Meaningful learning: ideas of higher education graduates

Abstract

Meaningful learning is always one of the main aims to be reached in a teaching and learning process. A research with 40 undergraduate students of the last term of Physics and Biological Science Education was carried out. Students were asked to choose and describe a learning situation that involved a meaningful learning, which remained well known and characterized along their lives. The answers showed that the learning that they considered meaningful (that the so considered meaningful learning) was not only cognitive learning, but also attitude and skill learning, and they were basically characterized by involving active participation of each student. Meaningful learning happened at different daily time and situations, and mostly outside classes. On a second moment, when asked about these results, the students answered that to some extent teaching has been inadequate, but there are frequent and strong reasons related with the importance of a real and active participation in terms of experiencing, feeling, interacting, applying, practicing, and doing. They also mentioned their pleasure, interest, stimulation (excitement), and enjoyment in having activities outside classes as reasons for happening meaningful learning. These are ideas about meaningful learning brought by students that may be similar or not to the ones of psychologists and professors.