Constructivist Pedagogy Research Articles

The Relationship Between University Students' Epistemological Beliefs and Teaching/Learning Conceptions

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the Epistemological Beliefs and Teaching/Learning Conceptions of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th-grade students in the departments of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Coaching Education, Sports Management and Recreation Education in the School of Physical Education and Sports in Erciyes University. The research population consists of randomly selected 706 students of the School of Physical Education and Sports. In the study, Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire (Aypay, 2012) and Teaching/Learning Conceptions Questionnaire (Aypay, 2011) were used as data collecting tools. Data obtained through Personal Information Form, Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire and Teaching/Learning Conceptions Questionnaire were statistically analyzed using SPSS 20.0 package program. Candidates’ personal information and inventory total points and factor points were presented by identifying frequency (f) and percentage (%) values. To indicate the relationship between the scores obtained from the questionnaires, Pearson Moment Product Correlation analysis (r) was conducted while multiple regression analysis was performed to determine whether the points are predictive of each other. (β) Consequently, it was found that the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire subdimensions Learning Process and Learning Effort positively influence the constructivist teaching/learning conceptions of the students of the School of Physical Education and Sports while the subdimensions Learning Process and Certainty of Knowledge positively affect the students' traditional teaching/learning conceptions. According to these results, it is considered that students will take an active role in the learning process and the constructivist education and training processes will develop and contribute to the new generation constructivist education and training process while performing the teaching profession.

The Analysıs Of Elementary Science Education Course Actıvıtıes Through Many-Facet Rasch Model

Bu araştırmanın amacı, altıncı sınıf fen bilimleri ders kitabında yer alan sekiz ünitenin içerisinde bulunan etkinliklerin çok yüzeyli Rasch ölçme modeli ile incelenmesidir. Araştırmada yapılandırmacı eğitimin, öğrenciyi merkeze alma ve üründen çok süreci değerlendirmeye yönelik tutumunun etkin kullanım alanı olan etkinliklere odaklanılmıştır. Araştırmada fen bilimleri dersi 6. sınıf ders kitabında yer alan sekiz etkinlik; üçü fen bilimleri, üçü program geliştirme ve üçü ölçme ve değerlendirme olmak üzere toplam dokuz alan uzmanından oluşan puanlayıcılar tarafından incelenmiştir. Puanlayıcılar etkinlikleri 13 ölçütten oluşan etkinlik değerlendirme formu ile değerlendirmişlerdir. Elde edilen bulgulara göre puanlayıcılar etkinlikleri tutarlı olarak puanlamışlardır. Etkinliklerin, değerlendirme ölçütlerine göre benzer özelliklere sahip olduğu ve ölçütlerin ise güçlük düzeyleri açısında farklılık gösterdikleri bulguları elde edilmiştir. Ayrıca, ölçütlerin kategori düzeylerinin yeterli ve uygun işlev gösterdikleri belirlenmiştir. Çalışmadan elde edilen tüm bulgulara göre; birden fazla yüzeyin yer aldığı ve tüm yüzeylerin ayrıntılı olarak incelenmek istendiği çalışmalarda çok yüzeyli Rasch ölçme modelinin oldukça açıklayıcı ve faydalı sonuçlar sağladığı sonucuna varılmıştır.

The trolley problem: A social constructivist pedagogy approach

The trolley problem has been one of the more widely used thought experiments in business ethics education. However, the approaches used to integrate it in the classroom have not explicitly utilized individual reflection and interpersonal engagement, elements essential for cultivating moral development. Using social constructivist pedagogy, an instructional module integrating the trolley problem into the undergraduate business classroom is presented. The results of an instructional experiment assessing the effectiveness of the module indicate that while the module did not increase moral awareness among students, it had a positive influence on their prosocial intentions. Implications and limitations of the study, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.

El Sistema Educativo Mexicano como base en la construcción del nuevo Estado/Nación. Elementos pedagógicos y jurídicos. Redes políticas e intelectuales en el Estado de Chihuahua (1857-1910)

Presentamos reporte de los resultados parciales de la investigación partiendo de la premisa de que el sistema educativo y el sistema político o legal fueron los pilares en la construcción del nuevo ciudadano con el que las elites intelectuales edificaron al México del siglo XIX. Ofrecemos un primer acercamiento a esas redes intelectuales y políticas que se tejieron alrededor de diversos personajes en quienes recayó la tarea de construir, política y pedagógicamente hablando en el estado de Chihuahua, con sus características tan particulares, ese nuevo modelo educativo resultante de las reformas liberales de la época y la mancuerna con el positivismo dominante en el campo intelectual de esos años.

Female Secondary Students’ and Their Teachers’ Perceptions of Science Learning Environments Within the Context of Science Education Reform in Saudi Arabia

This mixed methods study explored how Saudi Arabia’s science education reform is functioning in 2 public girls’ secondary schools located in Dammam, 1 of the main cities in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia recently launched a new initiative to promote science education innovation by providing science curriculum change, professional development for science teachers, and progress towards a new educational system. This study examined Saudi secondary girls’ perceptions regarding science learning environments and the metacognitive science learning orientation within the context of science education reform in Saudi Arabia (N = 202). Further, 3 science teacher participants were interviewed in order to ascertain their perceptions of their current science teaching environments and their science teaching. Particular emphasis was placed on examining differences between the Course System, which is a new system designed to facilitate science experiments and constructivist teaching and learning, and the regular system in terms of students’ perceptions about science learning environments and their metacognitive science learning orientation. Results and findings indicate that teachers supported the constructivist pedagogy, and science education reform efforts may gradually change Saudi science education environments and improve Saudi girls’ science metacognitive learning orientation.

Out of “touch”? − An experiential pedagogical approach to daylighting in architecture and interior design education

A new challenge is emerging. Contemporary built environment pedagogy demands engagement with both analogue and digital tools for simulation and verification of lit architectural environments. The use of analogue tools within architectural design education grasps onto the historically valued craftsmanship of drawing and physical models to measure, represent and understand our lit environment ambiance. Digital tools can provide efficient, simultaneous and precise verification of lit architectural interior space through 3D computer modelling and calculation software. However, the understanding and representation of daylit scenarios is becoming more numerically complex as lighting metrics and software gain in accuracy and dynamic range. With the majority of easily accessible software tools focussing on numerical verification, the ephemeral ambience that daylight in particular creates in interior architectural spaces is becoming ever more difficult to grasp for the architectural design student and practitioner. This paper seeks to challenge the exclusive use of digital tools for the understanding and representation of lit interiors by proposing that this methodology cultivates design epistemologies that are out of “touch”. Questionnaire findings and workshop studies are presented as pedagogical constructs are proposed inviting physical, experiential learning of lighting principles in collaboration with numerical and digital modes of learning to provide connections and translations to develop through ‘touch’ing light.

Kortárs és ifjúsági

It is pivotal for contemporary youth literature to be made part of the curriculum, however, it is unnecessary for the education politics to canonise any of them. Contemporary novels give opportunity to discuss important psychological, social, ideological and artistic issues. Within the framework of problem-centred education they prioritise the processed issue besides the aesthetic quality and linguistic accessibility. Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time provides excellent opportunity to discuss the problems of people with autism and it is also suitable to improve empathy towards them, their families and parents. The study includes a detailed plan for discussion, the questions and exercises are ordered to follow the process of constructive pedagogy: tuning up – creation of meaning – reflection.

Motivation of Students of Economic and Technical Fields as a Tool of Competitiveness of Universities and Colleges: Empirical Study

The article presents an analysis of factors influencing the students´ motivation to study economic subjects in economic and technical study programmes in the conditions of a practically oriented college. The research is focused on quality management systems of universities and the competitiveness in the tertiary education market. Specifically, the area of quality of higher education is addressed, through students’ assessment of the subject of Business Administration. Motivation factors related to teaching techniques were classified and the intensity of motivation of the respondents was investigated in the questionnaire survey. The statistical analysis of data suggests that there are differences in the motivation of students of economic and technical study programmes. Students of technical study programmes Applied Computer Science are more demanding and have higher expectations from study programmes compared to students in the study programmes of Finance and Management, whose expectations are lower. The results are discussed and compared with a similar foreign research. A pedagogical constructivism should be introduced into the Czech education, resulting in enhancement of attractiveness of the study programmes, thus increasing the level of competitiveness of the college.

A Gender-based Investigation of the Perception of English Language Teachers at Saudi Universities Regarding the Factors Influencing Learner Autonomy

Learner autonomy has been a focus of attention in the realm of English Language Teaching (ELT) research nowadays and the study in hand is an attempt to investigate learner autonomy in theory and practice from the perspective of English language teachers. It aims to identify gender-based perceptions of English language teachers from a Saudi university regarding the role of the textbooks, study material, support of English language teachers, the students’ learning strategies, students’ motivation and self-evaluation in enhancing learner autonomy. This empirical survey has involved 30 male and 30 female (n=60) English language teachers from English language center of Taif University, Saudi Arabia to record their insights and views about their perceptions and prospects of these pedagogical constructs in their teaching practices. The participants of the study responded to a 35-point Likert-scale modified questionnaire to generate data. Independent-samples T-test has been run to calculate percentages of their responses as well as to identify any statistically significant gender-based differences. The results revealed that only six items out of the total 35 have shown significant gender-based differences in the perceptions of the participants of the survey. The findings have revealed that the participants of this study bear extremely positive attitudes towards the pedagogical significance of learner autonomy and have exhibited encouraging trends about the implementation of this construct in the classrooms. Recommendations have been forwarded based on the results of this survey.

Conflict between covers: Confronting official curriculum in Indian textbooks

The article examines the most recent national-level textbook writing process in India during which activists, academics, and government bureaucrats came together to produce texts guided by a progressive vision of education. In the place of textbooks that traditionally relied on rote methods and adopted a conservative stance toward social issues, the new textbooks attempted to utilize a constructivist pedagogy and include content that would directly address inequality in Indian society. Based on interviews with textbook authors involved with the process, I find that while the state was open to changes in pedagogical approaches in the texts, it remained more resistant to content that would force students to confront sources of inequality. The findings indicate divergent possibilities and potential contradictions in countering hegemonic approaches to education, especially in the current political climate.

Processos de recontextualização nas Aulas de Geografia

Este artigo tem como enfoque central discutir os fundamentos didático-pedagógicos da Geografia Escolar que se recontextualizam no conjunto da prática pedagógica por meio dos conteúdos geográficos. Nesse intento, tecer-se-á considerações basilares acerca da teoria de Basil Bernstein, com destaque para o conceito de recontextualização, tendo por base o modelo do discurso pedagógico. Na sequência, apresentaremos uma discussão sobre o papel dos temas e conteúdos do ensino de Geografia utilizando situações da prática pedagógica no processo de construção de discursos pedagógicos na Geografia Escolar. No contexto da prática docente do professor de Geografia, será evidenciado o conteúdo “Migração”, com o objetivo de compreender os processos recontextualizadores nas aulas de Geografia do Ensino Fundamental, anos finais. Os dados empíricos a serem apresentados são parte da pesquisa de tese intitulada Professores Iniciantes de Geografia: Processos de Recontextualização da Formação Inicial no Contexto da Prática Docente. Os resultados apontaram para processos de recontextualização que evidenciam potencialidades docentes relativas à Didática da Geografia e as fragilidades relativas aos conteúdos geográficos.
 Palavras-Chave: Teoria de Bernstein. Ensino de Geografia. Recontextualização.

Currículo multicultural como instrumento de empoderamento de escolas quilombolas

Este artigo apresenta uma discussão sobre o currículo multicultural e sua potencialidade como fator de empoderamento dos sujeitos que constroem a educação quilombola; carac-teriza-se como pesquisa de cunho teórico; objetiva discutir noções interligadas sobre o empoderamento, a Educação Escolar Quilombola e o currículo multicultural; expõe a ne-cessidade dos sujeitos envolvidos com a Educação Escolar Quilombola organizarem-se em prol de construções pedagógicas que vislumbrem aspectos históricos, políticos e cultu-rais das comunidades em detrimento de um currículo prescritivo-oficial e, por fim, conclui que o empoderamento se apresenta como atitude mediadora das ações dos grupos com vista à sua autonomia e que o currículo multicultural manifesta-se como um instrumento de fortalecimento no contexto educacional dos quilombos.

COGNITIVE LOADING DUE TO SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING, COMPLEX QUESTIONS AND TASKS IN THE ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS

The aim of the research was to explore the levels of cognitive loading induced by certain tenets of constructivist pedagogy namely self-directed learning complex questions and zone of proximal development. The study also sought to investigate the associations between these constructs and with cognitive loading and complex questions. Data for the research were collected using a questionnaire survey of a sample of students studying towards undergraduate degrees in construction-related studies at - public universities in South Africa. The data were factor analyzed to determine the factor structure of the constructs and to assess instrument validity and reliability. The relationships between the various constructs were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Consistent with other studies, the research found that complex questions induce a statistically significant amount of cognitive loading in students. The study also found that self-directed learning does not induce cognitive loading while subjecting students to tasks which are in their zone of proximal development is likely to induce some cognitive loading albeit much less than that from complex questions. Locating tasks in the zone of proximal development of students is likely to lead students to engage in some self-directed learning. It was also found that complex questions had a small significant association with self-directed learning. To reduce the amount of cognitive loading which students are subjected to, complex questions should be avoided for students with little subject prior knowledge, otherwise, students should be appropriately scaffolded. Students should be encouraged to engage in self-directed learning in order to reduce cognitive loading. Learning tasks assigned for self-directed learning should not be complex relative to the knowledge of the students as this discourages students from persisting with self-directed learning due to high cognitive loading. Keywords: cognitive loading, complex questions, self-directed learning, zone of proximal development.

A Gender-based Investigation of the Perception of English Language Teachers at Saudi Universities Regarding the Factors Influencing Learner Autonomy

Learner autonomy has been a focus of attention in the realm of English Language Teaching (ELT) research nowadays and the study in hand is an attempt to investigate learner autonomy in theory and practice from the perspective of English language teachers. It aims to identify gender-based perceptions of English language teachers from a Saudi university regarding the role of the textbooks, study material, support of English language teachers, the students’ learning strategies, students’ motivation and self-evaluation in enhancing learner autonomy. This empirical survey has involved 30 male and 30 female (n=60) English language teachers from English language center of Taif University, Saudi Arabia to record their insights and views about their perceptions and prospects of these pedagogical constructs in their teaching practices. The participants of the study responded to a 35-point Likert-scale modified questionnaire to generate data. Independent-samples T-test has been run to calculate percentages of their responses as well as to identify any statistically significant gender-based differences. The results revealed that only six items out of the total 35 have shown significant gender-based differences in the perceptions of the participants of the survey. The findings have revealed that the participants of this study bear extremely positive attitudes towards the pedagogical significance of learner autonomy and have exhibited encouraging trends about the implementation of this construct in the classrooms. Recommendations have been forwarded based on the results of this survey.

Inovação no Ensino por Projeto: Um Estudo de Caso de Resolução Criativa de Problemas

Following further research on the application of the creative problem solving method to teaching, we present here an experience that has occurred in pre-school education, the results of which have surprised everyone involved because of their quality, unity and respect for what is planned. This article is part of the constructivist pedagogy of teaching by projects. In order to talk about pedagogical project, the methodological aspects are essential to understand the commitment and appropriation of the project by the student. It reports a case study developed in Northern Portugal with half a hundred children, from basic and pre-school education. The phases of the construction of projects were developed, subordinated to the objective of the School Project, in an adaptation of the method of creative problem solving to the work with large groups. The implementation resulted in the implementation and presentation of six projects. The results show that the participants aligned the imagination with the planning and distribution of tasks, demonstrating the effective implementation of creative problem solving.Keywords: Case study; Creativity; Educational projects; Educational innovations; Methodology.

Teacher's Concept of Constructivism in Real Conditions of School Teaching

In the paper is observed the teacher's concept and realization of the conception of constructivism in the real conditions of school teaching. Constructivist pedagogy, despite numerous curricular reforms, is not sufficiently implemented in the real conditions of school teaching. We ask ourselves a question about which of the didactic implications has the constructivist epistemology in teaching. Teacher's concept of teaching as a general strategy for teacher's thinking and negotiation is the basis for planning constructivist-oriented teaching and for its actual practice in the lesson. In the theoretical part of the paper is represented the significance of the term teacher's conception of constructivist-oriented teaching and its real understanding of the constructivism theory in terms of school teaching. Based on the results of a research conducted through a questionnaire survey and a direct observation of lessons, we bring closer the reality of teaching of this epistemology, different perspectives, the teachers themselves as constructors of this paradigm.

Where Do We Go from Here? Toward a Critical Race English Education

In this article, I propose Critical Race English Education (CREE) as a theoretical and pedagogical construct that tackles white supremacy and anti-black racism within English education and ELA classrooms. I employ autoethnography and counterstorytelling as methods that center my multiple identities and lived realities as I document my racialized and gendered experiences in relation to my journey to Ferguson, MO and my experiences as a secondary ELA teacher. The research questions guiding this study are the following: (1) As a Black male English educator and language and literacy scholar, how am I implicated in the struggle for racial justice and what does it mean for me to teach literacy in our present-day justice movement?; (2) How are Black lives mattering in ELA classrooms?; and, (3) How are we using Black youth life histories and experiences to inform our mindset, curriculum, and pedagogical practices in the classroom?This article explicates findings from three interconnected stories that work to show how CREE can be operationalized to better understand the #BlackLivesMatter movement in its historical and contemporary dimensions. The data analyzed stem from my autobiographical narratives,observations, social media artifacts, and images. I aim to expand English education to be more synergistically attuned to racial justice issues dealing with police brutality, the mass incarceration of Black people, and legacies of grassroots activism. This analysis suggests implications that aim to move the pedagogical practices around the intersections of anti-blackness and literacy from the margins to the center of discussion and praxis in ELA contexts.

Assessing the impacts of school entrepreneurial initiatives

PurposeMany countries around the world have now introduced entrepreneurship into their curricula and educational practices, starting at the elementary school level. However, recent studies show the relative (un)effectiveness of K-12 enterprise education on diverse learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to report on a research aimed at assessing the impacts of enterprise education on students’ entrepreneurial attitudes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a quasi-experiment between May and June 2017 to assess the entrepreneurial potential of students at Elementary Cycle 3 (10–12 years) in Quebec, Canada. Relying on attitude theory, the authors used Athayde’s Attitudes toward Enterprise for Young People test, which assesses students’ entrepreneurial potential through four entrepreneurial attitudes (leadership, creativity, achievement and personal control). The experimental group consisted of 11 classes which had conducted an entrepreneurial project during the 2016–2017 school year (n = 208 students), while the 7 classes of the control group had not (n=151 students).FindingsAt first glance, data showed no difference between the two groups. Further investigation showed that private and Freinet (public) schools’ students, both from the control group, show significantly higher leadership scores than those of the experimental group. In-depth analyses also show that increasing the number of entrepreneurial projects significantly impacted three of the four attitudes assessed, although negligibly.Research limitations/implicationsTaken together, those results question the relevance of single entrepreneurial activities in developing students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. They also suggest the positive impact of a progressive, constructivist pedagogy in developing such entrepreneurial attitudes. Moreover, the paper raises several factors likely to impact students’ entrepreneurial attitudes for further research.Originality/valueK-12 enterprise education remains an understudied context, largely crossed by unproven statements. This research contributes to understand and give direction to educational initiatives targeting the development of young students’ entrepreneurial attitudes.

METHODICAL APPROACHES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ELECTIVE COURSE PROGRAM "ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF MODERN PHARMACEUTICAL EDUCATION" AS AN OBJECT OF TEACHING PROJECTION

The article applies theoretical and practical methods to generalize the experience of the pedagogical construct of the content of the elective course “Actual Problems of Modern Pharmaceutical Education” in the context of the introduction of the Bologna process in Bogomolets National Medical University, reasonable substantive, operational, final and evaluative component of the studied program of the elective course. During the development of the elective course "Actual Problems of Modern Pharmaceutical Education" for students of the first year of the pharmaceutical faculty Bogomolets National Medical University made it possible to carry out an information selection of its actual contents content, the organization of practical classes, the didactic complex of information support for studying the discipline, tasks for assessing students' academic achievements (thematic, modular, final), and to develop clear criteria and indicators for evaluating the results of their independent work.

Undergraduate Experience of Selection Group Interviews: A Qualitative Research Study Subjected to Pedagogical Reflection

This study explores stage 1 nursing students’ experiences of group interviews as part of the selection process to inform the future of midwifery selection practice. Using hermeneutic phenomenology to interview students is valid as a tool of reflection but not transferable, due to sample size. Two major themes identified from the data – truth and justice – were subsequently subjected to ‘pedagogical reflection’ (Durkheim 1956). Considering constructivist pedagogies, three main issues identified were: the information given to candidates prior to the interview; the use of photographs in a values-based approach to selection; and interview environment. For midwifery practice, we could consider alternatives to photographs and ways to enhance the interview environment.