Applying threshold concepts theory to an unsettled field: an exploratory study in criminal justice education

Wimshurst, Kerry John

doi:10.1080/03075070903556063

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Like many other fuzzy concepts with which many students struggle, teaching global sustainability lends itself to pedagogical examination within the scholarship of threshold concepts and disciplinary bottlenecks (Fouberg, 2013;Mayer & Land, 2003;Morgan, 2012;Wimshurst, 2011), with one important caveat: that it is, of course, an interdisciplinary concept. This fact also contributes to challenges in instilling a complete and thorough understanding of this multidimensional concept among students.…”

Section: Relevant Pedagogical Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability: Teaching an Interdisciplinary Threshold Concept through Traditional Lecture and Active Learning

Levintova

Mueller

2015

cjsotl-rcacea

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One of the difficulties in teaching global sustainability in the introductory political science classes is the different emphases placed on this concept and the absence of the consensus on where the overall balance between environmental protection, economic development, and social justice should reside. Like many fuzzy concepts with which students struggle, teaching sustainability lends itself to pedagogical examination within the scholarship of threshold concepts. This article investigates students' understanding of sustainability in the seven semesters when the concept of sustainability was introduced via role-playing simulation and compares it with the similar data from a more recent semester when simulation was supplemented with traditional lecture and classroom exercises. Ultimately, our research question is twofold: (1) How do students define a multifaceted concept like global sustainability and (2) what is the better way to teach it -active learning only or active learning in combination with traditional instruction?Certaines des difficultés rencontrées quand on enseigne la durabilité mondiale dans des cours de base de sciences politiques sont les divers accents mis sur ces concepts et l'absence de consensus sur la question de savoir où devrait se situer l'équilibre général entre la protection de l'environnement, le développement économique et la justice sociale. Tout comme c'est le cas avec de nombreux concepts flous qui donnent des difficultés aux étudiants, l'enseignement de la durabilité se prête à un examen pédagogique au sein de la recherche sur les concepts de seuil. Cet article se penche sur la manière dont les étudiants ont compris la durabilité pendant les sept semestres au cours desquels le concept de durabilité a été présenté par le biais de simulation de jeux de rôles et il la compare aux données semblables recueillies lors d'un semestre plus récent au cours duquel la simulation a été supplémentée par des cours magistraux traditionnels et des exercices de classe. En fin de compte, notre question de recherche est double : 1) Comment les étudiants définissent-ils un concept qui présente de nombreuses facettes tel que la durabilité mondiale, et 2) Quelle est la meilleure manière de l'enseigner -exclusivement par un apprentissage actif ou par le biais d'un apprentissage actif combiné à une instruction traditionnelle? Keywords active learning, mixed pedagogy, global sustainability, general education, threshold concepts, academic bottlenecks Cover Page FootnoteThe research for this article was funded in part by Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program (WTFS). The authors are grateful for the insightful comments on the earlier drafts of this manuscript provided by several participants in the 2012-2013 WTFS program, especially Cyndi Kernahan. We would also like to acknowledge Mark Davis for his helpful literature suggestions for this article.This research paper/rapport de recherche is available in The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning:https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/c...

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Section: Relevant Pedagogical Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability: Teaching an Interdisciplinary Threshold Concept through Traditional Lecture and Active Learning

Levintova

Mueller

2015

cjsotl-rcacea

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“…Attempts to professionalize the criminal justice field as well as an increased number of degree programs during the twentieth century in the USA contributed to the "rise of the criminal justice degree" (Birzer & Palmiotto, 2002), but criminology and criminal justice did not always constitute the same programs. Until the 1990s, criminology and criminal justice diverged and were frequently taught by different professors or found in separate academic departments (Wimshurst, 2011). Currently, there is an overlap between criminology and criminal justice degrees in most colleges and universities.…”

Section: Emergence Of the Criminal Justice Degreementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although policing is not the only career option for a criminal justice major, police are significant actors in the criminal justice system and, as such, a push to professionalize policing can be seen as a push to professionalize the entire field. The recommendations and encouragement for criminal justice degrees stemmed from a belief that higher education would increase competency, professionalism, and overall performance of criminal justice actors (Wimshurst, 2011). An increase in professionalism and the presence of criminal CRIMINAL JUSTICE CAREERS 479 justice in the academic and scholarly realm can also be seen in the emergence of prominent academic journals.…”

Section: Emergence Of the Criminal Justice Degreementioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpected Pathways: Criminal Justice Career Options in the Private Sector

Tripp

Cobkit

2013

Journal of Criminal Justice Education

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“…This was a culture of significant size… (Finnane, 2012, pp. 169–170)Nevertheless, as Wimshurst (2011) has noted, criminology remains a relatively new discipline. In fact, it was only in 2006 that ‘criminology and criminal justice’ was recognised by the United States National Research Council as an ‘emerging discipline’ (see Maddan & Hartley, 2011, for a discussion).…”

Section: Introduction*mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, it was only in 2006 that ‘criminology and criminal justice’ was recognised by the United States National Research Council as an ‘emerging discipline’ (see Maddan & Hartley, 2011, for a discussion). While in Australia, most criminology and criminal justice degrees did not emerge until the 1990s, in recent years we have witnessed a substantial growth in the number of courses offered within the broad criminology/criminal justice/justice sphere, especially at the ‘newer’ universities (Wimshurst, 2011; Wortley & Wimshurst, 2000). As Wimshurst (2011, p. 301) has argued, however, the ‘curriculum and parameters’ of criminology and criminal justice degrees ‘remain unsettled’.…”

Section: Introduction*mentioning

confidence: 99%

Degrees of difference? A preliminary study of criminology degrees at Australian universities

Bartels

McGovern

Richards

2014

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology

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While the discipline of 'criminology' has existed within Australian universities for more than half a century, the introduction of discrete 'criminology' and justice programmes is much more recent. Little is known, however, about the current state of play when it comes to what a degree in 'criminology' actually entails. With growing student enrolments in such programmes, reflecting on the status of these programmes is important in the context of student and employer requirements and expectations. Drawing on the findings of a preliminary study, this paper will explore what it means to study for an undergraduate degree in 'criminology' in Australia. Specifically, we will focus on the content, availability and range of 'criminology' and justice degrees available in Australia, in order to gain a better understanding of the convergences and divergences across degree programmes, and make some recommendations for future research.

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Applying threshold concepts theory to an unsettled field: an exploratory study in criminal justice education

Cited by 17 publications

References 11 publications

Sustainability: Teaching an Interdisciplinary Threshold Concept through Traditional Lecture and Active Learning

Sustainability: Teaching an Interdisciplinary Threshold Concept through Traditional Lecture and Active Learning

Unexpected Pathways: Criminal Justice Career Options in the Private Sector

Degrees of difference? A preliminary study of criminology degrees at Australian universities

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