Principles Of Social Constructivism Research Articles

Towards an idealized model of feedback uptake: longitudinal development of feedback literacy from a social constructivist perspective

ABSTRACT One of the potentials and challenges for the implementation of effective feedback processes lies in promoting and enacting purposeful student uptake of teacher written feedback. The theoretical framework in addressing this puzzle emanates from the inter-related concepts of social constructivist approaches to feedback and student feedback literacy. Feedback from a social constructivist perspective is underpinned by social and relational interaction in co-constructing inferences from feedback information. Feedback literacy represents the capacities to use feedback information productively. The aim of this longitudinal qualitative inquiry is to analyze how an undergraduate student interprets and uses teacher written feedback to enhance her work and her feedback literacy over a four-year period, in collaboration with a co-researcher. The main data sources comprise all written feedback provided by teachers over the four-year period; co-constructed analysis and action planning; enactment of action plans; and the student’s reflective journal of feedback experiences. The findings are presented in three chronological stages to demonstrate the main feedback literacy development of the student in appreciating the value of feedback, enhancing emotional resilience in response to critical feedback and managing feedback uptake. Experiencing successful feedback uptake is identified as a significant factor in enhancing self-efficacy and supporting the development of student feedback literacy. On the basis of the longitudinal evidence, an idealized model of feedback uptake is proposed underpinned by social constructivist principles. The originality of our contribution to social constructivist feedback research lies in illustrating how its principles are implemented over time.

STRINGS OF INNOVATION: EXPLORING GUZHENG PEDAGOGY THROUGH THE 'INTERNET +' LENS

This study explore the evolving landscape of Guzheng pedagogy in the "Internet +" era, exploring the integration of traditional teaching methods with digital innovations. Applying Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and social constructivist principles, the research examines how online platforms like "ChinaGuzheng.com" and Douyin cater to learner motivations and facilitate knowledge construction within a community-driven environment. Through a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzes user demographics, satisfaction data, and behavioral engagement metrics from both platforms. Findings reveal that digital platforms effectively address the diverse needs of Guzheng learners, offering flexible learning pathways, fostering social interaction, and promoting cultural preservation. However, challenges remain in terms of platform usability and catering to individual learning styles. The study proposes an integrative enhancement that merges the strengths of both platforms, creating a holistic learning experience that embraces the core principles of UGT and social constructivism. This model has the potential to serve as a blueprint for the future of Guzheng pedagogy, ensuring the instrument's cultural legacy thrives in the digital age.

Using discourse analysis in contemporary social research

The aim of this article is to sum up the principles of social constructivism as a foundation of all theories of discourse, and to identify key characteristics of main discursive theories, as well as perspectives of their use in the research of inequalities. We explore key theories of discourse (critical discourse analysis and theoretical frameworks based on works of Foucault and Laclau and Mouffe), and application of methodological approaches of discourse analysis stemming out from these theories, in current social research. All discourse theories are founded on principles of social constructivism: social construction of knowledge, existence of multiple variants of knowledge, simultaneous construction and reproduction of social reality in the process of social relations, and an idea that subjects construct knowledge inside of discourse, while discourse in turn constructs social reality. Characteristics of discourse theories were identified around criteria of the degree of inclusivity of discourse, functions of discourse, stability of discursive structure, degree of subjects’ agency. Approaches to discourse analysis that stem from the works of Foucault and Laclau and Mouffe suggest a strong link between theory and methodology, with research methods less clearly defined. Critical discourse analysis fills this gap in methodological developments. In particular, for social research purposes, Norman Fairclough’s approach to critical discourse analysis is widely used, looking at discourse as a social practice, a type of speech, typical of a certain area of knowledge, and as an articulation of a person’s or a social group’s lived experience that stems from their structural position. Fairclough’s analytical model consists of three levels: a detailed linguistic analysis of the text, analysis of daily routine practices and ways in which people construct social order, and macrosociological analysis of the social practice. The article ends with discussion of examples and common areas of discourse analysis usage in research of structural social inequalities.

More Career Development Learning for Neurodivergent Tertiary Education Students: A Case Study

All adults, regardless of neurodivergent condition, should have the opportunity to engage in meaningful and sustainable work. However, there are a range of unique barriers facing those with neurodivergent conditions which are critical to understand to successfully facilitate the career development learning (CDL) strategies that will enable job market entry and success. In this paper, we will discuss a pilot CDL program, founded on the principles of social constructivism and Students as Partners (SaP), which was developed to provide neurodivergent tertiary students with the necessary skills and information to establish meaningful careers and employment options. Through our study, findings underscored the anxiety many neurodivergent students experience around career development and the need for specialised support to build confidence. Significantly, the most impactful outcomes from the program were the ability for neurodivergent students to hear authentic and relatable stories from their peers. The opportunity to discuss both successes and obstacles through the lens of neurodiversity was a powerful mechanism within which to build a learning environment as well as a sustainable community of practice. The experiences in both designing and conducting the Students as Partners driven CDL workshops for tertiary neurodivergent students adds significant value to the existing body of literature in not only how we define and label disability but also how employability is interpreted, both from academic and industry perspectives. The observations and findings of such an approach also challenge the existing narrative embodied in many university graduate capability programs for a changing future of work landscape.

Collaborative autoethnography: Emancipatory research for educational researchers

Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE) arises from an anthropological-critical research tradition that aligns with cultural-historical and constructivist onto-epistemologies. In CAE, two or more researchers collaborate to write about their personal experiences related to a specific topic (Gal et al., 2013) and writing is based on collaborative, autobiographical, and ethnographic principles (Chang et al., 2013). Indeed, CAE is characterized by sharing stories, collective reflections, and hermeneutical meaning-making to identify un/common themes and insights. This editorial is based on our experiences and principles we abided with CAE as facilitators, researchers, and practitioners.  In this editorial, we examine constructivist and critical perspectives on the CAE, including individual, collaborative, reflective, and analytic processes. We argued that sharing experiences, reflecting on them, and making meaning collaboratively are all essential components of the CAE processes. We acknowledge that the epistemic process can be emotionally draining for researchers to write about their personal experiences. Nevertheless, we believe that researchers must reflect on their own experiences to gain a deeper understanding of their own practices, thereby working towards improving their own actions via self-reflection. In addition, we believe that it is essential for researchers to collaborate with others to share their experiences and gain new perspectives. So, in this editorial, we would like to highlight CAE as a collaborative reflection as a timely alternative research approach (Roy & Uekusa, 2020). This editorial discusses the key ideas of collaborative participatory research, social constructionist principles, critical research, culture studies, emancipatory principle, and research for all, which are processes that improve collaborative practices for enhancing emancipatory research. The editorial concludes with a brief summary of the articles and book review that are covered in Volume 4 Issue 1.

Fuzzy Assessment of the “5 E’s” Instructional Treatment for Teaching Mathematics to Engineering Students

The “5 E’s” instructional treatment, which is based on the principles of social constructivism, is currently a very popular method for teaching, especially in school education. A hybrid model is developed in the present paper for assessing the effectiveness of the “5 E’s” application for teaching mathematics to engineering students of the University of Peloponnese, Greece. The model uses grey numbers and neutrosophic sets for evaluating the mean student performance, whereas the quality performance is assessed by calculating the Grade Point Average index.

Using LEGO® Serious Play® Methodology in supporting Nigerian nursing students' sociocultural transitions to UK higher education: A phenomenological research study

IntroductionFrom an historical perspective the United Kingdom (UK) has been the first European country of choice for Nigerian students wishing to study overseas. As an international contingent, Nigerian students continue to represent the UK's third largest international student body. This paper provides an insight into research undertaken to examine students' capacity to transition into the UK Higher Education system from a sociocultural perspective. Across the UK Higher Education Institutions (HEI's) have addressed issues surrounding internationalisation and decolonisation of the portfolio of programmes available to overseas students, with strategic curriculum design and justification processes evident in the extant literature. This project uses an innovative approach for the facilitation of dialogue with international students about their experiences of transitioning into UK systems of learning and teaching using a social constructivism approach. AimsThe aim of the research was to explore sociocultural perspectives which impacted on self-reported transitions to UK HEI's by Nigerian students. The objectives of the study were to a) provide a reflective lens of perspective on international student transitioning experiences for HEIs, educators and policymakers b) illuminate the challenges and barriers faced by Nigerian students during their transition from Nigerian to UK HE systems and infrastructures and c) to co-construct authentic and pragmatic knowledge of how best Nigerian students can be supported in their transition to UK HEI's. MethodsSmith (2010) interpretive phenomenological analysis, integrating qualitative research methods was implemented as a means of undertaking research facilitated using LEGO® Serious Play® Methodology as an innovative method of data collection. Twenty participants were recruited purposively to the study from an annual cohort of nursing students at a satellite Higher Education Institution (HEI) campus in Metropolitan city. Quirkos was used as a software package in analysing the data and establishing the salience as well as the commonality of emergent themes. ResultsFindings reveal the extent to which sociocultural acclimation is of importance in the process of transition to UK HEIs. The perception of complex ambiguity surrounding the design and delivery of UK academic curricula was also reported as challenging by Nigerian students. Self-reported comments from Nigerian nursing students revealed the priori existence of negative learning experience, including lack of IT facilities, culturally rooted family expectations and responsibilities which then influenced perceptions and experiences of learning and teaching in the UK. Negative experiences included perceptions of racism regarding skin colour, fashion sense and UK practice focused on authentic assessment opportunities. ConclusionThe small purposive sample of participants who engaged in this study, illuminated that students' prior experiences have the potential to influence their current pedagogical experience, in accordance with the principles of social constructivism. Most participants reported their experience of the transition period of entry to UK education varied between individuals, perhaps most significantly that perceptions of acculturation, acclimatisation and overall transition to the UK took between four and six months for a programme that may only have one year's duration.

Counseling leadership: examining race and racism using social constructionism

ABSTRACT This article discusses the relationships among leadership, race and racism, and social constructionism within counseling leadership. Accordingly, we critically examine the dominant constructions of race and racism within leadership. Next, we propose seven social constructionist principles to inform leadership’s construction and praxis within counseling. Finally, we utilize social constructionism and leadership, further informed through race-centered and anti-racism literature, to further this profession’s constructions of race and racism within leadership and future race-centered and anti-racism leadership actions.

First-year university students’ authentic experiences with evaluation anxiety and their attitudes toward assessment

In this study, we sought to understand assessment-related attitudes and authentic experiences of evaluation anxiety with a sample of first-year university students. We focused on identifying: (a) why students had reported high levels of anxiety on a recent, grade-bearing assessment, and (b) how their attitudes toward assessment type and weighting influenced their views on anxiety and learning. Drawing on social constructivist principles, 31 first-year students in New Zealand participated in a 25-minute interview. Semi-structured interviews included open-ended items about students’ experiences with anxiety, followed by a Q-sort task that structured dialogue around assessment attitudes. Results show that evaluation anxiety was reportedly caused by several factors, including students’ doubts about their capabilities, concerns about insufficient time and time management, external pressures to be successful, unclear institutional standards for quality, and concerns about performing well on certain types of assessment. Students reported that oral presentations and high-stakes written tasks were more anxiety-inducing for them. Meanwhile, students reported that high-stakes written tasks, low-stakes tests, and low-stakes written tasks helped them learn more effectively than other assessment types and weightings. We discuss the implications of assessment design, including the challenges of evaluating students in a way that facilitates learning and limits unnecessary evaluation anxiety.

A Retrospective Evaluation of Pre-Pandemic Online Teacher Learning Experiences

Teachers are expected to encourage students to be active in the learning process in line with social-constructivist principles. However, when it comes to their own learning, they are obliged to attend activities organized by their institution. Triggered by this dilemma, this study introduced Computer-Mediated Communication as an alternative to the top-down delivery of trainer-fronted professional development and explored teachers’ uptake of Web 2.0 in the pre-pandemic era. To obtain comprehensive insights into teachers’ perceptions related to the use of Web 2.0 for their own learning, the study employed qualitative and quantitative methodology. Study results revealed that teacher development cannot be promoted with the use of Web 2.0 per se as it is very much dependent on teacher awareness, autonomy, beliefs, contextual realities but most significantly student learning. Despite limitations, this study highlights the principle of learner-centeredness as the key for promoting teacher development and the need to make prospective teacher learning practices an integral part of student-focused activity. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that the multi-dimensional nature of teacher learning and contextual realities at multiple levels are considered in the design of post-pandemic teacher development schemes, significantly in institutions with low-autonomy cultures in order to turn top-down teacher development practices which teachers are used to into teacher initiated bottom-up learning processes.

Teaching Approaches Compatible with First-Year Accounting Student Teachers’ Learning Styles: Theoretical and Phenomenological Perspectives

Premised on the theoretical assumptions of social constructivism and multiple intelligences, the purpose of this conceptual study was to investigate teaching approaches which are compatible with the learning styles of first-year accounting student teachers from a theoretical perspective. Being a conceptual study in nature, data was collected from a host of sources on learning styles, teaching approaches, social constructivism and multiple intelligences. The study established that while not all first-year accounting student teachers are able or do not prefer to learn everything in the same way, social constructivist centred approaches are highly compatible with most of the students’ learning styles. Based on literature verdicts, the study recommends the application of the principles of social constructivism in accounting lesson presentations. It is also recommended that accounting lecturers should orchestrate all teaching and learning activities around student needs and their learning styles. Furthermore, the findings from literature review provide a sound basis to recommend that students must always be at the centre of all teaching and learning, regardless of the pedagogical beliefs and preferred teaching approaches of the accounting lecturer.

Expectations on online orthopedic course using constructivism theory: A cross-sectional study among medical students

BackgroundMedical education in this era has been disturbed by coronavirus disease. Our faculty has quickly adapted the curricula to online formats. The online format seems to be more advantageous in terms of content material and virtual activities, but the results of these adjustments will require subsequent evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate medical student expectations of online orthopedics learning that was created based on social constructivism theory. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out to assess the fifth-year medical student expectations of our newly developed online orthopedics course during the outbreak. Constructivist Online Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) was applied for evaluating the expectations during orthopedic rotation. The survey contains six aspects based on social constructivist principles: relevance, reflection, interactivity, tutor support, peer support, and interpretation. All students responded to the preferred COLLES before starting the online course, and the actual COLLES was filled out when the online course was completed. Before and after attending the online course, the scores were compared and interpreted to assess student expectations. ResultsA total of 126 fifth-year medical students studied the online orthopedic course. The preferred COLLES were completed by 125 students, while 120 students replied to the actual COLLES. The overall scores from the post-course survey in all aspects were significantly higher than scores from the pre-course with P-value < 0.01. The comparison between the preferred and actual scores showed this online course fulfilled student expectations. ConclusionThe outbreak of coronavirus disease 19 has disrupted medical student education. The online orthopedic learning course in our department has been developed to deal with the current situation. Using the various activities based on social constructivism theory in the online platform was able to fulfill medical student expectations.

The Music Den: A framework for entrepreneurship education in a university start-up incubator

This account of practice details an ongoing approach to entrepreneurship education currently being implemented at a large urban university in Toronto, Canada. The Music Den is an entrepreneurship incubator focusing on the music industry that collaborates with start-up businesses, music projects, industry, local communities and postsecondary students. The incubator deploys a pedagogical model that promotes self-direction and mentorship by way of adaptable curricular programming. The program design utilizes social constructivist principles to deliver a novel entrepreneurship education curriculum.

Modeling students’ voice for enhanced quality in online management education

This article proposes a transferable model for online learning, based on the principles of social constructivism. The findings have been collected through ‘end-of-course feedback surveys’, and concern a student-sample of 170 nationalities, residing in 154 countries. All students were registered in cohorts of the same postgraduate programme over a period of four years. The findings throw light on learners' difficulties in different parts of the world; along with practical implications for University decision-makers and instructors. The article's contribution is encapsulated in an eight-pillar learning model, aiming to facilitate educational inclusion, quality enhancement, and promote the benefit of learners.

TYPOLOGY OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN SPACE

The relevance of the study is determined by the features of urban space management: the tendency to self-organization of the city is accompanied by the participation of citizens in the processes of transforming the urban environment. The article discusses the features of the process of involving citizens in changing the urban environment; the aim of the study is to build a typology of citizen participation in the development of urban space. Particular attention is paid to the issues of interaction and harmonization of interests of municipal authorities and city residents. The research methodology is based on the principles of social constructivism and phenomenology, with the help of which it was possible to identify the motives and types of citizen participation in the development of urban space. The main results were the identification of the main ways of citizen participation in changing the city - active and passive, as well as building a typology of residents according to their degree of participation and interest in the development of urban space. Three main types were identified - detached, interested, decisive. In general, we can talk about the predominance of passive forms of citizen participation in the life of the city, as well as the actualization of the problem of civic activity: the emergence and active spread of online forms of civic activity makes us take a new look at the usual traditional offline forms.

An Application of Ergodic Markov Chain to the Process of Teaching Mathematics

The principles of social constructivism for learning have become very popular in the recent decades for teaching mathematics. In the present paper a mathematical representation is created of the process of teaching mathematics (based on those principles) by applying an ergodic Markov chain on its steps. This enables the instructor to evaluate the student difficulties in the classroom and therefore to reorganize his (her) plans for teaching the same subject in future. A classroom application to teaching the Conic Sections to engineering students is also presented illustrating the usefulness of our Markov chain model in practice.

Exploring self-efficacy beliefs in symbiotic collaboration with students: an action research project

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a participatory action research project in which teacher-researchers, student-researchers and student-subjects collaborated on a research project in a working-group format to investigate constructs related to the translator’s psychological ‘self’. The pedagogical approach adopted for managing the working group, based on social constructivist principles and a view of knowledge development as an emergent, collaborative process, was found to have boosted the students’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding themselves as researchers, as the results of a focus group analysis revealed. Moreover, through the symbiotic collaboration between teachers and students in the working group, a preliminary two-section questionnaire for measuring students’ self-perceptions as translators was validated over the course of the project, thus enhancing the value of this research tool for studying learners’ self-efficacy beliefs. A key focus of this chapter will be on a shift in emphasis from ‘translator training’ and ‘training the translator trainer’ towards ‘translator education’ and ‘educating the translator educator’.

A REVIEW OF RECENT PAPERS ON ONLINE DISCUSSION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This paper presents a review of a sample of recent case studies on the use of asynchronous online discussion in higher education. These studies are analyzed in terms of curriculum design, assumptions about teaching and learning, and claims and reported conditions for using online discussion. The claims made for asynchronous online discussion—in particular the opportunities for interaction between learners, and permanent access to these interactions—are found to be frequently based on social constructivist principles. Asynchronous online discussion is seen as offering additional value by providing learners with experience of computer communication tools and opportunities for taking part in group work. Several constraints on participation within online forums are described. These are discussed in relation to the nature of curriculum design, software design, tutor support, and learners’ attitudes and previous experience. The conditions under which asynchronous online discussion may best support learning are set out, and avenues for future research are suggested.

A Study of Effectiveness of Activity-Based Teaching Method in the English Subject of Standard IV

Quality of education basically depends on the method of teaching adopted by the teachers in the classroom. Generally, child cantered and participatory approach should be followed in the classroom transactions. Teaching through activities thus yields good results among the students in teaching-learning process. A variety of interactive activities designed based on social constructionist principles had stimulated interest and involvement in the learning process with the positive outcome of seeing students actually participating in the construction of their own knowledge rather than being passive learners. The research was an experimental study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of activity-based method vs. traditional method. The objectives were to compare the learning effects of group with traditional method and Activity based method. The study was delimited to 30 samples from PCMC area. The research was true experimental in nature. The research design followed by researcher is the pre-test post-test group design. Initially pre-test was administered in control group and latterly Activity based teaching strategy was applied on experimental group. Post-test was taken after completed the experiment. The reaction scale was taken from the student of the experimental group. This implies that the experimental group taught English concepts using Activity-Based teaching strategy achieved significantly higher than the control group taught the same concepts using the Lecture teaching strategy

The Shape Activity: Social Constructivism in the Psychology Classroom

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 constructivist theories. Yet the basic principles of social constructivism are notoriously difficult for students to understand and grapple with. This article describes a small group classroom activity using colored shapes that offers a concrete way to introduce these principles to students and provide them with opportunities for subsequent scaffolded discussion and reflection. Typical small group solutions are identified and discussed, along with data on student response to the activity, based on anonymous surveys from 18 undergraduate classes.