Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Authentic Learning and Technology Education

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Technology Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

  • 294 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter introduces and provides a definition of the term “authentic learning.” It also presents the theory of authentic learning, a theory that has evolved from substantial research conducted in technology education classrooms. Literature on authentic learning from various viewpoints is discussed within each factor of the theory, as is discussion for applicability in technology classrooms. The chapter concludes with implications of authentic learning for technology education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, J. R., Reder, L. M., & Simon, H. A. (1996). Situated learning and education. Educational Researcher, 25(4), 5–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anstey, L. M. (2016). Student experiences in undergraduate anatomy: An exploration of inquiry learning as an authentic experience (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from QSpace at Queen’s University; 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1974/14125

  • Beane, J. A., & Lipka, R. P. (1984). Self-concept, self-esteem, and the curriculum. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergeron, B. S., & Rudenga, E. A. (1996). Seeking authenticity: What is “real” about thematic literacy instruction? The Reading Teacher, 544–551. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20201662

  • Brown, D., & Thomson, T. (2000). Cooperative learning in New Zealand schools. Palmerton North: Dunmore Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisner, E., & Vallance, E. (1974). Five conceptions of the curriculum: Their roots and implications for curriculum planning. In E. Eisner & E. Vallance (Eds.), Conflicting conceptions of curriculum (pp. 1–18). Berkeley: McCutchan Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, V. (in progress). Are students’ learning experiences authentic in active learning classrooms? (Doctoral dissertation). Queen’s University, Kingston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A. (1998). Embodied, situated, and distributed cognition. In W. Bechtel & G. Graham (Eds.), A companion to cognitive science (pp. 506–517). Malden: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, A., Brown, J. S., & Newman, S. E. (1987). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the craft of reading, writing, and mathematics. Champaign: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6), 627–668.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1916). Education and democracy. New York: Macmillan Press Limited. Retrieved from http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper2/dewey/ch11.html

  • Dewey, J. (1938). Education and experience. New York: Touchstone. Retrieved from http://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/ndemers/colloquium/experienceducationdewey.pdf

  • Dreyfus, H. L. (1995). Cognitivism abandoned. In P. Baumgartner & S. Payr (Eds.), Speaking minds: Interviews with twenty eminent cognitive scientists (pp. 70–83). Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Driver, R. (1983). The pupil as scientist. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, S. (1994). Integration of the cognitive and the psychodynamic unconscious. American Psychologist, 49, 709–724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, H. (2003, April). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (1986). Cognitive-developmental processes in the integration of concepts about emotions and the self. Social Cognition, 4, 119–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hennessy, S. (1993). Situated cognition and cognition apprenticeship: Implications for classroom learning. Studies in Science Education, 22, 1–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrington, A., & Herrington, J. (2005). What is authentic learning? In A. Herrington & J. Herrington (Eds.), Authentic learning environments in higher education (pp. 1–13). Hershey: Information Science Pub.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 23–48. doi:10.1007/BF02319856.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrington, J., Parker, J., & Boase-Jelinek, D. (2014a) Connected authentic learning: Reflection and intentional learning. Australian Journal of Education, 58(1), 23–35. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004944113517830

  • Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., & Oliver, R. (2014b). Authentic learning environments. In J. M. Spector et al. (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 401–412). New York: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3185-5_32.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M. (1997). Reconstructionism in technology education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 17, 121–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M. (1998). Problem solving in real-life contexts: Alternatives for design in technology education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 8(3), 203–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M. (1999). Community-based projects in technology education: An approach to relevant learning. In W. E. Theuerkauf & M. J. Dyrenfurth (Eds.), International perspectives on technology education: Outcomes and futures (pp. 258–298). Braunschweig: Ames.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M. (2004). Secondary school, university, and business/industry cooperation yields benefits to technological education students. Journal of Technology Studies, 30(3), 19–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M. (2007). Motivational aspects. In M. de Vries, R. Cluster, J. Dakers, & G. Martin (Eds.), Exemplary practices in technology education (pp. 203–211). Rotterdam: SensePublishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M., & Smith, H. A. (1998). Practice meets theory in technology education: A case of authentic learning in the high school setting. Journal of Technology Education, 9(2), 29–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M. Smith H. A. (2003, June). Many paths to meaning: Research support for the study of technology in secondary school curriculum. Paper presented at the meeting of Pupils Attitudes towards Technology Annual Conference, Glasgow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M., & Smith, H. A. (2005). Research in purpose and value for the study of technology in secondary schools: A theory of authentic learning. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 15, 19–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M., Anstey, L. M., Gallinger, K., & Penn, A. (2013a, June). Authentic learning situations for secondary students with developmental disabilities. Paper session presented at the meeting of Society for Disabilities Studies Conference, 26th Annual Meeting Orlando.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. M., Anstey, L. M., Gallinger, K., & Penn, A. (2013b). Curriculum possibilities: Enabling students with “developmental disabilities”. Proceedings of the European Conference on Curriculum Studies. Future Directions: Uncertainty and Possibility (pp. 724–729). Braga: University of Minho. Available from: http://webs.ie.uminho.pt/euroacs/

  • Hutchins, E. (1995). Cognition in the wild. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. (1987). The body in the bind: The bodily basis of meaning, imagination, and reason. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirlik, A. (1998). Everyday life environments. In W. Bechtel & G. Graham (Eds.), A companion to cognitive science (pp. 702–712). Malden: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreber, C., Klampfleitner, M., McCune, V., Bayne, S., & Knottenbelt, M. (2007). What do you mean by “authentic”? A comparative review of the literature on conceptions of authenticity in teaching. Adult Education Quarterly, American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, 58(1), 22–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in practice: Mind, mathematics and culture in everyday life. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lave, J., & Wegner, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, T., Petrina, S., & Hill, A. M. (1998). Problem posing – Adding a creative increment to technological problem solving. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 36(1), 6–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNeil, J. D. (2006). Contemporary curriculum in thought and action (6th ed.). Hoboken: Wiley Jossey-Bass Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newmann, F. M., & Archbald, D. (1992). The nature of authentic academic achievement. In H. Berlak, F. M. Newmann, E. Adams, D. A. Archbald, T. Burgess, J. Raven, & T. A. Romberg (Eds.), Toward a new science of educational testing and assessment (pp. 71–84). Albany: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newmann, F. M., & Wehlage, G. G. (1993). Five standards of authentic instruction. Educational Leadership, 50(7), 8–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newmann, F. M., Bruce, M. B., & Carmichael, D. L. (2007). Authentic instruction and assessment: common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching academic subjects. Report for the Iowa Department of Education. Retrieved from http://centerforaiw.com/sites/centerforaiw.com/files/Authentic-Instruction-Assessment-BlueBook.pdf

  • Peirce, C. S. (1992). In N. Houser & C. Kloesel (Eds.), The essential Peirce: Selected philosophical writings (Vol. 1). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peirce, C. S. (1998). In Peirce Edition Project (Ed.), The essential Peirce: Selected philosophical writings (Vol. 2). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pintrich, P. R., & Schunk, D. H. (2002). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall International. This is the 2nd edition of the book.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rambush, J., & Ziemke, T. (2005, July). The role of embodiment in situated learning. Paper presented at the XXVII Annual Conference of the Cognitive Sciences, Stresa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renzulli, J., Gentry, M., & Reis, S. (2004). A time and place for authentic learning. Educational Leadership, 62(1), 73–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rule, A. C. (2006). Editorial: The components of authentic learning. Journal of Authentic Learning, 3(1), 1–10. Retrieved from https://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/handle/1951/35263

  • Ruzek, E. A., Hafen, C. A., Allen, J. P., Gregory, A., Mikami, A. Y., & Pianta, R. C. (2016). How teacher emotional support motivates students: The mediating roles of perceived peer relatedness, autonomy support, and competence. Learning and Instruction, 42, 95–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiro, M. S. (2008). Introduction to the curriculum ideologies. In M. S. Shiro (Ed.), Curriculum theory: Conflicting visions and enduring concerns (pp. 1–12). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slavkin, M. L. (2004). Authentic learning. Maryland: Scarecrow Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, H. A. (1992). Semiotics and modern schooling. In M. Balat & J. Deledalle-Rhodes (Eds.), Signs of humanity (Vol. 1, pp. 121–126). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snape, P., & Fox-Turnbull, W. (2013). Perspectives of authenticity: Implementation in technology education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 23, 51–68. doi:10.1007/s10798-011-9168-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomonides, I., & Reid, A. (2009). Understanding the relationships between student identity and engagement with studies. In H. Wozniak & S. Bartoluzzi (Eds.), The student experience. Proceedings of the 32nd HERDSA annual conference, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Splitter, L. (2009). Authenticity and constructivism in education. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 28(2), 135–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turnbull, W. (2002).The place of authenticity in technological in the New Zealand curriculum. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 12(1), 23–40. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1013056129283

    Google Scholar 

  • Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wertsch, J. V. (1991). Voices of the mind: A sociocultural approach to mediated action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wertsch, J. V. (1998). Mediated action. In W. Bechtel & G. Graham (Eds.), A companion to cognitive science (pp. 518–525). Malden: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R. W. (1959). Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological Review, 66, 297–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead, A. N. (1929). The aims of education. New York: MacMillan. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203003985

  • Wiener, N. (1993). Invention: The care and feeding of ideas. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Ann Marie Hill

Authors
  1. Ann Marie Hill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ann Marie Hill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Delft University of Technology , Delft, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

    Marc J. de Vries

Section Editor information

  1. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Wendy Fox-Turnbull

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Hill, A.M. (2016). Authentic Learning and Technology Education. In: de Vries, M. (eds) Handbook of Technology Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38889-2_36-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38889-2_36-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-38889-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-38889-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation