Constructivist Epistemology Research Articles

Gender Influence on Access to and Control of Resources for Coping to Climate Variability. A Case of Mbita Fisher Community, Homa Bay County, Kenya

Global warming effects have far reaching impacts of livelihoods of many rural communities including fishers. It is in record that fishing accounts for world’s 36 million fishers nearly 1.5 billion consumers who rely on fish for their dietary animal protein. Past studies have concentrated on fisher communities and climate variability in marine waters and oceans; mainly investigating the impact of climate variability on fish distribution and production. Limited focus has addressed the interaction between impacts of climate change on the fishing activities on inland and fresh waters such as in Lake Victoria and the fishers coping and adapting with changes and variability of climate. The discussions in this article focused on Lake Victoria shore location of Mbita where the livelihood of local community is largely fishing. The objectives were to: Determine the influence of gender on access and control of fisher resources for climate adaptation in Mbita sub-county; Document the current coping strategies and constraints to Climate variability/change in Mbita sub-county. The study used a constructivist epistemology and the mixed methods research design to help it achieve its findings. Yamane’s formula (1964) is used to get the sample size of 388 respondents out of a population of 13191. Primary data was collected through use of questionnaires, interview schedules for KII and FGDs. Secondary data collection was collected through document reviews of relevant past studies reports and working papers on (temperature/rainfall data) of Mbita for the last 30 years data to get the trend of these elements and to determine climate variability and change. The instruments were validated using experts’ content validity with the supervisors. Piloting was used to ascertain reliability of the instruments Analysis was accomplished using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences. Presentation was done in descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that there was gender discrimination in access and control of resources which support adaptive activities that makes women more vulnerable to Climate Variability/Change hazards and disasters. The study further found that adaptation requires access and control of factors of production which were traditionally under the control of male fishers making women more vulnerable and susceptible to surviving through chamas and table banking activities. Statistically access to and control was significant to adaptation at p-value of 0.000. Under coping strategies the study found that adaptation required transformation of mind set that called for bigger investment which required the collaboration and consultation of entire Mbita community and county government to address environmental and conservative resource utility. The study concluded that lack of alternative livelihood opportunities/options is the major constraints to adaptation for people living in the Lake Victoria region escalated with limitation of skills outside fishing industry, limitation of other employable professional skills including lack of capital. The study recommends a transdiciplinary concientization of adaptive strategies which can translate into flexible and sustainable climate change adaptation and gender inclusive livelihood activities. Future research should explore participatory action research on environmental influences affecting CCA by comparing findings across other beaches and livelihoods to see if gendered resources have any role in their adaptation.

Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: a qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers

BackgroundVaping is a relatively new practice, and therefore its symbolic meanings and social practices are yet to be fully understood, especially within Australia where the practice is strictly regulated. This study aimed to examine vapers motivations for use, reinforcing influences, and association with the vaper subculture.MethodsWorking from a constructivist epistemology and a symbolic interaction framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 37 current (89%) and former (11%) adult vapers, 70% male, mean age of 32.5. Data was analysed via thematic analysis.ResultsVapers largely started vaping to quit smoking and underwent common experiences during their initiation phase. Subsequently, vapers tended to adopt one of two dominant identities, that of the ‘cloud chaser’ or the ‘substitute’, which some users moved between during different stages of their vaping career. The social and symbolic meaning of e-cigarettes and vaping varied and involved concepts of harm reduction, addiction, pleasure, stigma and community, and for some, connection to the vaper subculture.ConclusionsUnderstanding the complexities of vaping, and the nuanced differences of ‘cloud chasers’ and ‘substitute’ vapers may have important implications for health communication, research and policy. E-cigarette users within this sample were not a homogeneous group and differed in their motivations for use, association with the vaper subculture and relationship with the vape community. These findings provide new insights into the socialisation process and subsequent identity adoption of vapers within the unique regulatory environment of Western Australia.

De-disciplining humanity: the humanities’ case for Critical Management Literacy

From the point of view of the humanities, it is a very promising development that management studies have recently turned to the humanities in the quest for competences which are perceived by both managers and the public to be sadly lacking in management education. From the point of view of management studies, however, humanities’ scholars usually fall equally sadly short of teaching those competences to management students in a manner designed to convey what, exactly, those competences are and why they should need them. Our article seeks to negotiate the gap between the two disciplinary domains by introducing a concept of Critical Management Literacy which is designed to communicate the humanities’ specific contribution to management studies. Applying this concept to the humanities, we argue that the humanities are uniquely suited to help overcome the disciplinary segregation of knowledge by teaching that humanity is not an ontologically pre-stabilised entity that can be owned by any discipline; rather, it is an epistemological construct which varies according to the contexts it is developed and used in. The type of knowledge the humanities offer makes this conceptual dimension visible, which we claim is intrinsically important to management education. To offer access to this knowledge to management studies, however, the humanities will definitively have to revise their understanding of their disciplinary identity to some extent.

Competitive priorities for regional operations: a Delphi study

Perceptions and principles of competitiveness in the context of production and operations management (POM) have evolved over time towards trends in which firms compete at supply chain level. This evolution underscores the need for competitive priorities to be re-evaluated from time to time. The purpose of this article is to explore how POM experts perceive and rate competitive priorities for regional operations. The article presents a Delphi-based study with a panel of seventy POM experts from the Sultanate of Oman in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It applies a constructivist epistemology in a three-round Delphi Exercise to identify, select and prioritise the key competitive priorities perceived by panel experts. Nonparametric statistics test the dichotomous responses and levels of concordance and discordance of ranked outcome variables among the Delphi panellists. The analysis identifies nineteen competitive priorities thematically clustered into five orientations for productivity-efficiency, relationship-building, technology-enabled, environmentally-conscious and conformance-improvement. Polled results show heterogeneity during both selection (Cochran's Q: p < 0.05) and prioritisation (Friedman’s Q: p < 0.05) rounds. The conformance-improvement orientation consistently produced the top ranked priorities in the Delphi rounds. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed and potential future research areas on examining coordinate systems for POM strategy and modelling ecological and field views of POM are also elaborated.

ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: EPISTEMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS

AbstractThis essay presents an analysis of different processes of machine learning: supervised, unsupervised, and semisupervised, through the prism of the epistemologies of several prominent Islamic philosophical schools. I discuss the way each school conceptualizes the ontological absolute (immortality, death, afterlife) and the way this shapes their respective epistemologies. I present an analysis of the different machine learning processes through the prism of the epistemological constructs of each of these philosophic traditions. I conclude with the argument that more scholars from the Islamic philosophical tradition should engage in the debates about the development of artificial intelligence and its implications, given that many Muslim countries are among the leaders in this development and its application in everyday life.

Picture of the World in the Artist’s Work

Recently, scientists from different fields of scientific knowledge have actively turned to the analysis of social development within the framework of the picture of the world as its specific construct, the mechanism of interaction between man and society. The theoretical foundations of the research of modern scientists in the field of research are the work of the classics of philosophy, sociology, natural sciences, etc. V. von Humboldt created the concept of a picture of the world, based on the introduction of such concepts as “internal form” and “spirit of the people”.There is no universally accepted definition of the concept of “picture of the world” in science, which is explained by the dynamism of modern reality, the polysemy of the concept itself, and its inconsistency. The picture of the world is understood as a generalized image of the surrounding reality, created in the process of human perception of the world and existing in the form of scientific knowledge, concepts, laws, and everyday consciousness. The picture of the world is an objective world of two, an epistemological construct. The article assesses various approaches to the study of the picture of the world in modern scientific knowledge: philosophical, sociological, natural – scientific, etc. The levels of the picture of the world are distinguished: scientific and ordinary, their features are described. The analysis of the concept “picture of the world” in the works of modern scientists is the theoretical and methodological basis for the study of the picture of the world in art, which has its specificity and reflects the world in the minds of the creator. Creating a picture of the world in artistic creativity represents an understanding of the world around us in individual consciousness. The concept of “a picture of the world in the artist’s work” is revealed by the example of an analysis of the works of a Chinese painter Hai Zhi Han, a member of the Union of Chinese artists, a teacher at the Inner Mongolia Pedagogical University. Keywords: picture of the world, creator, picture of the world in the artist’s work, anti-rationality, expressionism

The Qualitative Interview in Psychology and the Study of Social Change: Sexual Identity Development, Minority Stress, and Health in the Generations Study.

Interviewing is considered a key form of qualitative inquiry in psychology that yields rich data on lived experience and meaning making of life events. Interviews that contain multiple components informed by specific epistemologies have the potential to provide particularly nuanced perspectives on psychological experience. We offer a methodological model for a multi-component interview that draws upon both pragmatic and constructivist epistemologies to examine generational differences in the experience of identity development, stress, and health among contemporary sexual minorities in the United States. Grounded in theories of life course, narrative, and intersectionality, we designed and implemented a multi-component protocol that was administered among a diverse sample of three generations of sexual minority individuals. For each component, we describe the purpose and utility, underlying epistemology, foundational psychological approach, and procedure, and we provide illustrative data from interviewees. We discuss procedures undertaken to ensure methodological integrity in process of data collection, illustrating the implementation of recent guidelines for qualitative inquiry in psychology. We highlight the utility of this qualitative multi-component interview to examine the way in which sexual minorities of distinct generations have made meaning of significant social change over the past half-century.

Considering the Role of Zone of Proximal Development and Constructivism in Supporting Teachers’ TPACK and Effective Use of Technology

This paper focuses on the construct of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) as a way to think about the knowledge and skills teachers need to effectively use technology with students. We use the construct of Vygotksy’s Zone of Proximal Development and Social Constructivist epistemologies to consider ways to scaffold and develop pre-service teachers’ TPACK. We synthesize these ideas and provide vignettes that describe what these look like in teacher education programs. We then conclude with implications for both research and practice.

Complexities and Contradictions: Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Students’ Lived Realities across Three Urban HBCU Contexts

This qualitative study explored how Black LGBQ students at three urban private HBCUs experienced and navigated spaces that affirmed their racial identity but posed challenges to their sexual and gender identities. Drawing on Black respectability politics and environmental press as power as theoretical framing, we utilized a critical constructivist epistemology to unearth the complexities and contradictions that Black LGBQ students face in HBCU settings. Our analysis yielded three themes: (a) affirming/othering, (b) institutional pride/institutional change, and (c) safe space needed/wasted institutional efforts. Implications for higher education administrators and policymakers are offered within.

A qualitative study of trainer and trainee perceptions and experiences of clinical assessment in post-graduate dental training.

The implementation of workplace-based assessment (WBA) needs to ensure the achievement of pre-set competences but may look different across varying contexts, such as in post-graduate dental education. The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of residents, faculty members and alumni concerning their experience with clinical assessment, and what configurations they consider as optimal to maximise the entailed learning experience. This study relied on a qualitative descriptive design using two data collection tools: focus group sessions, and semi-structured, one-to-one interviews. Data were triangulated from three sources: residents, faculty members and alumni. The data were inductively analysed based on constructivist epistemology. This was done using the Thematic Analysis approach, facilitated by NVivo software. The analysis revealed two mutually exclusive themes: process and people. Within process, variables related to quality, workflow and feedback surfaced. As for the people theme, the main two group of stakeholders referred to in the related analysis were the trainees and the trainers. There are many variables that need to be considered when developing an evidence-driven WBA. In addition, factoring into the design of the WBA the perception of the main stakeholders will enable contextualisation which is expected to raise the reliability of the adapted tools. This study introduced a framework that could support post-graduate universities in their journey towards developing context-specific WBA.

MODELOS ATÔMICOS NO ENSINO MÉDIO: UMA UNIDADE DE ENSINO POTENCIALMENTE SIGNIFICATIVA COM ÊNFASE EM UMA DESCRIÇÃO EPISTEMOLÓGICA

Neste trabalho, apresentamos os resultados da aplicação de uma Unidade de Ensino Potencialmente Significativa de 10 horas-aula sobre Modelos Atômicos, enfatizando a construção epistemológica do conceito de átomo, em uma perspectiva Kuhniana, para alunos de terceiro ano do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública de uma cidade paraense no interior da Amazônia. Para estudar os processos de Aprendizagem dos estudantes, utilizamos a teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa de Ausubel e a metodologia da Análise Textual Discursiva. Os resultados da comparação da atividade inicial e da verificação final de Aprendizagem apontam para a evolução das visões conceitual, histórico-epistemológica, e tecnológica dos alunos em termos qualitativos, e das visões conceitual e histórica em termos quantitativos. Conclui-se haver evidências de padrões de subsunção tanto derivativa como correlativa, em maior frequência, e de superordenação ocorrendo em um menor número de vezes.

Communication and Social Interaction across Cultures: The Case of a German and Ghanaian Educational Exchange Program

Using a constructivist epistemology, this paper explores the cross-cultural learning experiences of exchange students from Hochschule Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences in Germany and the University for Development Studies in Ghana. The findings reveal differences in the students’ commitment to agreements, tasks and time; while the German students have a high commitment to time awareness -- reporting to lectures and other meetings on time -- their Ghanaian counterparts do not. We suggest that universities preparing students for educational exchange programs should actively embark on cross-cultural education and training, providing adequate information on the context and culture of the host country, targeting all stakeholders before, during and after the exchange program. This will enhance effective intercultural relations and social interaction, and minimize culture shock.

Exploration of Knowledge, Perception and Adaptation Strategies of the Mbita Fisher Community to CC/ CV

Decreasing livelihoods of fishers’ communities is blamed on consequences of global warming and climate change impacts. Food security and livelihoods of the world’s 36 million fishers and the nearly 1.5 billion consumers rely on fish for their dietary animal protein. Past studies concentrated on fisher communities and climate variability in marine waters and oceans; mainly investigating the impact of climate variability on fish distribution and production. Limited research has addressed the interaction between impacts of climate change on the fishing activities on inland and fresh waters such as in Lake Victoria and how the fishers are coping and adapting. This article discussion focuses on Lake Victoria shore location of Mbita where the livelihood activity of local community is fishing. The interactive field study was guided by these two research objectives to: Determine the fishers’ knowledge and perception of climate change and variability in Mbita sub-county. Establish the effect of gender in climate change adaptive activities among the Mbita county fishers. The study used a constructivist epistemology and the mixed methods research design to help it achieve its findings. Yamane’s formula (1964) is used to get the sample size of 388 respondents from a population of 13191 fishers. Primary data was collected through use of questionnaires, interview schedules for KII and FGDs. Secondary data collection was collected through reviewing of documented information, such as the fish catch data and climate (temperature/rainfall data) of Mbita for the last 30 years data to get the trend of these elements and to determine climate variability and change. Content validity of the instrument was done through experts; supervisors. Reliability was attained through test and re-test Data analysis was accomplished through use of computer based software (SPSS). Presentation was done in descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings were:-there was gender discrimination in access and control of key fishing resources which support adaptive activities that makes women more vulnerable to CC and CCV hazards and disasters. The study found that majority fishers had clear perception of CC but only 46% had knowledge of CC. The fishers relied more on indigenous knowledge and meteorological forecasts were too technical and considered irrelevant. The study further found that erratic variations in temperatures and rainfall were greatest stressors with statistical significant p-value = of 0.02. Wet seasons destroyed infrastructure, increased weather-borne diseases and endangered the fishers’ lives while dry and hot season resulted in insufficient fish catches and near starvation food consumption. Statistically loss life and access to food were significant at p-value of 0.001 and p-value of 0.000 respectively. The study found that CCA requires access and control of factors of production which were traditionally under the control of male fishers making women more vulnerable and susceptible to surviving through chamas and table banking activities. Statistically access to and control was significant to adaptation at p-value of 0.000. The study concluded that lack of alternative livelihood opportunities/options is the major constraints to adaptation for people living in the Lake Victoria region escalated with limitation of skills outside fishing industry, limitation of other employable professional skills including lack of capital. The study recommends a transdiciplinary consientization of adaptive strategies which can translate into flexible and sustainable CCA gender inclusive livelihood activities. Future research should explore participatory action research on environmental influences affecting CCA by comparing findings across other beaches.

Patient preferences for asthma management: a qualitative study

ObjectivePreference for asthma management and the use of medications is motivated by the interplay between lived experiences of asthma and patients’ attitudes towards medications. Many previous studies have focused on...

Working together in Aboriginal health: a framework to guide health professional practice

BackgroundWorking effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is important for maximising the effectiveness of a health care interaction between and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and a health professional. This paper presents a framework to guide health professional practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.MethodsThis qualitative study was based in a social constructionist epistemology and was guided by a critical social research methodology. Two methods were employed: interviews with Aboriginal health workers and allied health professionals about their experiences of working together in Aboriginal health, and an auto-ethnography conducted by the researcher, a non-Aboriginal dietitian and researcher who worked closely with two Aboriginal communities while undertaking this research.ResultsInterviews were conducted with 44 allied health professionals and Aboriginal health workers in 2010. Critical Social research, which involves the deconstruction and reconstruction of data, was used to analyse data and guided the evolution of themes. Strategies that were identified as important to guide practice when working respectfully in Aboriginal health included: Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people working with Aboriginal health workers, using appropriate processes, demonstrating commitment to building relationships, relinquishing control, having an awareness of Aboriginal history, communication, commitment, flexibility, humility, honesty, and persistence. Reciprocity and reflection/reflexivity were found to be cornerstone strategies from which many other strategies naturally followed. Strategies were grouped into three categories: approach, skills and personal attributes which led to development of the Framework.ConclusionsThe approach, skills and personal attributes of health professionals are important when working in Aboriginal health. The strategies identified in each category provide a Framework for all health professionals to use when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

A method and framework for video-based pedagogy analysis

ABSTRACT Background Bringing about conceptual change in school science classrooms is difficult for teachers. Researchers in this field have struggled to influence classroom practice. Purpose The present research presents a method and a framework for video-based pedagogy analysis. Sample Six groups of 11-year-old pupils took part (three girls and three boys) in each expert micro-teaching interview, led by a science specialist (Advanced Skills Teacher). A ‘Concurrent Verbal Protocol and Retrospective Debriefing’ interview happened with the teacher approximately one month later. Six teachers and thirty-six pupils participated altogether. Design and method Three research methods (expert micro-teaching, verbal protocols and retrospective debriefing) were used. Data were video-recorded and managed using NVivo. About fifteen hours of video data were analysed using grounded theory methods. The interpretivist theoretical perspective (symbolic interactionism) was underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology. What can be considered evidence is inevitably affected by the researcher’s methodological position. So what constitutes reliable evidence can be contentious. Appropriate criteria for evaluating the grounded theory emerging from this study were used. Interpretivist approaches for investigating conceptual change in school science are necessary to complement positivist literature. This approach, proved successful in other fields, is new to this context. Data were recorded in 2013. Results Findings are presented as a Pedagogy Analysis Framework which uses the concepts: means (including information, misinformation and disinformation), strategy (on a spectrum from micro-strategies, through tactics to macro-strategies;), ends (physical changes, individual mental changes and group mental changes), and accidents. Conclusions The method allows teachers to help the researcher understand incidents in video-data that are not evident to any external observer. The framework could help strategic dialogue between teachers, student teachers, mentors, teacher educators, and educational researchers.

Poor mental health outcomes in crisis transitions: an examination of retired athletes accounting of crisis transition experiences in a cultural context

ABSTRACT Up to 20% of retiring athletes continue to experience crisis transitions, characterised by a lack of adjustment, ongoing psychological distress, depression and low self-esteem. Crisis transitions remain under researched compared with transition difficulties, especially within cultural sport psychology. This study aims to explore crisis transitions and related psychological distress within a cultural context. The media is a site of cultural exploration, thus this study examines data from the Australian media: specifically, a two-part special of a current affairs programme (120 minutes of footage) that examined the crisis transitions of nine former elite Australian athletes. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, located within a constructionist epistemology. The focus of analysis was on the broad repeated patterns of representation around experiences of and reasons for crisis transitions. Athletes depicted transitions predominately as difficult, invoking diagnostic language, including depression and substance abuse, to further constructions of transition distress. However, transition was also presented as a relief and an ongoing process, using varying constructions of choice in order to produce different versions of retirement. A range of themes were identified in accounting for these experiences during crisis transitions: sport was constructed as an addiction, inactivity partly related to lack of activities and self-worth was invoked, as well as constructions of abandonment by sporting organisations. The findings contribute to the cultural praxis of transitions and crisis transition literature by extending understanding around these experiences and resultant poor athlete mental health. Implications for career assistance programs and supporting retiring athletes are outlined.

Violence Reframed: Constructing Subjugated Individuals as Agents, Not Images, through Screen Narratives

Violence Reframed: Constructing Subjugated Individuals as Agents, Not Images, through Screen Narratives

The meaning of work in ‘crisis-ridden’ Greece. A bottom-up critical discourse analytical perspective

ABSTRACT This article explores the discursive configuration of paid work by Greek employees, shedding light to the symbolic pores they mobilize in order to craft its meaning as well as to the micro- and macrosocial implications of their argumentation strategies. Building upon a social constructionist epistemology, 22 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using tools and techniques provided by critical approaches to discourse analysis. The ‘school’, the ‘journey’, and the ‘slavery’ repertoires, as I named them, were the three discursive patterns identified, each one grounded in different assumptions about the social universe and thus legitimizing or challenging the hegemonic fixations of the meaning of work.

Perspectives on social workers from within an integrated setting

PurposeThis research explores community professionals' opinions concerning social worker's roles and statutory functions. It explores the perspectives of professionals and their understanding of collaborative and cooperative work; experiences of professional support; opinions on the aspects of anti-oppressive practices in social work; views on social work identity within multidisciplinary team structures; and perceptions regarding the challenges of cultural and contextual drivers of social work practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts an interpretivist paradigm and social constructionist epistemology in that there are multiple realities to be understood and different perspectives and perceptions to be explored. This study adopted a data collection approach of thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.Setting and participantsSocial workers and nurses working within an integrated social care and health NHS trust.MethodsSix respondents volunteered for interviews in 2017. Data were coded as follows using a multistage approach: (1) coding of comments into general categories (e.g. culture, models of practice), (2) coding of subcategories within main categories (e.g. values, knowledge and skills), (3) cross-sectional analysis to identify themes cutting across categories and (4) mapping of categories/subcategories to corresponding comparable research for comparison.FindingsMost interviewees (5) were social workers, with one from the nursing field. Respondents provided comments that fell under four overarching themes: cultural theme, the impact of economic austerity, organisational structures and the political drivers of integration.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the evidence regarding the role of social workers within integrated health and adult social care organisations (as opposed to mental health social work) and also contributes to the evidence around social work in times of austerity.