Future research should improve definitions, operationalizations, and causal tests of authentic learning¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 review), q2–q3 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Building on its finding that the field lacks clear definitions and operationalizations, the review draws conclusions about how future research could strengthen the evidence base for authentic learning. It states: "we draw spe- cific conclusions about how future research could improve our understanding of how to create and implement powerful methods of authentic learning." Because the contrasting-cases ENA explicitly avoided causal conclusions, the review positions its results as a basis for formulating and testing causal claims in future research.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Future studies should provide clear definitions and operationalizations of authentic learning and test causal claims that the review's descriptive analysis could not establish

Constraints¶

• The review's ENA results are explicitly not causal and serve only as a basis for future causal testing

Target Learners¶

• Researchers and designers of authentic learning settings across school, higher education, and vocational contexts

Target Learning Goals¶

• Designing authentic learning settings that produce cognitive and motivational benefits

Claims¶

• Previous research on authentic learning lacks clear definitions and operationalizations of authentic learning [+W]
• Most RSE studies in the review corpus did not define their central term [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Future RSE research should standardise terminology, fully describe pedagogy, and use rigorous evaluation

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Valentina Nachtigall, David Williamson Shaffer, Nikol Rummel. (2022). Stirring a Secret Sauce: A Literature Review on the Conditions and Effects of Authentic Learning. Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:1479–1516. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09676-3