Showing papers on "Social constructivism published in 2015"

The History of Emotions: An Introduction

Abstract: The first book-length introduction to one of the fastest-growing fields of historical discipline - Offers a synthesis of the work already carried out in the field and an agenda for the direction of future study - Provides a multidisciplinary approach, engaging with anthropology, philosophy, sociology, linguistics, art history, political science, psychology, and the latest affective neuroscience - Shows how genuine collaboration between history and neuroscience might be possible and thus moves beyond the binary debate between social constructionism and universalism The history of emotions is one of the fastest growing fields in current historical debate, and this is the first book-length introduction to the field, synthesizing the current research, and offering direction for future study. The History of Emotions is organized around the debate between social constructivist and universalist theories of emotion that has shaped most emotions research in a variety of disciplines for more than a hundred years: social constructivists believe that emotions are largely learned and subject to historical change, while universalists insist on the timelessness and pan-culturalism of emotions. In historicizing and problematizing this binary, Jan Plamper opens emotions research beyond constructivism and universalism; he also maps a vast terrain of thought about feelings in anthropology, philosophy, sociology, linguistics, art history, political science, the life sciences from nineteenth-century experimental psychology to the latest affective neuroscience and history, from ancient times to the present day. Readership: Students and scholars with an interest in the history of emotion within the broader areas of history, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, linguistics, art history, political science, and the life sciences

The Role of Social Media for Collaborative Learning to Improve Academic Performance of Students and Researchers in Malaysian Higher Education.

Abstract: Social media is widely considered to improve collaborative learning among students and researchers. However, there is a surprising lack of empirical research in Malaysian higher education to improve performance of students and researchers through the effective use of social media that facilitates desirable outcomes. Thus, this study offers a review of the empirical literature, and its distinctiveness stems from the focus on collaborative learning and engagement to understand the interactive factors relevant that affect academic performance. This study also explores factors that contribute to the enhancement of collaborative learning and engagement through social media. It is unique in that it highlights that the effective use of social media for collaborative learning, engagement, and intention to use social media" - a phenomenon that relies on the theory of social constructivist learning. The findings showed that collaborative learning, engagement, and intention to use social media positively and significantly relate to the interactivity of research group members with peers and research students with supervisors to improve their academic performance in Malaysian higher education.

Thinking of You: Vernacular Affordance in the Context of the Microsocial Relationship App, Couple:

Abstract: The concept of “affordance” stakes out a middle ground between social constructivism and technological determinism, seeking to account for how material qualities of technologies constrain or invite practices while also accommodating emergent meanings. Yet we know little about how people themselves understand affordances in their encounters with technology. This article treats vernacular accounts of material structure and practice as clues to the ways that people understand and negotiate technology in their everyday lives. We studied the experiences of romantic partners who use Couple, a relationship app touted as a “social network of two,” and part of an emerging class of “microsocial” platforms. Partners who use Couple have limited knowledge of how others use the app, which offered us a unique lens for witnessing how people make sense of the relationship between practice and material structure. We conducted qualitative interviews with romantic pairs who use Couple, attending to how interviewees conceived...

A Conceptual Shift in Studies of Belonging and the Politics of Belonging

Abstract: The study of belonging, its underlying notions, and the politics of belonging shows that social, political, and territorial demarcations are still based on essentialist conceptions of the collective. These are often applied and reproduced in the social sciences as a result of methodological nationalism. Space-sensitive studies of migration and globalization and a return to the material have recently challenged social constructivist lines of argumentation and have provoked a conceptual shift from analytical categories with inherent spatiality, territoriality, and boundary marking to concepts based on movement and flow. In this paper the analysis of belonging and the related politics of belonging in migration studies incorporates space as an analytical category that cross-cuts established categorizations such as race, class, gender, and stage in the life cycle, and integrates a material semiotic perspective more systematically into the study of social relations at the intersection of the social categories mentioned. A new concept of belonging is defined which reflects the complex relations that individuals have with other people, circulating objects, artefacts, and changing social, political, and cultural landscapes, thus mirroring both the material conditions and the underlying power relations. Such an understanding of belonging proceeds from social naturalizations and fixations to the multiplicity and situatedness of individual attachments, which entangle social, imagined, and sensual-material relations that are constantly re-articulated and re-negotiated by actors in their day-to-day practices. In such a reading, belonging comes into being as a result of individual life stories, versatile contexts, and situated experiences and acts. In times of constant exchange through travel, mass media, and communication technologies, the conceptualization of belonging questions established sociocultural and political demarcations, indicates the compatibility of ascribed socio-cultural difference and stresses the permeability of borderlines. A space-sensitive theorization of social relations and belonging opens up new perspectives on the question of how social collectives are naturalized and by whom, and under which conditions they open up to new forms of belonging; it thus brings forth new findings about collectivization, social mobilization, and change.

The Social Construction of Landscapes: Two Theoretical Lenses and Their Empirical Applications

Abstract: There is growing interest amongst landscape researchers on social constructivist perspectives on landscapes. This paper discusses two ways of conceptualising the social construction of landscapes: historical institutionalism and post-structuralist discourse theory. The aim is to explore the opportunities that both approaches offer, and to assess their strengths and limitations. Drawing on two local case studies from Germany, we illuminate the ontologies of landscape implied by the two theoretical lenses, how they conceive of the social construction of landscapes, and finally the ways in which they can inform political processes. Both approaches apply an anti-essentialist agenda, though in different ways. Whereas in historical institutionalism materiality is treated as separated from the social sphere, in post-structuralist discourse theory material objects, practices, subjects and linguistic utterances are all part of relational systems of meaning called discourse. Both approaches can contribute t...

Creating a Constructivist Online Instructional Environment

Abstract: This paper describes the ways in which social constructivist learning was fostered in an online teacher education program In fall, 2010 we launched an online Masters of Education (MEd) and in spring, 2011 and began an online version of the on-campus Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) at a small liberal arts university The development and implementation of these online programs presented new pedagogical challenges and questions We focused the inquiry on how to adapt a community-focused, constructivist, oncampus pedagogy to an online format Grounded in and driven by social constructivism, we identified several essential online tools and instructional methods that facilitated the kind of candidate-candidate and candidate-teacher interaction desired This paper explores the potential of certain online tools and methods to facilitate a social constructivist approach to preparing teachers in a virtual program model

Emotion as the amplifier and the primary motive: Some theories of emotion with relevance to language learning

Abstract: Emotion is crucial to living and learning. The powerful intertwining of emotion and cognition ignites learning within a complex dynamic system, which, as several sections of this paper show, also includes societal and cultural influences. As “the primary human motive” (MacIntyre, 2002a, p. 61), emotion operates as an amplifier, which provides energetic intensity to all human behavior, including language learning. This chapter explains major theories of emotion drawn from positive psychology, social psychology, social constructivism, social constructionism, and existential psychotherapy. It also offers implications for language learning related to understanding and managing emotions; expressing emotions appropriately despite cultural and linguistic differences; viewing emotions as transitory social roles; enhancing positive emotions and developing resilience; and recognizing, perhaps paradoxically, both the negative and the positive aspects of anxiety. The chapter concludes with the statement that language learners can become more agentic in dealing with their emotions. This form of self-regulation can lead to greater success in language learning.

Constructing Media Artifacts in a Social Constructivist Environment to Enhance Students’ Environmental Awareness and Activism

Abstract: Current science education reforms and policy documents highlight the importance of environmental awareness and perceived need for activism. As “environmental problems are socially constructed in terms of their conceptualized effects on individuals, groups, other living things and systems research based on constructivist principles provides not only a coherent framework in which to theorize about learning, but also a context for understanding socially constructed issues” (Palmer and Suggate in Res Pap Educ 19(2), 2004, p. 208). This research study investigated the impacts of the learning processes structured based on the theories of constructionism and social constructivism on students’ environmental awareness and perceived need for activism. Students constructed multimedia artifacts expressing their knowledge, attitudes, awareness, and activism about environmental issues through a constructionist design process. In addition, a social networking site was designed and used to promote social interaction among students. Twenty-two high school environmental science students participated in this study. A convergent mixed methods design was implemented to allow for the triangulation of methods by directly comparing and contrasting quantitative results with qualitative findings for corroboration and validation purposes. Using a mixed method approach, quantitative findings are supported with qualitative data (student video projects, writing prompts, blog entries, video projects of the students, observational field notes, and reflective journals) including spontaneous responses in both synchronous and asynchronous conversations on the social network to provide a better understanding of the change in students’ environmental awareness and perceived need for activism. The findings of the study indicated that students’ environmental awareness and perceived need for activism were improved at different scales (personal, community, global) throughout the constructionist and social constructivist learning processes.

Occasioning translator competence: Moving beyond social constructivism toward a postmodern alternative to instructionism

Abstract: For the past thirty years, as the translator’s profession has undergone a radical metamorphosis from a sort of bilingual craft to a highly technologized profession, translator education has been undergoing a comparatively slow evolution. From pervasive chalk-and-talk transmissionist practice just a few decades ago, the contemporary literature on translator education reveals a plethora of theoretical and practical approaches to the study and teaching of translation-related skills. In this article, the author reviews some key trends in this development within the translator education domain on the basis of his own evolution as a translator educator over the past three decades. A key focus will be placed on the role of epistemology, a mainstay of educational philosophy and learning theory, but a topic that he feels can help elucidate pedagogical practices of the past and guide the way toward ones better suited to educating translators today … and in the future.

Knowledge construction in online learning communities: a case study of a doctoral course

Abstract: This paper documents a study investigating co-construction of knowledge by doctoral students in an online learning community. In this study 12 students participated in the coursework and thesis proposal development stages of a doctoral program offered by a research-intensive university in New Zealand. Socio-cultural and social constructivist approaches were adopted to frame the design of this program. The findings of this study show that there was a high level of knowledge construction in some of the discussion forums of the program. Teaching strategies, in terms of how the learning tasks were designed, the amount of direct instruction provided, as well as how the discussions were moderated, were factors affecting knowledge construction. The active agency of the learners as well as the role assigned to them in the online discussion forums also had an impact on knowledge construction. This study also confirmed the importance of structure and leadership in online discussions.

Managing Institutional and Sociocultural Challenges through Sociotransformative Constructivism: A Longitudinal Case Study of a High School Science Teacher.

Abstract: Using a case study approach, this manuscript describes the professional transformation of Gary—an Anglo, male novice teacher—by focusing on his first two years of teaching in a culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged school. As a participant of a larger hybrid, intervention project with peers, Gary received multiple hands-on and minds-on experiences for implementing sociotransformative constructivism (sTc) during the science methods courses and two summer institutes. sTc integrates cross-cultural education with social constructivism to provide a framework for teaching and learning that is more critical, inclusive, relevant, and connected to students' everyday lives. Using the structure-agency dialectic as an analytic tool, Gary's emerging sense of agency is documented in terms of two major themes: institutional challenges and sociocultural challenges. Moving away from traditional narratives of despair, this paper offers instead a narrative of engagement—a frank account of the struggles beginning teachers are likely to encounter (especially in culturally diverse contexts), as well as the potential successes they could enact through their agency. Suggestions are provided for enhancing the professional preparation of science teachers and for teacher education programs and school districts to move beyond good intentions and mission statements toward more transformative action. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 448–460, 2015

Missing the (question) mark? What is a turn to ontology?:

Abstract: Our introductory essay in this journal's 2013 Special Issue on the 'turn to ontology' examined the shift from epistemology to ontology in science and technology studies and explored the implications of the notion of enactment. Three responses to that Special Issue argue that (I) there is no fundamental qualitative difference between the ontological turn and social constructivism, (2) we need to be wary of overly generic use of the term 'ontology' and (3) the language of 'turns' imposes constraints on the richness and diversity of science and technology studies. In this brief reply, we show how each of those critiques varies in its commitment to circumspection about making objective determinations of reality and to resisting reification. We illustrate our point by considering overlapping discussions in anthropology. This brings out the crucial difference between the science and technology studies slogan 'it could be otherwise' and the multinaturalist motto 'it actually is otherwise'.

The role of perceptions of friendships and peers in learning skills in physical education

Abstract: Background: Most research on how children learn when using the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach has focused on cognitive dimensions in teaching games models. A social constructivist perspective suggests, however, that learning also takes place during social interactions. Since the process of learning game skills tends to have a relational dimension, researchers need to understand children's affective responses and how they situate their skill learning in games in relationship to their classmates.Purpose: To explore children's perceptions of collaboration, group formations, and friendships while learning a modified baseball game situated in social constructivist learning. Specifically, we focused on how children perceived the role that the social context, especially friends and classmates, plays in learning skills and strategies.Participants and setting: The children (N = 25), aged 12–13, were in their first year of secondary school and were taught in a TGfU baseball unit. They participated...

The implementation of a social constructivist approach in primary science education in Confucian heritage culture: the case of Vietnam

Abstract: Social constructivism has been increasingly studied and implemented in science school education. Nevertheless, there is a lack of holistic studies on the implementation of social constructivist approach in primary science education in Confucian heritage culture. This study aims to determine to what extent a social constructivist approach is implemented in primary science education in Confucian heritage culture and to give explanations for the implementation from a cultural perspective. Findings reveal that in Confucian heritage culture a social constructivist approach has so far not implemented well in primary science education. The implementation has been considerably influenced by Confucian heritage culture, which has characteristics divergent from and aligning with those of social constructivism. This study indicates a need for design-based research on social constructivism-based science curriculum for Confucian heritage culture.

Qualitative theory in finance: Theory into practice

Abstract: This paper discusses the application of qualitative theory in finance research. Six qualitative theoretical orientations are presented to demonstrate a range of philosophical perspectives which a researcher may consider when conducting qualitative inquiry. Finance examples are provided for applied ethnography, content analysis, social constructivism, grounded theory, systems theory, and critical change theory. By aligning and bringing theory into practice, researchers engaged in qualitative inquiry may investigate specific social actions so as to make credible sense of complex circumstances.

Critical Theory of Technology and STS

Abstract: Introduction Long before contemporary Science and Technology Studies (STS), Marxism, pragmatism and various theories of modernity were associated with the study of technology. These were broad and often speculative theories that related technology to a social and political context. STS sought to supplant these competing approaches and has been largely successful. Today few look to Mumford or Dewey, Heidegger or Marcuse for insight into technology. However, when STS took what Wiebe Bijker called "the detour into the academy" to focus on empirically based case histories, it gave up the political concerns that had inspired these earlier approaches. This renunciation was easier to justify before the widespread controversies over medical care, the Internet and the environment directly implicated technology in so many different aspects of contemporary politics. Some STS researchers have now also become aware of the more politicized approaches favored in the developing world, especially Latin America. But how can the achievements of STS be preserved in the context of politically charged investigations of controversial issues? This talk proposes one way of doing this, the critical theory of technology. Critical theory of technology draws on fundamental methodological assumptions of STS to elaborate themes of the earlier tradition of modernity theory, specifically Lukacs’s early Marxism and the Frankfurt School. The key such assumptions are the notions of underdetermination, interpretative flexibility, and closure developed in the social constructivist tradition. In addition, the concept of co-construction drawn from actor network theory is useful methodologically, although critical theory of technology does not follow ANT to its radical ontological conclusions. The application of these notions to particular technologies is fruitful, but attempts to generalize them as a full fledged social theory, for example, in the writings of Bruno Latour, are not as successful as the case histories for which STS is famous. The attempt to build a political theory on the basis of STS needs to confront the principle insight of the earlier tradition, namely, the strange fact that modern societies have a “rational” culture. By this is meant the generalization of methods and concepts from mathematics and natural science as a framework for thought and action in every social sphere. This is not merely a subjective disposition but is reflected in the multiplication bureaucracies, technologies and technical disciplines which effectively organize and control most of social life. A phenomenon of this scope requires a broad approach. Critical theory of technology addresses this issue from the standpoint of the theory of rationality elaborated by the Frankfurt School. The articulation of this theory in the context of an STS-inspired approach requires significant revisions. Where the Frankfurt School proposed a very general critique of “instrumental rationality,” critical theory of technology looks to a more concrete critique of the social bias of technical disciplines, bureaucracies and technologies. The identification of such biases employs methods explored in STS and yields a critical approach to the culture of modern societies. Methods Following STS, critical theory of technology highlights the inherent contingency and complexity of technical artifacts masked by the coherence of technical explanations. In this context I suggest that the concept of a palimpsest can serve as a useful analogy. Technological design resembles a palimpsest: multiple layers of influence coming from very different regions of society and responding to different, even opposed, logics converge on a shared object. Marx sketched such an approach in the "Introduction to a Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy." There he writes that "[t]he concrete is concrete, because it is a combination of many objects with different destinations, i.e. a unity of diverse elements. In our thought, it therefore appears as a process of synthesis, as a result, and not as a starting point, although it is the real starting point and, therefore, also the starting point of observation and conception" (Marx 1857/1904, 293). In this passage Marx anticipates the genealogical method Foucault found in Nietzsche. These de-reifying approaches treat social "things," such as artifacts, institutions and laws, as assemblages of functional components held together by their social roles. The components disaggregate and recombine as society changes. Social history cannot rely on an Aristotelian model in which an essence endures through accidental changes. It must identify these ontological differences in the construction and meaning of its objects. The genealogical approach is useful in the case of technology. Devices and systems often retain the same name while changing components. Genealogy is especially applicable where the technical code imposed by the dominant actor is not alone in shaping design. In such cases the technology must serve a multiplicity of interests through more or less coherent assemblages of parts with a variety of functions. The interests are also translated into higher level meanings, such as ideologies and worldviews. The technocratic concept of efficiency is an example, at each historical stage translating particular interests and technical arrangements conducive to the exercise of technocratic authority. Technical disciplines and artifacts give a deceptively rational form to the multiple and ambiguous influences that appear clearly for what they are in other social institutions. Conclusion The writings of Marx and Foucault free us from a naive belief in the universality of technological and administrative efficiency. In this they converge with recent Science and Technology Studies which has rediscovered the interdependence of the social and the technical. The technical underdetermination of artifacts leaves room for social choice between different designs that have overlapping functions but better serve one or another social interest. The key point is the influence of the social on the content of the artifact and not merely on such external factors as the pace of development, packaging or usages. This means that context is not merely external to technology, but actually penetrates its rationality, carrying social requirements into the very workings of the device. References Feenberg, Andrew (2014). The Philosophy of Praxis. London: Verso. Feenberg, Andrew (2010). Between Reason and Experience: Essays in Technology and Modernity. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

The Social Constructedness of Resilience

Abstract: This essay aims to clarify what it means to de-essentialize the concept of “resilience”. Pre-determinated assumptions regarding its normativity or positive character are to be disproven in order to conceptualize it as an open (social) process; thus to adopt a social constructivist perspective on the phenomenon to which this term refers, while avoiding the typical pitfalls of relativism.

How do we create ASD-friendly schools? A dilemma of placement.

Abstract: Scope exists within the Northern Ireland ( NI) education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder ( ASD)-friendly environments. The efficacy of mainstream inclusion is discussed prior to discussing the creation of ASD-friendly schools. The transformation of mainstream school environments is underpinned by concepts such as inclusive pedagogical approach, universal design for learning and learning without limits. These are discussed alongside strategies to enact core inclusive principles of equity, participation and belonging. However, the need for ASD-specific approaches and schools is also recognised. Our perspectives as educators influence pedagogy, attitudes and approaches to educating autistic children. A social constructivist consciousness is fundamental to moving from deficit SEN rhetoric to creating enabling education for autistic young people. The question of how to achieve this is answered within this article. The use of identity-first language is preferred by a large proportion of the autism community; therefore the term 'autistic child', rather than 'child with autism', is adopted throughout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding Classroom Roles in Inquiry Education: Linking Role Theory and Social Constructivism to the Concept of Role Diversification

Abstract: Inquiry-based teaching and learning are rooted in social constructivism and are central to curricular reform. Role theory and social constructivism provided insight into a commonly observed but ins...

Teacher knowledge, child interest and parent expectation: Factors influencing multicultural programs in an early childhood setting

Abstract: Multicultural curricula/programs assume an important role within a cultural approach to learning and teaching in early childhood education in New Zealand. Te Wha-riki , the national early childhood curriculum framework of New Zealand, is an emancipatory and socially constructive document that emphasises equity, social justice and the important position of culture in children's learning and development. In practice this means developing early childhood programs that are sensitive and responsive to the needs and interests of children and families of minority cultures. Drawing on a critical social constructivist framework, this study of one early childhood centre in New Zealand identifies the features of its multicultural curriculum. The paper argues that a devotion to supporting children of minority cultures has persisted in the curriculum, but there is a reliance on mainstream pedagogy focused on children's learning within the centre environment and teachers' subjective knowledge about children's needs.

Meeting Educational Objectives in the Affective and Cognitive Domains: Personal and Social Constructivist Perspectives on Enjoyment, Motivation and Learning Chemistry

Abstract: Constructivist ideas about learning have been highly influential in science education over several decades. Debate continues between some educational scholars about the value of constructivism as the basis for informing effective instruction. However, in teaching the sciences, some core constructivist ideas have largely been accepted and indeed commonly even become taken for granted. Most commonly, constructivist accounts focus on learning, either as an individual act of knowledge construction or as participation within a community of practice, and have tended to relate to issues of knowledge and/or authenticity that reflect a cognitive focus. This chapter revisits constructivist ideas about learning to ask what they can offer when considering educational objectives in the affective domain. It is argued that guidance that largely derives from cognitive perspectives on learning often also makes good sense when our focus is on affect. It is suggested that the traditional emphasis of research within the constructivist research programme on what is learnt should be supplemented by a simultaneous consideration of how learning activities are experienced by the students.

Becoming a secondary school teacher in England and France: contextualising career ‘choice’

Abstract: This article explores the circumstances in which individuals become secondary school teachers in England and France. Using a social constructivist theoretical framework, it specifically considers how national contexts play out in this decision. The findings presented in this paper draw on a corpus of 60 interviews with a sample of teachers based in English and French secondary schools. They show that national frameworks remain relevant to an exploration of teachers’ identities and cultures, as French and English interviewees draw on distinctive reasons to explain why they became secondary school teachers. While becoming a teacher is often thought of as a ‘vocation’ or as the result of ‘intrinsic’ factors, this paper highlights the role of national contexts, as well as of gender and social class, in this process.

Learning by game design for library instruction A Multiple Case

Abstract: Despite the importance placed on information literacy in fostering lifelong learning, helping students develop the skills required of critical thinkers and independent learners are limited. This study contributes to the burgeoning discourse on alternative instructional approaches to teaching information literacy and focuses on the use of game design in learning environments. The appeal of gaming among the younger generation of learners has led to the increasing use of games in learning environments. Within recent years, some innovative academic libraries have begun adopting games as a platform for information literacy instruction. While the literature recognizes game design as fostering higher-level learning in educational contexts, it is not commonly adopted in the classroom. Typically, there is a preference among instructors to have students play games. Therefore, a more thorough understanding on the ways game design best facilitate learning is needed to assist towards its more frequent adoption. This study focuses on the use of game design within library spaces. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of undergraduate students learning by game design in information literacy classes. The overarching research question looks at how an instructor can incorporate motivational theories into an information literacy class through learning by game design and how students engage with the content and each other in this environment. More specific supporting questions address: How can an instructor incorporate motivational theories into an information literacy class through “learning by game design”? How does the “learning by game design” approach within information literacy classes foster the sharing of knowledge among undergraduate students? How do undergraduate students represent information literacy concepts in the game-based artifacts they design? What were undergraduate students’ motivations to use information literacy practices they were exposed to throughout their class experiences? Applying a descriptive multi-site case study methodology, this study draws upon the theories of social constructivism, experiential learning, and motivation to explore the phenomenon of learning by game design in information literacy classes. Data was collected from two sites using various methods to provide a comprehensive view of the phenomenon. Data sources included: student's artifacts, submitted class assessment materials, recorded observation, participant observation, items from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and interviews. Analysis was done by drawing meanings across the multiple instances of data. Findings from this study show that learning by game design is a viable option for teaching information literacy classes, when effectively scaffolded into the classroom. Students were able to draw upon a higher order of cognition and described situated instances where information literacy skills were applied, such as use in complex assignments and real world situations. LEARNING BY GAME DESIGN FOR LIBRARY INSTRUCTION A Multiple Case Study by Angela U. Ramnarine-Rieks B.S., University of the West Indies, 1996 M.Sc., University of the West Indies, 2000 M.LS, Syracuse University, 2003 M.S., Syracuse University, 2004

Using Social Constructivist Pedagogy to Implement Liberal Learning in Business Education

Abstract: This article outlines how decision sciences instructors, by pairing Liberal Learning (LL) philosophy with Social Constructivist Pedagogy (SCP), can lead the way in transforming business education. It outlines how these educators can cultivate more critical thinking and creativity in their classrooms in order to prepare students for the ‘real problems’ they will face in today's complex and global world. Instructors can accomplish this when they adjust ‘how’ they teach (rather than ‘what’ they teach) so that students become active learners rather than passive listeners. The purpose of the article is to outline the outcomes advocated by the LL philosophy (Colby, Ehrlich, Sullivan, & Dolle, 2011), and describe how SCP, a pedagogical process, can help decision sciences instructors achieve these outcomes (Vygotsky, 1978). Instructors essentially become facilitators of discussion and dialogue rather than the sole distributor of knowledge in the classroom. Two sample implementations of SCP and LL are also discussed.

Unpacking Interests in Normative Power Europe

Abstract: The concept of normative power Europe accurately captured the distinctiveness of EU's international practices. However, it fell victim to social constructivism, from which it derived an exclusionary ontology perpetuating the dualism between norms and interests. To conceive those notions as two faces of the same coin, one needs a thicker ontology. This is what Bourdieu provides for in anchoring norms and interests in social fields. Interest is simultaneously what ties actors to particular games (generic interest) and what makes them make particular moves in these games (specific interest). To illustrate how Bourdieu's sociology shapes a better understanding of normative power Europe, I explore the transmission of EU's integrated border management in Central Asia. In this case, EU power elites delegate the business of wielding this normative power of Europe to a Vienna-based international street corner society.