Constructivist Learning Environment Research Articles

Addressing Low Frustration Tolerance in Students With Learning Disabilities

The relationship between frustration tolerance and academic behavior is well documented in the existing literature, specifically in regard to students with learning disabilities. This column addresses these connections and then provides specific strategies to address low frustration tolerance and increase emotional self-regulation in the classroom. By employing these strategies, teachers can improve student behavior, facilitate emotional development, and create a more constructive learning environment.

Crochet: Engaging Secondary School Girls in Art for STEAM’s Sake

Recent STEAM programs have made accomplishments in recruiting K-12 girl students to participate in STEAM activities. Educational researchers have called for studies of how STEM programs engage girls. However, little research has embedded STEM education with girl education such as their emotional needs, identity, and self-expression. This study examined how crochet that was embedded in a STEM summer camp impacted their sense of belonging, creativity, well-being, and STEAM learning. For this qualitative study, surveys were conducted with 37 student participants and Discord was used as part of the data sources. Findings indicated that crocheting enhanced students’ sense of belonging, creativity, well-being, as well as STEM learning. This study contributes to the STEM learning program design for girls in secondary schools with two closely related theories: constructivist learning environment theory and sense of belonging theory. This study added new knowledge to the research of crochet in girl education and STEM program design.

Considering modes of delivery in blended PBL: a literature-based approach

The COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated Blended Learning in many institutions worldwide, catapulting it into a now permanent spot in the school curriculum in many higher learning institutions. However, given the infinite permutations in blended learning, it is not surprising that it has led to contradictory student outcomes and learning experiences. Research has suggested the combination of Problem-based learning and blended learning can lead to constructivist learning environments that promote 21st century skills such as innovative uses of technology, problem-solving and collaborative skills. However, there is little to guide educators in the design of blended PBL. One design consideration is the choice of delivery modes. In this presentation, the literature is explored for the essential instructional components in PBL, and the modes of delivery that best support them. This could be offered as a starting point to support lesson designers approaching blended PBL.

Interprofessional Identity in Health and Social Care: Analysis and Synthesis of the Assumptions and Conceptions in the Literature.

Interprofessional identity (IPI) development is considered essential in reducing incongruency and improving interprofessional collaboration. However, noticeable differences in conceptualizations are being put forward in the literature, hindering interpretation of research findings and translation into practice. Therefore, a Concept Analysis and Critical Interpretative Synthesis of empirical research articles were conducted to explore the assumptions and conceptions of IPI. Independent literature screening by two researchers led to the inclusion and extraction of 39 out of 1334 articles. Through critical analysis, higher order themes were constructed and translated to a synthesizing argument and a conceptual framework depicting what constitutes IPI (attributes), the boundary conditions (antecedents) and the outcomes (consequences) of its development. The attributes refer to both IPI's structural properties and the core beliefs indicative of an interprofessional orientation. The antecedents inform us on the importance of IPI-fitting constructivist learning environments and intergroup leadership in enabling its development. This development may lead to several consequences with regard to professional wellbeing, team effectiveness and the quintuple aim. Given the educational orientation of this study, ways for facilitating and assessing the development of IPI among learners across the professional continuum have been proposed, although empirical research is needed to further validate links and mediating and moderating variables.

Online Education And Students’ Wellbeing During Covid-19 Pandemic

The primary purpose of this study is to analyse students' opinions on the effects of online education during the pandemic on students' well-being. The unprecedented world scenario that the students have been dealing with may delineate their academic performances and state of well-being to a great extent and subsequently make it a substantial challenge for researchers and practitioners. In addition to the prevailing adverse circumstances due to the pandemic in the educational sector, the stern measures taken by the UK government to avoid spreading the coronavirus also added to the adverse effect on HE students' well- being in England during the autumn back in 2020. It is evident that the pandemic enforced the drastic digital adjustment among Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the globe and pushed educational institutions to prioritise remote learning. For example, Oxford Business College (OBC), one of the leading independent (private) HEI in the UK was enforced all campus closures and made digital transformation a substantially more fundamental tactical precedence specifically for core learning among students. The foremost aim of the present research was to examine how online learning mode affected students' well-being at OBC and the variables contributing to students' opinions. A quantitative research design was adopted, and RStudio was used to analyse the data (N=944). The multi-nominal regression yielded significant results. It was found that online education at OBC did not impact students' well-being negatively, and variables such as gender, awareness of 'no detriment policy' and 'student hardship funds', general health, type of work, and positive measures of UK government significantly contributed to participants' opinions. In conclusion, OBC created a constructive online learning environment during the pandemic, leading students to appreciate digital education and maintain a positive sense of well-being. Furthermore, it is suggested that academic institutions should identify more relevant and interpretable underlying factors that could explain the enduring effects of the pandemic on student well-being. Keywords: Online Education, Student Well-being, COVID-19, Private Higher Education

Critical Reflective Learning in Social Work Graduate Research: Learnings from an Australian Study in Child Protection Service Delivery

Abstract Assumptions and worldviews shape social work research, particularly when influenced by settler colonialism in contemporary Australia. This article explores experiences from graduate research drawing on Ruch’s model of reflective learning and Fook and Gardner’s action-orientated approach to critical reflection. Written following PhD completion, it investigates significant learnings by reviewing reflective journal entries, feedback on draft manuscripts and supervision notes that were made during the time of the study. Deconstructing and reconstructing assumptions across all phases of graduate research show the trajectory from experienced social worker to novice researcher and the context within which this learning takes place. This process foregrounds graduate research influenced by Australia’s demographic, historical and political context in which the impact of colonisation continues to reverberate. Critical interrogation is required for socially just change. Currently, there remains a risk that graduate research produces knowledge that is founded on and shared through white perspectives, maintaining the status quo. Critical reflective learning needs a stimulating and safe learning environment that encourages hidden assumptions to surface and be openly questioned. This study concludes that personal and professional biases unconsciously influence graduate research and need to be identified in a constructive and supportive learning environment.

Managerial Control in an Online Constructivist Learning Environment: A Teacher’s Perspective

This article presents the lessons learned from an online teaching experience in the field of managerial control. The study aims to identify the determinants which influence collaborative behaviors between students in management studies and more specifically during the construction of performance measures. A business simulation specifically elaborated for this study is used. The study is conducted through a particular research design consisting of an online learning environment built on constructivist learning principles. The learning environment simulates the different steps of a performance dashboard creation (a set of performance indicators) for a fictitious organization. The study adopts an exploratory sequential design to explore and examine social behaviors during the process of knowledge construction related to performance measures. It contributes to a better understanding of the role of cognitive and behavioral skills in the profession of management accounting and how teachers can incorporate such aspects into their courses. It helps to build awareness among educators about the benefits of using digital learning solutions to help students in accounting and managerial control develop their professional skills most effectively.

The Master Course Design Process Explained Using General College Botany as a Case Study

This paper describes the master course design process at the largest institution of higher education in Colorado, USA. The master course design process demonstrated principles of backwards design and employed a team-based approach to course development. The course map was the primary vehicle for communicating the design of the course during development and later for accountability. This case study presented the redesign of General College Botany. The General College Botany curriculum employed authentic assessment and provided an andragogical learning environment. The central authentic assessment in the course was a term-long research project. Other assignments included wiki-building discussions, traditional quizzes, and at-home labs. The accounting of this process and the assignments described for an online science course provide a template for other institutions to follow when considering the implementation of master courses in higher education settings. As botanical curricula continue to be cut from degree programs and the need for remote learning becomes imminent in the modern world, the scaling of educational resources is facilitated by master course design. Master course design promotes accountability and standardization while also affording a well-researched, constructive, and blended learning environment.

Students’ perceptions of their first experiences of secondary-school science in New Zealand

In this article, I report a two-year study of working closely with science teachers and examining perceptions of Year 9 (12–13 year olds) students in 13 New Zealand secondary schools. The Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) was used. The questionnaire was administered to 327 students in the first year and 362 students in the second year to find out their perceptions of their preferred learning environments in order to compare this with their perceptions of the actual situation. The data were used to plan improvements in learning environments through a teacher professional learning process by redesigning programmes and encouraging changes in students’ classroom behaviours. Co-constructive learning strategies and reshaping of lessons to include current topics were used as tools to encourage students’ expression of opinions, personal relevance and shared control in their learning. After each subsequent year-long intervention, the CLES was re-administered to reveal that there had indeed been an improvement. The research is distinctive because it is a learning environment study in New Zealand schools examining students’ psychosocial perceptions related to their first-year experiences of science at the secondary level.

Examining in-service and pre-service science teachers’ learning environment perceptions and their sense of efficacy beliefs

ABSTRACT This study investigated the predictive effect of in-service and pre-service science teachers’ perceptions of the learning environment on their self-efficacy beliefs on science teaching. The same self-report questionnaires were used to collect data from in-service and pre-service science teachers. Of the participants, 142 in-service science teachers and 281 pre-service science teachers completed the Constructivist Learning Environment Scale and the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale. Canonical analysis was used to investigate the relationships between variables. The analyses of the findings revealed a reciprocal relationship between variables. Both in – and pre-service science teachers’ classroom environment perceptions were significantly related to their self-efficacy beliefs. Additionally, in-service science teachers scored significantly higher than pre-service ones for all variables and in-service science teachers’ classroom environment perceptions were more strongly correlated with their self-efficacy beliefs than pre-service science teachers’. This study suggests that creating a more effective learning environment affects science teachers’ sense of efficacy or science teachers with high efficacy beliefs create more constructivist classroom environment.

Sciences teachers’ creation of constructivist learning environments in their classrooms

The study sought to establish science teachers’ perceptions about the learning environments and how they implemented constructivist teaching strategies. An explanatory mixed method research design was adopted. The Constructivist Learning Environment Survey was administered to 180 purposively selected grade 10-12 science teachers from 30 schools and analysed using descriptive statistics. Semi-structured interviews were administered to five selected teachers who had shown to be more constructivist than others and data was analysed using constant comparative method. Social constructivism was adopted as the theoretical framework. Findings revealed teachers’ positive disposition in relation to personal relevance, learner negotiation and critical voice as some of the key constructs depicting a constructivist learning environment. Teachers’ disposition in relation to shared control and scientific uncertainty reflected traditional perceptions. Teachers used cooperative teaching strategies, real-life examples, and questions to elicit learners’ prior knowledge. Findings have implications for teacher professional development in classrooms showing diversity in learners’ backgrounds. Keywords: Constructivist learning; learner-centred classrooms; prior knowledge; social constructivism

Technology-enhanced constructivist learning environment for pharmacy students

Objective: This article focuses on constructive learning theory and demonstrates how digital technologies can develop cognitive and metacognitive abilities in pharmacy students. Method: The mixed methodology was used to analyse pharmacy educators’ (n=10) and students’ (n=26) perceptions of the efficiency of online digital resources for the creation of a constructivist learning environment. The authors adapted Constructivist Multimedia Learning Environment Survey by adding the rubric for self-reflective skills and teachers’ support assessment. The qualitative data was collected by interviewing teachers and through self-reflective open discussions. After the session of webinars and self-paced MOOC on the constructivism approach, teachers transformed video lectures into interactive video lessons, conventional theoretic-oriented tasks into web cases and web quests. Result: Comparing the results of the initial students’ evaluation of traditional learning materials and the updated ones, there were positive dynamics in all six domains (average item mean): learning to communicate (5.4 points), learning to investigate (7.8 points), learning to think (4.2 points), relevance (8.6 points), challenges (0.9 points), ease of use (1.2 points), and quality of support (7.2 points). Conclusion: Experts observed teaching activities for critical thinking and inquiry skills development, personalised communication, and integration of digital technologies. The results of the study indicated that there were positive transformations toward the constructivist learning environment.

Development Of Multimedia Ict-Based Online Learning (Cai, Cbi, Mobile Learning And E-Learning) In The Age Of Industrial Revolution 4.0 And Society 5.0

The purpose of this study is to describe the development of online learning based on Multimedia ICT in the Industrial Revolution Age 4.0 and Society 5.0. This research method uses a qualitative method with the type of library research. The results of the study indicate that as part of the effort to reform learning is to take advantage of ICT in learning activities. One of the ICT products that can be used in learning is a computer or laptop/netbook, an Android cellphone and the Internet. By applying ICT-based learning, students can learn "from" and "with" ICT products. Learning "from" ICT products is carried out using ICT-based learning such as from products in the form of CAI, CBI, Mobile Learning and E-Learning. Learning "with" technology is the use of technology as cognitive tools and the use of technology in a constructivist learning environment. Thus, the role of ICT-based multimedia in learning is becoming increasingly significant today, because these media are designed to complement each other so that the desired learning objectives will be achieved properly.

Incorporating indigenous knowledge in the teaching of weather and climate in primary school classrooms in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

One of the challenges related to the teaching and learning of weather and climate in the social sciences is the somewhat abstract nature of these concepts. Incorporating indigenous knowledge (IK), a form of prior knowledge that learners acquire from communities and passed down through generations, can assist in making learning meaningful and relevant. Using a qualitative research design, we firstly explore the type of IK related to weather and climate practiced in a local rural community to identify the overlapping knowledges of community elders and Grade 5 social sciences teachers. Secondly, we set out to determine how these teachers view the incorporation of IK in the teaching of weather and climate. Finally, we show how teachers perceive the relationship between IK and scientific knowledge.The data confirms that there is a shared awareness, among the community members and teachers, of the rituals and practices associated with weather and climate in this area. Teachers do see the value of integrating IK into the lessons pertaining to weather and climate in their primary school classroom as it allows them to activate learners’ prior knowledge and connects the classrooms to the communities from which the learners come. The data shows that teachers largely support the blending of IK with scientific knowledge in their classrooms in order both to activate prior knowledge and to address misconceptions. It is therefore important to create constructivist learning environments in classrooms that encourage debate and dialogue and which do not pitch IK and scientific knowledge against one another.

STEM ve STEM Temelli Robotik Etkinliklerinin Öğretmen Adaylarının Yapılandırmacı Öğrenme Ortamları Görüşlerine Etkisi

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of STEM and STEM-based robotic activities on constructivist learning environments in pre-service science teachers. The sample of this study, which was conducted in the 2018-2019 academic year, consists of 31 teacher candidates studying at the Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education. Mixed method was used in the study. A weak experimental design was used in the collection of quantitative data. In the research, "Constructivist Learning Environment Scale" was used in order to collect quantitative data. In addition, an open-ended "semi-constructivist interview form" created by the researcher was used to obtain qualitative data. Quantitative data was paired sample t-test, qualitative data was used content analysis method. According to the findings obtained in the study, it was observed that the effect of STEM-based robotic coding activities of science teacher candidates on their views of constructivist learning environments showed a significant difference when their pretest-posttest scores were compared. According to the qualitative data, it was observed that while the teacher candidates were doing STEM activities, their perspective on the events, the responsibilities they took with the methods and techniques they applied, and their associations with real life were observed to have a positive effect.

Why Management Schools May Never Change: Insights from the Early Years at Yale School of Management

For some time now, management education scholars have called for constructivist learning environments which position student experience as primary in order to help students learn how to learn from their experience. Such learning better prepares practitioners for the realities of practice than the comprehension of theory and conceptual frameworks might. However, the literature continuously calling on schools to integrate such courses into MBA, overlooks the fact that the Yale School of Management originally designed such a program but terminated it after 12 years. The course Individual and Group Behavior was central to SOM’s early curriculum. It was celebrated by students, alumni and employers from 1976 to 1988, but was also a source of major contention among a divided faculty. Yale University chose to end disagreements about SOM’s mission and purpose by terminating its Organizational Behavior department and eliminating coursework deemed too “soft” and “touchy-feely.” This essay exploring that case reveals a pattern of collective ambivalence for courses that prioritize learning from experience. Despite acclaim with students, alumni, and employers SOM’s emphasis on practice created a contradiction for traditional faculty. This tension was resolved by firing instructors, eliminating courses, and prioritizing traditional methods. The paper concludes with implications for schools today.

Gamifying English Language Learning through Interactive Storytelling and MALL Technologies

In today’s society, marked by the spread of Covid-19 that forced the shift from a traditional face-to-face to a fully online setting, digital tools are becoming more and more essential to engage 21st Century students in their classroom activities. In the context of ELT (English Language Teaching), Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) has increasingly been shown to foster language development since its interactivity allows for the creation of a constructivist learning environment in which students do not experience feelings of stress and anxiety. This article aims to present the design, development, and testing of an original class-interactive storytelling game addressing EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Italian Secondary School students. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and submitted to statistical and Computer-assisted content analyses to triangulate and enhance findings. The results showed that DGBLL had positive effects on students’ language development and the enhancement of 21st Century Skills, including critical thinking, engagement, collaboration, and the reduction of the fear of failure.

The constructivist learning environment and its impact on enhancing the efficiency of blended learning: An analytical study of the opinions of a sample of students of Najaf vocational preparatory school for boys in Najaf Governorate

The constructivist learning environment and its impact on enhancing the efficiency of blended learning: An analytical study of the opinions of a sample of students of Najaf vocational preparatory school for boys in Najaf Governorate

Relationship Between Student Perceptions of a Constructivist Learning Environment, and their Motivational Beliefs and Self-Regulation of Effort

The aim of this study is twofold: first, to determine gender-related differences in students' perceptions of a constructivist learning environment, their motivational beliefs, and self-regulation of effort in a science lesson; secondly, to explore the relationship between these concepts. The correlational research was employed in this study. The sample consists of 489 students from five public middle schools in a small city in Turkey. The Constructivist Learning Environment Survey was utilized to assess students’ perceptions of their classroom learning environment in constructivist-oriented ways. The Students’ Adaptive Learning Engagement in Science survey was used to assess students’ motivation and self-regulation of effort in their science learning. The relationships between students’ perceptions of a constructivist learning environment and their motivational beliefs and self-regulation of effort were examined using canonical correlation analysis. According to the canonical analysis, middle school students’ perceptions of a constructivist learning environment are significantly related to their motivational beliefs and self-regulation of effort. Implications of these findings were discussed.

The cross-cultural validation of the technology-enhanced social constructivist learning environment questionnaire in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

This study’s primary aim is to validate a research instrument in Iraqi Kurdistan middle and secondary schools to explore learners’ perspectives concerning social constructivist learning environments and e-learning outcomes. The research instrument was updated and devised based on Aldridge, Fraser, Taylor, and Chen's (Aldridge et al., International Journal of Science Education 22:37–55, 2000) Constructivist Learning Environment (CLES) Survey. Additionally, it also contains two newly developed rating scales that have been taken from Luckay and Laugksch (Luckay and Laugksch, Research in Science Education 45:1–22, 2015), and a perceived e-learning outcomes scale adopted from Sultan, Woods, and Koo (Sultan et al., Educational Technology and Society 14:149–163, 2011). The instrument included seven prominent social constructivist learning dimensions and plus perceived e-learning outcomes, namely: Respect for Difference, Learner Investigation, Critical Voice, Learner Negotiation, Individual Relevance, Shared Control, Uncertainty and Perceived e-Learning Outcomes. For this study, empirical data were gathered from 1289 upper primary and secondary school students in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The research instrument possessed factor structure, discriminant validity, and internal consistency reliability based on the results of data analysis. Consequently, the validity and reliability of Arabic language and Kurdish language versions of the survey were verified. Hence, the principal data are sufficient for additional empirical research involving path model evaluation in order to discern any correlations between the variables included in the research model.