During the late 1950s the emphasis of learning theorists shifted from the transmissive, traditional model of teaching to one in which pupils play a far more significant role through active, experiential, social learning, and with that gaining an insight into pupil perceptions of their learning became increasingly important. The initial focus seemed to be through attitudinal studies which explored pupils’ feelings about their schools and schooling (Blatchford 1996, MacBeath & Weir 1991, Woods 1990) or on the teacher or teaching (Gipps & Tunstall 1998, Wragg 1993), yet we see few studies addressed what pupils understand about their own learning until the new millennium.
As Fielding and Bragg (2003) discovered, pupils have different views from adults about what is important in learning and teachers may also have been of the opinion that pupils lack the maturity to articulate salient features about the learning process. However as McCallum et al (2000) found in their pilot study, pupils as young as those in Year 6 and even Year 2, with appropriate scaffolding, are capable of providing views. In the two major studies referred to in Section 1.5 Learning to Learn in Schools Project (Higgins et al, 2007) and the Learning How To Learn project (Black et al, 2006), both found that pupils across a spectrum of age ranges are more than capable of discussing issues around their learning. Much of what emerged surrounded the learning process - what they were doing whilst learning, or the context - the environment and teaching activities, learning dispositions - personal qualities which affect learning (Wall and Hall, 2008) and metacognition - how pupils perceive their own thinking. The two studies used different approaches to gather data. Black et al (ibid) acknowledged the anticipated difficulties of finding appropriate language for younger pupils and limiting the number of questions in their questionnaires to the pupils' attention spans, but also found great inconsistency across responses and over time. Higgins et al (ibid) also used questionnaires, but interviews mediated through the use of visual 'Pupil Views' templates helped to ameliorate some of the issues Black et al found. Additionally, Wall (2008) found that the use of the templates enabled pupils' metacognitive skills to be more effectively revealed.
In a separate study, McCallum et al (2000) also used a semiotic tool to facilitate an interview approach. The 'Four Cards Activity' asks pupils to discuss the learning situations presented textually and visually on four cards. The findings here also revealed pupils' responses could be categorised into 'learner conditions' - similar to pupil dispositions, 'classroom conditions' - similar to context and 'learning strategies' - similar to learning processes. Once again, even though these were primary school pupils, the findings suggest that they were capable of metacognitive processes. It is difficult however to say to what extent, the Cards guided the pupils' responses.
From these studies then we can see that pupils are capable of reflecting on their learning, yet in each case there has been an overarching theme or set of guiding principles arising from the project the study was to inform or in the methodological approach. Is it possible then for pupils to be similarly reflective, but without such an ordered, guiding framework?