UNDERSTANDING OF UNDERSTANDING - IMPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING

Summary. This study investigates sixth form students' understanding of “understanding” in the context of learning in chemistry. Thirty‐nine randomly selected students of low, average and high school achievement and their six chemistry teachers were interviewed and their classes were observed. Two orientations toward understanding, the recognition of order within the subject matter (a coherence orientation) and the ability to recall relevant information (a knowledge orientation) formed the extremes of a continuum. A coherence orientation was linked with intrinsic assessment of understanding, which occurred when students recognised understanding for themselves. A knowledge orientation was linked with extrinsic assessment, in which students used feedback from tests or the teacher. It is argued that a coherence‐intrinsic approach leads to understanding and could be taught. But an appropriate learning environment incorporating less teacher‐direction, more opportunity for student research and student‐student and student‐teacher discussion and a less competitive atmosphere would be necessary. 1991 The British Psychological Society