Showing papers on "Social constructivism published in 2019"

Knowledge politics and post-truth in climate denial: on the social construction of alternative facts

Abstract: This article examines the post-truth debate and questions the argument that post-modernism and social constructivism is responsible for post-truth and alternative facts, including in climate denial...

Learning while playing: Children's Forest School experiences in the UK

Abstract: Children’s outdoor play is declining, despite clear links between play, learning and development. Alternative learning initiatives which provide children with a diversity of play opportunities including the chance to play outdoors are therefore needed. One such programme, Forest School, is increasing in popularity in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally, yet little is understood about its impact on children’s learning, or how alternative approaches are informing learning in mainstream settings. This novel study examined primary school children’s experiences of engaging in a Forest School programme in relation to this intersection between formal and informal approaches to learning. It explored how children interpret their experiences when faced with a fusion of learning environments and critically evaluates the benefits children realise, when asked to reflect on their learning engagement in both classroom and outdoor settings. Interviews were conducted with 33 children from two mainstream primary schools in England, UK who had recently completed a six-week Forest School programme. A rigorous phenomenological thematic analysis revealed three inter-related themes: A break from routine; Learning through play; and Collaboration and teamwork. The findings suggest that the blending of Forest School with mainstream settings contributes to children’s social, cognitive, emotional and physical skill development through experiential learning using play. These findings are significant because they not only emphasise the values of social constructivist play-pedagogy which underpin Forest School practice, but they highlight the need for primary schools to consider learning outside of the classroom as an effective pedagogy.

Mediating EFL learners’ academic writing skills in online dynamic assessment using Google Docs

Abstract: Drawing on Vygotskian sociocultural theory of mind and social constructivism, and adopting a sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach, this study explored the impact of online dynamic assessme...

Educational Theories and Learning Analytics: From Data to Knowledge

Abstract: The study of learning is grounded in theories and research. Since learning is complex and not directly observable, it is often inferred by collecting and analysing data based on the things learners do or say. By virtue, theories are developed from the analyses of data collected. With the proliferation of technology, large amounts of data are generated when students learn online. Therefore, researchers not only have data on students’ learning performance, but they also have data on the actions students take to achieve the desired learning outcomes. These data could help researchers to understand how students learn and the conditions needed for successful learning. In turn, the information can be translated to instructional and learning design to support students. The aim of the chapter is to discuss how learning theories and learning analytics are important components of educational research. To achieve this aim, studies employing learning analytics are qualitatively reviewed to examine which theories have been used and how the theories have been investigated. The results of the review show that self-regulated learning, motivation, and social constructivism theories were used in studies employing learning analytics. However, the studies at present are mostly correlational. Therefore, experimental studies are needed to examine how theory-informed practices can be implemented so that students can be better supported in online learning environments. The chapter concludes by proposing an iterative loop for educational research employing learning analytics in which learning theories guide data collection and analyses. To convert data into knowledge, it is important to recognize what we already know and what we want to examine.

The Evolution of Social Constructivism in Political Science: Past to Present:

Abstract: This article aims to illuminate how social constructivism has evolved as a mainstream international relation (IR) paradigm within a short period of time. To be specific, I navigated core tenets of ...

Philosophical and psychological dimensions of social expectations of personality

Abstract: Purpose. To analyse the philosophical and psychological contexts of social expectations of personality, to form general scientific provisions, to reveal the properties, patterns of formation, development and functioning of social expectations as a process, result of reflection and construction of social reality. Theoretical basis of the study is based on the phenomenology of E. Husserl, the social constructivism philosophy of L. S. Vygotskiy, P. Berger, T. Luckmann, K. J. Gergen, ideas of constructive alternativeism of G. Kelly, psychology of social expectations of a personality as the unity of the mental process, mental state and properties of expectations. Originality. Social expectations of personality are considered as philosophical and psychological dimensions of the study, presented by analysing expectations in social constructivism, externalizing, building a model of the expected future. The authors clarified some theoretical and methodological aspects of the study of patterns of social expectations in the reflection and construction of social reality. The role of social institutions in the formation of expectations is outlined. The poly-aspect of the investigated problems is shown. It is substantiated that formation, realization of social expectations in organization of interaction of personality and social environment is possible in the presence of subject, object and content of activity. Conclusions. Social expectations influence social behaviour and determine the behaviour of an individual, small contact group, community, or large mass of people. Social expectations are able to set specific requirements, norms, sanctions, ideals that participants of the process must follow or must not violate. The philosophical dimension of the study integrates the ontological, epistemological, axiological preconditions for the formation and realization of the social ideal, represented by the study of the expected future in the forms of utopia, eschatology and thanatology. Psychological dimension of the study has a sufficiently developed content orientation from the psychological content parameters of social expectations to the role of expectations in social institutions and various spheres of human life. Systematic, actionable, self-regulatory, and subjective approaches have constituted a verified system of interpreting the social expectations of personality as a process, a result of the reflection and construction of social reality. The topic of social expectations of personality is far from being completed, in our opinion it is promising to create a deeper philosophical concept of social expectations of the personality. The specific topics are of particular relevance in the context of socio-political uncertainty, domination of the mass consciousness, loss of national and cultural identity.

Danmaku Related to Video Content Facilitates Learning

Abstract: Massive open online courses are one of the most prominent trends in higher education in recent years. Instructional videos play a significant role in the massive open online courses platform. This ...

Pedagogic Affect and Its Politics: Learning to Affect and Be Affected in Education.

Abstract: This paper examines the critical contribution that affects as bodily capacities to act, engage and connect can make to children’s learning in museums and schools. Drawing chiefly on empirical material collected over the course of visits by school children to Museums Victoria, Australia, and bringing a sociomaterial sensibility to bear, I trace the movements of these children through exhibition spaces and show pedagogic affect at work. I argue that children’s learning can usefully be understood in ways that go beyond social constructivism which underwrites museum learning and school education yet tends to neglect the role of affectivity and material agency in learning, as well as relations of power. As the empirical material shows, the politics of affective practice involve the co-constitution of bodies, spaces and objects in ways that actively intervene in established relations of power. I conclude by calling for a renewed engagement with the affective in education.

Moodle and Social Constructivism: Is Moodle Being Used as Constructed? A Case Study Analysis of Moodle Use in Teaching and Learning in an Irish Higher Educational Institute

Abstract: Moodle was originally developed by Dougiamas in 2002 to help educators create an online teaching and learning platform that embodies a social constructivist pedagogical framework. Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), an Irish higher educational institute, began using Moodle in 2006 but very little research has been carried out on whether Moodle facilitates social constructivism in practice in GMIT. The main research question for this study is to explore if engagement with Moodle facilitates social constructivism principles in the final year of a GMIT business degree. The paper begins with a literature review which considers theoretical perspectives on social constructivism. It abstracts four principles from the overall theoretical framework to support a methodological basis to gauge what is occurring in Moodle in this GMIT business degree from a social constructivist perspective. These key principles include scaffolding, knowledge construction, active learning and social interaction and shows that Moodle can facilitate such principles in theory. The research strategy was a case study using a mixed methods approach. The data collection instruments include surveys and focus groups with final year business students and lecturers. The main finding that emerged from the study is that Moodle does not facilitate social constructivism principles in this group to any great extent. However, the study found that Moodle does facilitate limited scaffolding and in particular, conceptual scaffolding. In addition, a number of barriers were identified to using Moodle to facilitate social constructivism principles. These include a lack of training and time, availability of alternative technologies, more effective face to face social interaction and student inhibitions. The study concludes by offering some recommendations on how GMIT’s School of Business might move closer to a position that harnesses Moodle’s potential to facilitate the social constructivism principles which underpin it. These recommendations are categorised under cultural, technical and policy enablers.

The Impact of Globalisation on Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates: Practitioner Perspectives of one Higher Education Institution

Abstract: The Impact of Globalisation on Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates: Practitioner perspectives of one Higher Education Institution. Rosalind Rice The purpose of this research is to create new knowledge about the ways in which a given Higher Education Institution (HEI) within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is responding to globalisation. This unique setting is being impacted by local influences (for example Emiratisation) and global forces (for example internationalisation and the growth of knowledge economies). Demands are being made by both the UAE Government and by society in general, resulting in new expectations of the role of Higher Education. The research questions focus on drawing out the knowledge that participants had of global issues by inquiring into ways in which globalisation is driving the change impacting the institution being studied (hereafter known as The College), educational policy changes resulting from these change factors, and considering the implications for practice. The research has been informed by the work of Clark (1983), where state, market and academic oligarchy are represented in his ‘triangle of coordination’. This has provided a robust model, sufficiently flexible to allow for an original interpretation of the views put forward by the participants. The research is qualitative in design, consisting of semi-structured individual interviews. Data was collected regarding professional practitioners’ perspectives on the global factors impacting on HE in the UAE. The inquiry also investigates the ways in which HE and The College are perceived to be changing in response to global issues. Adopting a social constructivist approach has allowed an interpretive framework to be used to understand the ways in which practitioners viewed their environment. Furthermore, the theoretical basis for studying The College is multi-level, extending from HE practice, to policy, government agendas and internationalisation. The need for this study, is strengthened by the most recent announcement underlining the government’s desire to prepare for the declining importance of oil production by re-orientating the UAE’s economy to that of a knowledge-based society (Nagraj, 2015). The findings reveal that globalisation is disrupting the UAE’s HE sector, prompting the national government to introduce policy changes, resulting in institutions interpreting global change factors in a way that satisfies the nuances of this setting. From the perspective of those interviewed, The College has been engaged in an ongoing change process for many years, impacting all aspects of the organisation, including its functions, procedures and behaviours. The research argues that the data demonstrates that the relationship between government, organisation and practitioners is complex, particularly when set against a changing global HE framework. The need to build a sustainable HE system in the context of the UAE is highlighted and the recommendation is that a cohesive approach to change is necessary. A prototype of a structured approach to change implementation is presented in this thesis. This graphical representation is informed by Lewin (1951) and Burke-Litwin (1992) in terms of critically analysing the elements necessary for meaningful change to take place. The research, therefore, makes an important contribution to constructing an understanding of the complexity of change taking place within The College.

Social Media Usage of Students, Role of Tie Strength, and Perceived Task Performance:

Abstract: The extensive use of social media has encouraged university teachers to consider employing social media as new e-learning platforms. This study explored the relationship between social media usage ...

Instructor Perceptions of Quality Learning in MOOCs They Teach.

Abstract: Discussions regarding the instructional and learning value of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) include the question of whether or not MOOC learners gain much value, if any at all, and has been a continuing debate since MOOCs began. Skeptics argue that MOOCs lack academic rigor and are superficial, while proponents praise them as addressing important global issues of educational access and affordability, providing pathways to more substantial learning opportunities. An important viewpoint in this conversation that warrants consideration is that of the professors/instructors who teach MOOCs and how they perceive the quality of learning that takes place in their MOOCs. In this study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were used with three MOOC instructors and an inductive analysis approach that resulted in the emergence of three main themes. The findings from this study suggest that instructors do believe that quality learning can take place within a MOOC and is often accomplished through social constructivism and self-regulated learning approaches. Discussions, dialogues, negotiations, collaborations as well as learners accomplishing their intended goals in the course were all considered to be manifestations of quality learning in a MOOC. Implications of the findings for additional research and practice are also discussed.

Crafting Communities of Practice: The Relationship between Making and Learning.

Abstract: In this article, I examine the changing perception of craft activity since the Industrial Revolution and explore how the social values imposed on craft processes have impacted their effectiveness as tools for learning and self-transformation Situated within a social constructivist framework, this article suggests that learning occurs as the result of a dynamic interchange between individuals and their social environment The creation of craft objects enables adult learners to act on, and solve the problems of their immediate environment while also providing meaningful learning that facilitates personal and social transformation

How exemplary teachers promote scientific reasoning and higher order thinking in primary science

Abstract: There is an emerging interest in the development of STEM capabilities to drive Australia’s future economy and workforce. As a consequence, the focus on the teaching of higher order thinking and scientific reasoning has intensified. Despite these efforts, Australia’s level of achievement on international benchmarking tests has not improved. The aim of this PhD research was to investigate how exemplary teachers develop higher order thinking and scientific reasoning in primary science. The study drew on video data from the EQUALPRIME international research project, which explored quality primary science education in different cultures (ARC Discovery Project DP110101500). This qualitative research examined how Year 4 teachers in two contextually different schools scaffolded, supported and created opportunities for higher order thinking and scientific reasoning during the teaching of a physical science topic. Teacher beliefs, pedagogical strategies and contextual factors were viewed through the multiple theoretical lenses of social constructivism, sociocultural theory and social semiotic theory. The central data source was video which was subjected to micro-ethnographic analysis. These data were supplemented with interviews and classroom artefacts, and from these, case studies were compiled. Using a cross-case analysis and an interpretivist approach, assertions were drawn from which the research questions were answered. The study identified that the teaching of these skills was a complex multifaceted process influenced by the combination of teacher beliefs and contextual factors. Based on safe and supportive learning cultures, the teachers employed inquiry-based approaches and a combination of language- and body-based pedagogies that built students’ thinking and reasoning in parallel with conceptual development, across the unit. Outcomes of the research will contribute to new and deeper understanding of effective scaffolding, support and promotion of higher order thinking and reasoning in primary science which can inform enhancements to pre‐service and in‐service teacher professional learning.

Adoption and perceived usefulness of social media by pre-service teachers in Nigeria

Abstract: Social media networks are fundamentally changing the way we socialize, communicate, and perhaps the way students learn. This paper explored the patterns of pre-service teachers’ adoption and their perceived usefulness of social media. The participants were 388 pre-service teachers from one tertiary institution in Nigeria. The social constructivist theory, the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Technology Acceptance Model were used to underpin the study. The result revealed that Facebook and WhatsApp were the most common social media applications used by the participants and they use the media chiefly for socialising. With respect to the time they spent on social media daily, 310 (80%) spent at least one hour on social media on average daily while 196 (50%) spent over two hours on average every day. The relationships between social media subscriptions, and perceived usefulness of social media for socialising and for communication, were found to be positive and statistically significant. Similarly, the relationships between the time spent on social media and perceived usefulness of social media for socialising and also for study were found to be positive and statistically significant. The results suggest that the pre-service teachers are adopters of social media and perceive the media useful not only for social activities but also for academic purposes. However, they have not really adopted the social media for academic purposes. The research findings make a compelling case for the incorporation of social media into the teaching and learning context.

Social Construction of Knowledge and the Community of Inquiry Framework

Abstract: The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework is a social constructivist model of learning processes in online educational environments. It views learning in such settings as supported by three interacting presences: cognitive presence, the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning in a virtual community of inquiry; social presence, the ability of participants in an online class to project themselves socially and emotionally and correspondingly to perceive each other as “real”; and teaching presence, the design and organization of online classes and the facilitation of learning and direct instruction within them. The presences are commonly measured through content analysis and the use of the CoI survey and the framework has been used around the world to inform both research and practice.

Comparing Teaching Methods of Mathematics at University Level.

Abstract: According to the views of social constructivism, learning takes place when individuals engage socially to talk about and act on shared problems or interests. In recent years, this approach has been very popular for the teaching and learning of mathematics in primary and secondary education. On the contrary, in tertiary education, it seems that most teachers still prefer the traditional way of delivering explicit mathematics instruction, sometimes combined with challenging questions and mathematical discourse with the students to promote conceptual understanding and critical analysis of the mathematical context. The paper at hand presents a classroom experiment comparing those two teaching methods at university level. The outcomes of the experiment were assessed and compared with the help of the Grade Point Average index to evaluate the student quality performance and by using grey numbers to evaluate their mean performance. Further empirical research is needed to obtain definitive results on the effectiveness of those two methods for teaching mathematics at university level.

Rethinking Role Theory in Foreign Policy Analysis: Introducing Positioning Theory to International Relations

Abstract: Ever since ‘roles’ and role theory have been introduced in International Relations (IR), foreign policy analysts have grappled with the different roles that states and other political actors can play in international relations. In a wider context, symbolic interactionism found its way in IR making headway for social constructivism. But role theory can be criticized as being a too static concept in order to describe the way in which actors are actually experiencing and enacting upon their different roles. Within psychology, positioning theory emerged as a modification of role theory. The difference between roles and positions lies along a spectrum of flexibility: roles are fixed while positions are fluid, overlapping and ephemeral. Positioning theory has been widely used in a variety of disciplines within the social sciences and humanities, but its insights are so far absent in IR. The idea behind this paper is threefold. First, it seeks to introduce positioning theory in foreign policy analysis in order to revitalize the importance of role theory by looking at the assumed positions, the developed storylines and speech acts used by actors in international relations. Secondly, at a more meta-theoretical level, position theory challenges IR’s ‘conventional’ social constructivism. This opens a space for more targeted interdisciplinary scholarship and productive debates between psychology and IR under the rubric of social constructivism. This will all be done by introducing the work of the philosopher and psychologist Rom Harre, which brings us to our final and cross-cutting argument: that the in IR largely unknown work of Harre provides ways to productively discuss progress in IR theorizing.

Learners’ Conceptual Knowledge Development and Attitudinal Change towards Calculus Using Jigsaw Co-operative Learning Strategy Integrated with GeoGebra

Abstract: This study examined the influence of the jigsaw co-operative learning strategy integrated with GeoGebra (JCLGS), on Ethiopian undergraduate statistics and chemistry learners’ conceptual knowledge development and attitudinal change towards calculus. The post-positivism quantitative methods approach employed in a non-equivalent pre-and post-test comparison group quasi-experimental design. The samples had drawn using two-stage random sampling techniques. The sample size was 150 in both the experimental and comparison groups. Data were collected by using the calculus classroom achievement test and the five points Likert-scale attitude questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, an independent-samples t-test and Two-Way ANOVA for repeated measures using SPSS 23.0. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups of pre-post test scores on the Two-Way ANOVA, F(1,148)=106.913; η2=.419 ; p<.01. The finding also implies that the blended learning strategy grounded in Vygotsky’s social constructivism cognitive development learning theory had big practical significance on learners’ conceptual knowledge development. Learners viewed the JCLGS as enjoyable and interesting. It was also a socially interactive and collaborative environment that allows learners’ to be reflective, share prior experience and knowledge and independent learners. It encourages them to have a positive attitude towards calculus and GeoGebra. Because of this finding, mathematics and science educators are advised to model a similar blended learning strategy in a classroom instructional setting. It will benefit their learners to adequately construct conceptual knowledge and positively change their attitude towards mathematics.

The Shape Activity: Social Constructivism in the Psychology Classroom.

Abstract: Social constructivist principles and ideas are among those most cited in both educational and psychological circles today, and many current scholars and reformers ground their work in social constr...

Developing social entrepreneurs through distance education: the value of commitment and interactivity with the learning community

Abstract: Given that the creation of successful interactions and collaboration networks develops into sustainable and successful social entrepreneurial organisations, learning communities can serve as an ideal environment to train students in social entrepreneurship. This paper describes massive open online learning communities as an appropriate methodology for the distance teaching of social entrepreneurship and how the students on a massive online open course in social entrepreneurship commit to the learning community generated in this virtual environment. Data from a pioneer social entrepreneurship massive open online learning communities were analysed using three statistical methodologies. The analysis demonstrates that a student's commitment to the distance learning community is directly related to his degree of participation, the rewards received, his correspondence with the other students and recognition from the other members of the community.

Teacher–student negotiations during context-based chemistry reform: a case study

Abstract: Teachers participating in curricular reforms, especially reforms based on constructivism, are expected to bring about change in their teaching approach. This is often a difficult, complex and intensive process, and demands a radical reculturing of the classroom. This is also the case for social constructivist reforms in chemistry education, which are based on a context-based approach. Educational change is a social and interactional process, and during this change teachers will engage in negotiations with their students about the reform. These teacher–student negotiations have a profound impact on the succeeding of the reform. This study explores the teacher–student interactions during the reform that shape and alter the context-based chemistry approach. We focused on two teachers, of whom it was found in an earlier study that one of them succeeded in implementing the reform, while the other one struggled. By following them for one school year, in which in-depth qualitative data was collected through various instruments, we developed insights about the teacher–student negotiations that influenced the educational reform. Three themes emerged from the data: “agency of learning,” “vulnerability,” and “care.” The differences that were found between the teachers regarding these themes help explain why and how the reform can become a success and why the reform often fails to change classroom practice.

Effective social constructivist approach to learning for social studies classroom

Abstract: The major aim of the present study is to address the question do we have any alternative of deficit model of teaching learning. For this purpose, teachers of social studies teachers were interviewed and teaching learning practices of social studies has been evaluated. The researcher adopts the theoretical underpinnings of socio-cultural approach to learning and tries to design and execute constructivist teaching learning setting for teaching social studies. It emerges from the analysis of these constructivists pedagogic settings that it helps to develop and sustain a culture of inquiry in the classroom where the strong interface between students’ everyday knowledge and school knowledge take place. The paper concluded that for moving deficit model of teaching learning, knowledge should be viewed as co-constructed, negotiated and situated entity, knower should have agency and the voice in process of knowing and the process learning should be dialogic.

Social Constructivism and Action Research : Transforming teaching and learning through collaborative practice

Abstract: This chapter explores ways in which Action Research and Social Constructivism can be harmonised to provide a theoretical framework and ways forward for developing inclusive education through practitioner research. The main focus of the chapter, and of this book, is on bringing about change in support of developing inclusive practices through collaborative and participatory action research. Drawing on ideas related to social constructivism which inform the research design and process, action research is presented as a powerful approach to transformation in teaching and learning. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Vygotsky, 1962) and ‘scaffolding’ (Wood, D. 2003) are key concepts in the approaches discussed later in this chapter, and in some of the other chapters in the book. Three key ideas for thinking about participation in learning and in developing positive relationships in schools provide the framework for this chapter: Inclusive Education, Social Constructivism, and Participatory Action Research. These frameworks overlap and there are a number of themes which run through them all – participation, observation, reflection, voice, collaboration, community, democracy, exploration and learning in its widest sense.

Understanding the building of professional identities with the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method using situational mapping and analysis

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion that social constructionist approaches to learning, which a building with the hands provides, is a “technique that leverages the potential of the hand-mind dynamic” as historically reported in the extant published literature.,The use of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) method in the context of transformative learning in Higher Education was used to drive a Situational analysis with sixteen postgraduate nursing students, from African learning contexts. This methodological approach was used to specifically explore their identity as learners and then to facilitate processes of critical introspection on social constructivist learning opportunities.,Students’ perceived LSP permitted a deeper level of critical introspection on their transformative learning journeys than alternative approaches, such as written discourse or extended narratives, could have provided. They also perceived that a major benefit of using the LSP method was that it enabled them to understand and articulate their stories more easily than if they verbally reported them first.,The sampling the authors used was purposive and reflective of the Nigerian background of our research participants, who study at the University of Sunderland.,LSP was perceived as an effective vehicle for the facilitation of reflection and self-awareness, which consequently contribute to students’ capacities to function at a metacognitive level. This has the potential to contribute to authentic transformative learning. Academic learning at postgraduate level hinged on the capacity of students to develop a pragmatic and working knowledge of what acknowledging their epistemic cognition entailed.,The methodological approach implemented in this paper provides a unique means of harnessing a now common gamification technique in pedagogic practice.

Folk pedagogies and pseudo-theories: how lecturers rationalise their digital teaching

Abstract: The gap in knowledge about how learning theories relate to everyday digital teaching practices in universities inhibits scholarly and practical developments in this area. This article reports on part of a qualitative research project which identified patterns across teaching modes, descriptions and accompanying rationales. It found that learning theories played a minor role in educators’ rationales, even though many of their teaching practices could be described as pedagogically ‘sound’. Although social constructivist approaches were strongly represented in the data, the most widespread rationales for technology uses were folk pedagogies and pseudo-educational theories. This contradicts much of what scholarship and ‘edtech’ culture espouses as pedagogically led technology use. Such educational technology orthodoxies hinder the progress of theory use in this area and fail to address the realities of how lecturers use digital technologies. While it may come as no surprise that educators did not articulate their practices referencing learning theories, the dominance of pseudo-theories in this research represents a threat to the criticality of scholarship and practice in this area. This article recommends that critical and scholarly approaches to digital teaching are encouraged, and that folk and pseudo-theories are acknowledged and leveraged in the support and development of digital teaching.

The Social Construction of Reality (1966) Revisited: Epistemology and Theorizing in the Study of Religion

Abstract: This paper takes the social constructivist approach, formulated by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann, as a starting point for an investigation into epistemology and theorizing in the contemporary study of religion. It discusses various strands of scholarship in dialogue with social constructivism and questions in particular the reductionism of radical constructivist positions. Exploring the boundaries of the classical social constructivist paradigm, the article argues that students of religion should consider the implication of social, historical, embodied and material structures in the production of knowledge about religion. For that purpose, it draws on various soft realist approaches to stress the importance of remaining attentive to positionality (reflecting on the sites from where we theorize) and contextuality (reflecting on the inter-relation of discourse and materiality) in theorizing “religion”. Finally, the article suggests that soft realist positions can be integrated in a slightly broadened social constructivist framework for the study of religion.