Abstract:

The aim of my PhD project is to find out, how learning with technology in ICT at secondary level can be enhanced for a significant, persistent learning. With the person-centered approach as pedagogical baseline blended with technology it is aimed to investigate the impact on cognitive performance as well as interpersonal relationships and behavior of the students. The well known American Psychologist Carl R. Rogers (1902-1987) introduced the humanistic approach in education and it is based on the hypothesis that students who are given the freedom to explore areas based on their personal interests, and who are accompanied in their striving for solutions by a supportive, understanding facilitator not only achieve higher academic results but also grow with respect to their personal values, such as flexibility and self confidence. In order to make learning most effective and significant the learner should be addressed at his intellect, his social skills and his personality. The PhD rests on a solid theoretical basement of literature about person‐centered technology enhanced learning (PCeL). Furthermore a research trip to several schools in England was made in February 2010 to enhance the practical input of the self-experience as teacher. The actual research will be undertaken with qualitative and quantitative research methods and the investigations are aimed at showing the effects of PCeL in the cognitive performance, community feeling and self-initiated learning of students at secondary level. As technological part it is planned to create a repository of successful person-centered course scenarios in ICT which can be directly implemented in the VLE Moodle by using a XML structure.

Keywords:

person-centered learning, carl rogers, ict, secondary level, technology enhanced.