Showing papers on "Social constructivism published in 2006"

Social software: E-learning beyond learning management systems

Abstract: The article argues that it is necessary to move e-learning beyond learning management systems and engage students in an active use of the web as a resource for their self-governed, problem-based and collaborative activities. The purpose of the article is to discuss the potential of social software to move e-learning beyond learning management systems. An approach to use of social software in support of a social constructivist approach to e-learning is presented, and it is argued that learning management systems do not support a social constructivist approach which emphasizes self-governed learning activities of students. The article suggests a limitation of the use of learning management systems to cover only administrative issues. Further, it is argued that students' self-governed learning processes are supported by providing students with personal tools and engaging them in different kinds of social networks.

Understanding the multiple realities of everyday life: Basic assumptions in focus-group methodology

Abstract: In recent years, there has been a notable growth in the use of focus groups within occupational therapy. It is important to understand what kind of knowledge focus-group methodology is meant to acquire. The purpose of this article is to create an understanding of the basic assumptions within focus-group methodology from a theory of science perspective in order to elucidate and encourage reflection on the paradigm. This will be done based on a study of contemporary literature. To further the knowledge of basic assumptions the article will focus on the following themes: the focus-group research arena, the foundation and its core components; subjects, the role of the researcher and the participants; activities, the specific tasks and procedures. Focus-group methodology can be regarded as a specific research method within qualitative methodology with its own form of methodological criteria, as well as its own research procedures. Participants construct a framework to make sense of their experiences, and in interaction with others these experiences will be modified, leading to the construction of new knowledge. The role of the group leader is to facilitate a fruitful environment for the meaning to emerge and to ensure that the understanding of the meaning emerges independently of the interpreter. Focus-group methodology thus shares, in the authors' view, some basic assumptions with social constructivism.

Exploring social constructivism: Theories and practicalities

Abstract: In the drive to improve standards, the collection and dissemination of numerical data still directs much contemporary educational policy. However, recent publications and debates seemingly attempt to reorient discussion from performance to learning. In support, constructivism is often referenced as a contributor in this endeavour. However, constructivism is not a single unified theory either of knowledge or pedagogy. This article identifies one version of constructivist thinking, social constructivism, both in terms of its underlying epistemology (theory of knowledge) and related pedagogy. Contemporary educational theories are then outlined to demonstrate that many practical solutions and theoretical ideas now presented as ‘good learning and teaching’ have much in common with social constructivist thinking. Finally, the article concludes by identifying two issues that require further discussion and debate if pedagogy of a social constructivist nature is to be considered.

Goal-Directed Behavior and Contextual Factors in the Classroom: An Innovative Approach to the Study of Multiple Goals.

Abstract: Principles of social constructivism and about communities of learners clarify that being a responsible student involves performing well on a task as well as having motivation, having volition strategies, understanding rules and regulations, and having access to a productive social support network. A hotly debated issue is what motivation processes energize student behavior in new learning environments. This article argues new learning environments bring to the fore multiple content goals, including "I want to be entertained," "I want to belong," "I want to feel safe," and "I want to be valued for who I am." This article describes 3 goal frameworks previously peripheral to educational psychology that illuminate these goals: Ford's goal taxonomy, Carver and Scheier's hierarchical goal model, and Schwartz's value system. The article identifies considerable gaps in knowledge about the nature of content goals students bring to the classroom, interrelations among goals, and the effects of environmental conditio...

Metaphors as a Bridge to Understanding Educational and Social Contexts

Abstract: Educational researchers and practitioners are frequently asking questions about how better to understand educational theory and practice. Through the years, they have employed a variety of both quantitative and qualitative methods to elucidate the world of education. In this article, the author explores the epistemological legitimacy of metaphor analysis as a viable means for qualitative educational inquiry. In so doing, he explores the concepts of the theory of abduction, educational research and social constructivism, categories of metaphors, and metaphorical analysis in educational research. In addition, a review of the literature on educational research that uses metaphor analysis as the primary methodology revealed five major themes.

Threshold Concepts: how can we recognise them?

Abstract: A threshold concept is defined by Meyer and Land (2003) as possessing the following qualities: transformative, integrative, bounded, and probably irreversible. This concept provides a promising way of interpreting the learning demand presented by subjects and Meyer and Land have begun to apply the idea in analysing learning economics. It redefines the familiar idea of a ‘powerful concept’ in a social constructivist context, providing a penetrating tool for the analysis of the development of discipline specific learning. This paper examines some difficulties to be faced in the operationalisation of the idea of ‘threshold concepts’ in economics and, in so doing, begins to identify ways in which these problems might be overcome.

Learning in the Zone: A social constructivist framework for distance education in a 3-dimensional virtual world

Abstract: Web-based technologies are the medium of choice for most universities as they move their offerings off campus and online. As we continue to move our own programs online we are challenged to consider what elements of our traditional experiences to preserve online, and which ones to modify, and to recognize the impact of the tools we use on our abilities to do so. The social constructivist conceptual framework that guides our college and the 3-dimensional virtual world we have constructed as our online campus for learning to manifest it are described. The result is a distance learning environment that is unlike traditional classroom- or web-based learning environments in important ways. A description of AET Zone is provided and the implications of using a social constructivist framework for designing and delivering an online learning environment are discussed.

What informs mentors' practice when working with trainees and newly qualified teachers? An investigation into mentors' professional knowledge base

Abstract: For over a decade, school‐based mentoring has been employed as a key strategy in initial teacher training programmes. The diversity apparent in training settings as well as trainees' backgrounds raises questions in relation to the mentoring practice and the knowledge base that underpins it. By adopting a phenomenological, social constructivist approach the study aims to investigate mentors' perceptions of the relationship between their professional practice and the knowledge that informs it. It seeks to construct a typology of mentors' professional knowledge in relation to Shulman's (1987) model of teacher knowledge and the statutory standards framework for initial teacher training and induction in England, which serves as a point of reference for all those involved in the assessment of professional competence during initial training and induction. The findings of this study suggest that in their work with trainee teachers and newly qualified teachers the majority of mentors draw on their teacher knowledg...

Elderly Immigrants in Sweden: ‘Otherness’ Under Construction

Abstract: Informed by a social constructionist approach, this article reviews and evaluates the research literature on elderly immigrants in Sweden, shedding light on how a specific category is created and c ...

A vision of successful schooling: Ghanaian teachers’ understandings of learning, teaching and assessment

Abstract: This article reports on an empirical study exploring Ghanaian teachers' understandings of teaching, learning and assessment. It argues that received views of poorly trained teachers with untheorized and badly reasoned professional practices may mask a more complex situation. In defining learning, teachers in the study reproduced models consistent with transmission or behaviouristic theories. However, when asked to describe their most successful experiences, teachers' understandings were more in accord with social constructivism. Also, their aspiration towards interactive models of classroom assessment was circumscribed by the normal context of assessment discourse and by bureaucratic requirements. The article concludes that, given the right circumstances, teachers can reflect on their experiences and produce a more sophisticated account of teaching and learning. It suggests ways in which in-service work might make use of these insights, recommending further attention to the discursive frames of teachers' professional reflections within dialogue and active engagement through school-based coaching.

The Shift to Constructivism in Social Inquiry: Some Pointers for Tourism Studies

Abstract: This paper covers the recent widening of options in human inquiry in general and in Tourism Studies in particular. It argues that, as the epochal unity of the Western worldview currently de-classifies around the world, so should the normalizations of Tourism Studies research. Comparing the strengths of postpositivist (i.e., neopositivist), critical theory, and constructivist research paradigms as identified by a host of lead social science commentators in Cuba (1990), this paper highlights the mutual exclusives of the three approaches, but notes that what is believed to be the enhanced fit of the latter (‘constructivism’ or its cousin approach ‘constructionism’) for local and highly-contextualized investigations, particularly in scenarios where multiple ‘truths’ (i.e., worldviews) contend against each other. Thus, ten broad shifts are explained which are representative of an overall turn towards constructivist/interpretivist thought and practice which many observers maintain is currently in motion within ...

Reflections on Theories of Learning

Abstract: Four philosophies of learning are contrasted, namely ‘simple’ constructivism, radical constructivism, enactivism and social constructivism. Their underlying explanatory metaphors and some of their strengths and weaknesses are contrasted, as well as their implications for teaching and research. However, it is made clear that none of these ‘implications’ is incompatible with any of the learning philosophies, even if they sit more comfortably with one of them.

Second language classroom reading: a social constructivist approach

Abstract: Social constructivist approaches to learning, based on the work of Vygotsky and others, are gaining momentum in the field of second and foreign language learning. However, social constructivist rhetoric often seems remote and even irrelevant to practicing teachers. In this paper, we will briefly explain the constructivist approach to teaching reading to students of English as a foreign language. We will show how a dialogic approach to reading empowers readers to position themselves as participants in making meaning together with the text and its authors, rather than remaining as mute outsiders to the reading process. This shift in constructing reader-roles means that our students need to take a strategic approach to their reading, and will need careful scaffolding to help them develop effective, independent reading strategies and dispositions. We will suggest ways in which such scaffolding can help transform the rhetoric of social constructivist discourse into classroom realities.

Strengthening Career Human Agency.

Abstract: Rooted in A. Bandura's (1982, 2001b) social cognitive theory, the notion of human agency has received considerable attention in vocational and career psychology for the last 2 decades, especially with the recent emergence of social constructivist thinking in the field. This article continues in the same direction. In reviewing the notion of human agency in the broad life-career context, the article illustrates and highlights the constructivist philosophy of human intention and action that constitutes the conceptual foundation of career human agency. Implications for career counseling are discussed with suggestions for using and enhancing agentic functioning in individuals' life-career development.

Managerial Culture, Workplace Culture and Situated Curricula in Organizational Learning

Abstract: Seen from a perspective of symbolic interaction and social constructivism, organizational learning is a practical accomplishment that takes place among and through other organizational members. This study sets out to explore the social construction of organizational learning by examining the responses of members to a management-imposed teaching curriculum that contradicted basic assumptions regarding professional identity. We build on the results of recent ethnographic fieldwork which has investigated the incorporation of communication skills training in an Israeli medical school. This professional socialization is examined in terms of its theoretization by the management, its implementation in the curriculum, and its interpretation by supervising physicians and medical students. These various facets of meaning and their mismatches provide a concrete example for the study of situated learning in organizations. We conclude by exploring the meaning and interplay of managerial ideology, workplace culture and...

Learning theory and its application to e-learning

Abstract: This chapter explores approaches to learning that we argue best reflect a constantly changing, dynamic environment as reflected in current thinking (Giddens, 2000; Beck, 1992; Castells, 1996). We acknowledge that there are many different schools of thought in terms of learning theories, but we would like to focus here on those we believe are most relevant and applicable to e-learning. This will include a discussion of the following: a critique of behaviourist approaches and their impact, advocacy of the application of experiential/reflective, social constructivism and socio-cultural approaches, and the argument that effective e-learning usually requires, or involves, high quality educational discourse (Ravenscroft, 2004a) combined with an experiential and reflective approach (Conole et al., 2004; Mayes and de Freitas, 2004).

What does it mean to be Irish? Children's construction of national identity1

Abstract: Ideas relating to identity and belonging are central to the public discourse around citizenship that has emerged in Ireland and internationally in recent years. One thread of that discourse relates to the role of national identity in societies that are increasingly diverse and multicultural. In view of the growing importance of citizenship education, understanding children's ideas about national identity is vital if educators are to engage children in the construction of an hospitable, critical and reflective citizenry. This research was undertaken in two phases during 2003 and 2004. Participating in the study were 119 children, drawn from a range of social contexts. Premised on a social constructivist view of children and childhood, the research drew on participative and democratic methodologies. While the study suggests the existence of an essentialist conception of Irish identity, it also demonstrates the capacity and willingness of children to engage in critical reflection on their constructions of Ir...

The Situated Materiality of Scientific Practices: Postconstructivism – a New Theoretical Perspective in Science Studies?

Abstract: For about 20 years, a rather wide range of conceptual approaches to the social study of science and technology have emerged which have occasionally been labelled “postconstructivist”. Although these conceptions differ in various respects, they have in common a twofold opposition: against traditional representationalist realism as well as “classical” social constructivism established by the “sociology of scientific knowledge” (SSK). In order to escape the pitfalls of both these views (and to overcome the familiar, yet unfruitful opposition between them), postconstructivist perspectives understand and study the sciences primarily in term of their situated material and discursive practices. The present article starts with a brief retrospect on why and how since the mid-1980s postconstructivist trends have questioned not only rationalist and realist accounts but also the conceptual foundations and background assumptions of SSK’s claim to explain sociologically the content of science. Subsequently, the central features of a postconstructivist perspective in science studies are outlined, referring to the key concepts of “knowledge”, “practice”, and “performativity”. The fruitfulness of a theoretical approach focusing on scientific practices is illustrated using the example of the increasingly important issue of scientific non-knowledge: In the same way that knowledge is not to be comprehended as simply the mental “possession” of a knower, non-knowledge is not merely the lack thereof but an (unrecognised) implication of materially and socially situated research practices. Finally, it is emphasised that postconstructivist science studies should not be misunderstood as claiming (as do realism and constructivism) to provide a meta-theoretical explanation or legitimation of science. Instead, postconstructivism should be conceived as a situated critical effort to challenge one-sided accounts of scientific knowledge and foster more self-reflective research practices.

Readers and Writers as Intertexts: Exploring the Intertextualities in Student Writing

Abstract: Margaret Meek wrote, 'If we want to see what lessons have been learned from the texts children read, we have to look for them in what they write' (1988, p. 38). She acknowledged that when writing, children will 'draw on the whole of their culture if we let them' and maintained that, 'we have to be alert to what comes from books as well as from life' (p. 38). Readers and writers are indeed 'intertexts' as other texts 'lurk' inside them shaping meanings, whether they are 'conscious of this or not' (Scholes, 1982, p. 145). In this article I examine how the writing of one Grade 5 student was influenced by the literature she read during a multifaceted study that explored elementary students' processes of reading and understanding texts with Radical Change characteristics (Dresang, 1999). The qualitative study was grounded in Radical Change theory, intertextuality and social constructivism.

Beyond social constructivism: Complexity theory and translator education

Abstract: Evidence from several translation market surveys suggests that many students of translation may not be receiving adequate training, particularly in the personal and inter-personal skills that they will need upon graduation in the rapidly changing field of language mediation. This article investigates the multi-cluster na-ture of ‘translator competence’ and its implications for a multi-facetted approach to translator education. In drawing upon recent work involving the application of com-plexity theory to educational issues, the article moves beyond neo-Vygotskian social constructivism as the key guiding principle for translator education. Complexity the-ory is used to show how a principled combination of transmissionist, transactional and transformational teaching approaches might be more effective than any one approach alone.

Complementary epistemologies of science teaching

Abstract: Within the science education community, alternative epistemologies of teaching and learning have jostled historically for supremacy. For over 20 years, science education has been a site of considerable struggle between adherents of the competing epistemologies of ‘objectivism’ and ‘constructivism’; recently, proponents of ‘personal constructivism’ and ‘social constructivism’ have locked horns. In this paper, we argue that, in the interest of creating greater equity of access amongst students to a much richer encounter with science, science teachers should consider adopting an ‘integral perspective’ on these divergent epistemologies. First, we illustrate the unhelpful antagonism that exists between proponents of these highly influential but divergent epistemologies of science teaching and learning. Next, in seeking a means of moving towards epistemological pluralism, we argue that a mode of reasoning is needed that differs from the established Cartesian binary and dualist thinking which tends to fuel a discourse of competition between theories. From the perspective of constructive postmodernism, we propose ‘dialectical complementarity’ as a potentially productive way of considering unity-in-diversity amongst opposing epistemological perspectives. Then, in an attempt to overcome the obstacle of literalism, which tends to reinforce notions of difference, metaphor is presented as a frame of reference. The centrality of metaphor to both cognition and science, and its power in supporting a multi-perspective dialogue, is established. The metaphorical bases of both constructivism and objectivism are illustrated, with special attention given to the way in which concepts of ‘understanding’ and ‘making sense’ are metaphorically structured. Finally, we illustrate the viability of adopting an integral perspective on science teaching with a brief account of a doctoral research study into the scientific literacy of a class of junior high school students. From the extensive literature on scientific literacy, a set of complementary but distinctive metaphors was developed: ‘student-as-recruit’, ‘student-as-judge’ and ‘students-as-scientists’. Each metaphor is aligned with one of the three epistemologies of teaching and learning discussed in the paper. The three-metaphor set was employed as an interpretive framework to examine the quality of students’ access to science. Over the period of a year, the student as recruit metaphor was found to prevail and to exclude students with specific learning styles. Students were also tracked through the school day into their other subjects where some of the excluded students were observed to be highly engaged learners. We conclude that the 1

A training programme based on the principles of social constructivism and focused on developing people for the future world of work : an evaluation

Abstract: Human resources development needs to take cognizance of the unique challenges that the workplace of the future is posing to individuals, so that young people can be prepared effectively for the workplace. The objective of this study was to evaluate a training programme based on the principles of social constructivism and focused on developing people for the workplace of the future. A non-equivalent groups design with pre- and post-measurement was used to evaluate the programme. The experimental group consisted of thirty-six individuals and the control group consisted of twenty individuals. The training programme contributed to a significant increase in the creativity, adaptability and self-acceptance of the experimental group (compared to that of the control group). These characteristics will be necessary to succeed in the workplace in future. The training programme thus made a valuable contribution to the development of the experimental group, preparing them for the workplace of the future.

At the limits of social constructivism: moving beyond LMS to re-integrate scholarship

Abstract: After more than a decade, the early claims that elearning would transform university teaching are yet to be realised. As elearning, with learning management systems as the centrepiece, becomes entrenched in the mainstream, there is growing demand for a solid theoretical research base to inform elearning practice. We argue that the lack of a solid research base is in part due to the inherent difficulties with cross-disciplinary research where shared terminology does not always equate to shared meaning, and in part due to the dominant applied research approach emphasising a case-based approach over research aimed at addressing specific hypotheses derived from educational theory. We use the popular social constructivist theoretical framework to illustrate a lack of theoretical rigour in elearning research. We examine traditional university teaching as portrayed through a social constructivist lens and argue that academics already adopt the ‘reflective practitioner’ model in their teaching practice. We then examine the concept of adaptive self-organising learning networks in elearning. We argue that, while a social constructivist framework may be ideal for understanding the way people learn, it is at odds not only with the implicit instructional design agenda, but also with current university elearning governance and infrastructure.

Which One is Better: Saying Student Teachers Don't Reflect or Systematically Unlocking Their Reflective Potentials: A Positive Experience from a Poor Teacher Education Faculty in Ethiopia

Abstract: This paper is informed by Deweyean pragmatism, critical pedagogy, Marxist humanism and social constructivism, all of which see teacher professional learning as a process of constructing knowledge and identity through critical interdependence. In addition to presenting the philosophical root of the reflective approach to teaching and the structure for engaging student teachers in reflective processes, I present the outcome of my own and my colleagues’ attempts to unlock the reflective potentials of student teachers at a poor teacher education faculty in Ethiopia and a theoretical/methodological framework to deal with the reflective data. I hope that teacher educators who work with student teachers in the practicum can benefit from the experience presented in the paper. The implication of the paper for teacher educators is that before they complain that student teaches are unreflective, they should set clear objectives and expectations for themselves as well as their student teachers and supply their student teachers with methods of structuring and evaluating their reflections. They also need to be careful and flexible when they employ theoretical frameworks proposed by some teacher educators to identify, structure and determine the reflective levels of what their student teachers write.

Exploring student and teacher interactions for critical thinking in face-to-face and online environments in an efl course in taiwan

Abstract: Current literature indicates a lack of exploration of factors relating to Taiwanese students' critical thinking in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The research study was a case study based on the social constructivist framework. The aim of this study was to explore how teacher and students interactions online impacted critical thinking by addressing the social norm in Confucius Heritage Culture (CHC). The characteristics of the social norm of CHC do not readily support verbalizing thoughts and challenging others face-to-face in public, which are important to the practice of critical thinking. The research was conducted in an English-major reading class at a university in Taiwan. The data collection methods included focus groups, collaborative inquiry with the teacher, and the researcher's participant observation in both face-to-face and online discussions. The findings suggested that students need teacher's cognitive, affective, pedagogical and technical support and face-to-face small group support before engaging in online interactions. Modified debates in new face-to-face models of interaction helped maximise the social constructivist approach with the teacher's shepherd facilitation. The online interaction patterns in a CHC context underwent a three-phase process, which described how CHC students externalised critical thinking within groups, inter-groups and inter-classes in online form. The study contributes to our understanding and the development of culturally suitable approaches to cognitive, affective, pedagogical and technical guidelines needed in facilitating EFL students' critical thinking in face-to-face and online interactions in the context of Taiwan.

Students' Experiences of e-learning: a Virtual Ethnography into Blended Online Learning

Abstract: This paper discusses results of research-in-progress into students’ experiences of e-learning at Edge Hill, which has derived from the researcher’s virtual ethnographic research and active participant-observation during a blended online module, which was modeled on a social constructivist learning approach. In my ethnographic analyses, two broad themes emerged, namely motivational issues pertinent to e-learning in general, and issues of identity formation in asynchronous discussions. Focusing on both aspects, this paper aims to illuminate elearning’s potential for enhanced learning among self-motivated learners and those participants who succeeded in building motivation as a result of constructing social identity.

Why we are not allowed to sell that which we are encouraged to donate.

Abstract: The overall aim of this thesis is to show how some ideas in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics can be interpreted and used as a productive way to approach a number of pressing issues in bioethics. Articles I-II introduce, and endorse, a social constructivist perspective on rights (as opposed to the more traditional natural rights idea). It is investigated if the existence of property-like rights to biological material would include the moral right to commodification and even commercialisation. Articles III-V discuss similar questions and more specifically champion the application of an Aristotelian virtue ethics perspective. The articles are preceded by an introductory essay on some of the central themes in the Nicomachean Ethics. This section also includes a very brief account of what the connection between virtue ethics and a theory of social construction, including rights, could look like. The thesis seeks to show that if read somewhat creatively many of the ideas in the Nicomachean Ethics make for a highly useful approach to modern moral problems. It should be noted, however, that this thesis in no way claims to be an exegetic, or a complete, study of the Nicomachean Ethics. Article I deals with ownership of biological material from a philosophical, as opposed to a legal, perspective. It is argued that a strand in liberal political theory that treats property relations as socially constructed bundles of rights, as developed by e.g. Felix Cohen and Tony Honore, is well suited for discussions on ownership of biological material. Article II investigates which differences in biological material might motivate differences in treatment and ownership rights. The article draws on the social constructivist theory of ownership which was developed in Article I. Article III employs virtue ethics to explain why it is morally permissible to donate but not to sell organs such as kidneys. It is suggested that the former action will bring the agent closer to a state of human flourishing. Article IV argues that virtues like philia, justice, beneficence and generosity — traditionally all seen as other-regarding — contain strong self-regarding aspects. The central claim is that these self-regarding aspects of the other-regarding virtues are necessary components of complete virtue and thus that the fully virtuous agent has to act virtuously both in her dealings with herself and others. Article V applies the ideas that were developed in Article IV to the case of living organ donations to next of kin. It is proposed that such an act, although noble and fine, is supererogatory, rather than obligatory, as the donor is morally entitled to be partial to herself. This argument is made against the backdrop of a discussion on some Aristotelian ideas on philia and partiality.