Abstracts - Earli

Interest and Asperger’s Syndrome: Theoretical and practical implicationsIdit Katz, Ben-Gurion University, IsraelK. Ann Renninger, Swarthmore College, USAInterest is a significant feature of the diagnosis and lives of learners with Asperger’s Syndrome(AS). Unlike the interest of more normative populations that positively influences learningstrategies, goal setting, and attention, the interest of people with AS is typically considered aliability and is something that is difficult for teachers and families to work with. In order toexplore differences among learners with AS and those with more normative interest profiles, semistructurede-mail interviews were conducted with 10 young adults with AS and 10 young adultsnot diagnosed with AS. Although interest appears to be a central aspect of life for both groups ofparticipants, differences of structure and form in the interests of each group were identified.Theoretical and practical implications of these findings will be discussed.C 2229 August 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: 3.67 BékésySymposiumFostering agency and knowledge creation: cases from highereducationChair: Anne Edwards, University of Oxford, United KingdomChair: Marlene Scardamalia, University of Toronto, CanadaOrganiser: Hanni Muukkonen, University of Helsinki, FinlandThis symposium presents cases from higher education where the development of agency andpractices of knowledge creation are central. The symposium aims at understanding the role ofindividual and collective efforts of knowledge advancement around shared objects. The studiespresent different dimensions of agency from the theoretical perspectives of learning sciences andactivity theory, and, further, reflect on these dimensions from the point of view of educationalpractices and empirical findings. The papers address forms of agency, particularly epistemicagency, and suggest empirical operationalizations of agency. The concept of boundary-crossingemphasizes traversing institutional, professional, and disciplinary boundaries; its implications forcreating links between theory and applied work are addressed in the papers. Further, thecompetencies and metaskills for engaging in knowledge creation are examined. The symposiumcontributes to the discussion on domain-general skills and competencies relevant to studentsmoving from educational settings to professional environments. In addition, it providespedagogical examples for adopting assignments and course designs simulating professionalproblems and projects.– 177 –