Content Writer - Ratan Ravichandran
Content Editor - Dinili Gunewardana
Content Illustrators - Meagan Cassandra & Elsa Aziz
Science's most complicated entity is regarded widely as the self. People have such a diverse spectrum of attributes that it's challenging to comprehend what is occurring within them. However, the Self-concept theory provides a reasonable basis for acknowledging the significance and relevance of our conceptions of ourselves. An individual can have many views of themselves; someone who is friendly, tolerant, compassionate and supportive may erroneously assume that they are unkind, arrogant, and unyielding. Regardless of how many distinct views people have, only one perspective enables these findings, culminating in a unified, coherent self-concept. People are more prone to avoid altering their beliefs if they think that something is in line with their self-concept; they tend to hold on to their current self-perception for an extended period. However, although it may take a long time to modify it, it is possible. This is regarded universally as the Possible Selves Theory.
As a pioneer and a learner, you must have the capacity to assess and synthesize material to draw logical inferences. As students are recognized to enhance their reasoning competency, they advance via three separate cycles (pre-reflective judgment, quasi-reflective judgment, and reflective thinking) (Love & Guthrie, 1999).
Stages 1, 2, and 3 of pre-reflective, students believe that their information is factually accurate and particular. This set of students gain expertise through their elders or their own views and experiences. According to them, a definite solution may be found by employing the correct facts and data.
Students at the quasi-reflective levels (stages 4 and 5) can detect uncertainty components and regard specific scenarios as really demanding. They are unable to understand ill-structured issues and would declare that it is impossible to resolve such situations. Aside from that, they believe that expertise is utterly arbitrary to them. Even though they acknowledge that facts must be used as a foundation for judgment, they only use data in an unorthodox and unique way. It is difficult for students at this level to discern whether they are making statements or supporting viewpoints.
In contrast, students at the reflective judgment level (Stages 6 and 7) are skilled enough to articulate plausible ideas. Still, they are never sure if their thoughts on inadequate problems are correct or not. As much as these students recognize their inability to comprehend, they believe that integrating data and qualified opinions may lead to an intelligent conclusion. In addition, students at this level recognize their position as willing members in developing their awareness of humanity and the world around them. They understand that information must be interpreted within the context of its generation.
Enter; The Possible Selves theory. According to Markus and Nurius (1986), A person's various personalities are part of a broader idea of oneself. Mentally developed prospective variations of a person's beliefs, aspirations, dreams, objectives, and emotions are defined as possible selves (Markus and Nurius 1986). It is a representation of what a person aspires to be. Although the previous self might impact hypothetical future selves, Markus and Nurius (1986) point out that these selves can be viewed as future-oriented schemas of self. This theory also has academic applications.
Students who do not hold high regard for academics fall into the pre-reflective category. When a student is at this stage, they believe in what they can perceive and turn a blind eye to inquiry and the pursuit for solutions. In most cases, these students come from a background where esteemed mentors and role models in school are scarce. Because of this, they seek a job but do not want to go through the educational procedure to achieve it. Although such a student may have difficulty developing reflective judgment, they can do so with the proper support. It would be beneficial to guide them through the process of identifying his potential as a learner. Individuals can best uncover their potential selves by studying themselves and discovering facts other than what they can see and hear. The student is likely to come across contradictory facts in his investigation, which they can deny. Thereafter he is forced to look elsewhere for answers, which causes him to move from pre-reflective to quasi-critical mode.
To progress from quasi-reflective to reflective judgment, a student must be prompted to reason their views when presenting justifications. To urge students to explore new techniques to validate their views and overcome these dissonances at the quasi-reflective level, one must encourage them to pursue new strategies to justify and resolve their perceptions. Knowledge becomes situational as a student connects facts and arguments with perceptions (Love & Guthrie, 1999). Lastly, a student should be taught to analyze information and draw inferences that they can use in various situations since this encourages reflective thinking and critical thinking in the classroom.
To conclude, A student who disregards schooling must be helped to alter his mind by combining the reflective judgment model with the idea of potential selves. The pre-reflective degree of judgment applies to such a person. For example, one method to help the learner go to higher levels of reflective judgment would be to guide them in finding their possible selves. Through personal thought and investigation, a learner might uncover their possible self.
References:
1) Understanding and applying cognitive development theory- Love & Guthrie
2) Possible selves and adult learning: Perspectives and potential- Rossiter
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