improving Chinese education..Chapter Six is a comment on cognitive apprenticeship, which analyzes the merits of this teaching model, the possible challenges it may face up to and the prospect of its use. Then, this chapter tries to present an overall understanding of this theory, and finally, an analysis of the enlightenments of this theory on Chinese curriculum, instruction and teachers' professional development.The concluding part reviews the major points put forward in this research and some possible fields of further research on cognitive apprenticeship in the future.