Social Constructionist Research Articles

Integrating gender-inclusive initiatives in medical school in Rwanda: Faculty and student experiences at the University of Global Health Equity

Purpose Significant gender disparities exist in the medical field. Medical schools play an important role in promoting gender inclusion, which can lead to increased gender equity in clinical settings. This study explores participants’ experiences and gender perspectives at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda, which is prioritizing gender inclusion across several initiatives. Materials and methods This is a qualitative study with a feminist social constructivist approach. Participants included faculty and students in UGHE’s School of Medicine. Participants were selected via random stratified sampling by their role and sex. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted, six with faculty and six with students. The data was analyzed via coding and narrative analysis. Results Participants described their experiences at UGHE, including strengths, weaknesses, shifts in their own gender perspectives, and recommendations for the future. Three overarching themes included the role of affirmative action, integrating gender-based training and curriculum, and strengthening institutional policies to promote inclusion. Conclusion Medical schools play a key role in promoting gender equity and catalyzing a shift in gender perspective. Internal systems and policies impact gender inclusion. Medical schools should consider ways to build capacity for both its faculty and students in gender-related topics.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MASS CONSCIOUSNESS OF PEASANTS DURING PUGACHEV’S REBELLION

The article describes the prerequisites, factors and characteristics of mass consciousness of peasants during the years of Pugachev’s Rebellion (1773-1775). The analysis is carried out on the basis of the model of the functional system of the psyche, differentiation-integration theory of development, social constructivism, psychological- historical and intellectual-historical reconstruction. The peasant rebellion is considered as a result of the functioning of mass consciousness of this social group under the influence of historical, political and economic factors. It is shown that the peasant consciousness was based on communal identity, and its inherent values of stability and tradition were in conflict with the innovative values of secularism and rationalism that had entered Russia since the times of Peter the Great’s reforms. The inconsistency of the authorities’ actions with the needs of the population led to the emergence of social problems and determined behavioural activity in the form of riots.

Digitising a Card Game for Teaching Pragmatic Markers

Most language learning applications focus on pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar of a language. However, learning the pragmatics enables learners to interpret contextual meanings of specific words uttered by native speakers during conversations. An educational card game called Mind You! was developed for non-native English-speaking international students in Australia to help them learn English pragmatic markers. The card game was designed to encourage social constructivism and situated learning, where learners construct their own sentences based on their combined interpretations of pragmatic markers, images and scenarios displayed on cards to answer hypothetical questions. A mobile application of the card game is being developed as a supplementary resource when face-to-face or in-person learning is neither possible nor practical. Learners can listen to audios of pragmatic markers in sentences and type or record their own sentences based on their interpretations of the cards and share them online with other learners. This provides a platform for distance collaborative learning between other language learners where they share sentences based on different interpretations of different card combinations. The objective of the mobile application is to train learners in using pragmatic markers for English conversations outside the game. This work-in-progress manuscript outlines how the card game can be digitised into a mobile application.

Preparing graduates for the job market: A strength-based skill development approach

Orientation: The lack of skills, such as communication and teamwork among graduates, is a major concern for employers. Graduates should prioritise developing skills in demand for the evolving job market.Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the impressions of graduates regarding the skills they need to enter the job market and to develop and present a strength-based skills training programme for graduates in the South African labour market.Motivation for the study: Graduates can be equipped through a strength-based approach, which could assist them in applying their strengths to find employment in the South African labour market.Research design/approach and method: A qualitative research approach with a social constructivism paradigm was used. The participants were unemployed graduates, with a sample size of N = 10. Data was collected by using qualitative surveys captured on the QuestionPro platform. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Main findings: The findings highlight the challenges faced by unemployed graduates. The participants reported feeling empowered by the training programme, helping them recognise and utilise their skills and strengths.Practical/managerial implications: The study highlighted that a strength-based training program for unemployed graduates could enhance the skills necessary for employment, such as self-awareness and emotional intelligence. A comprehensive understanding of the barriers to decent work is crucial for developing interventions to equip graduates for the labour market.Contribution/value-add: This research provides a basis for training and developing unemployed graduates from a strength-based perspective.

CURRENT STATE OF PORNOGRAPHIC DEEPFAKES

This paper analyses the current state of deepfake pornography from a Science and Technology Studies (STS) viewpoint. Looking at the phenomenon from a social constructivist perspective shows that misogynistic power structures are embedded in certain deepfake technologies and that deepfake pornography reflects and reinforces such power structures. Additionally, the risk perspective points to the need for effective (federal and global) legislation and to the need for increased public awareness. Finally, the vulnerability perspective reveals how not everyone is affected equally by the potential of being featured in deepfake pornography, with celebrities having a higher risk of being featured in deepfakes and private individuals experiencing greater difficulty disproving deepfakes of themselves. Implications and questions for future research are discussed.

Evaluating intercultural learning materials from the RICH-Ed project through a non-essentialist perspective: Chinese University students’ and instructors’ perceptions

ABSTRACT Globalisation has increased cultural diversity in Chinese higher education, highlighting needs for intercultural competence development. However, suitable China-centric resources are lacking. This study evaluates intercultural learning materials developed by the RICH-Ed project, an intercultural communication textbook grounded in critical social constructionism and non-essentialist principles. The study employed a two-phase qualitative design, collecting data through questionnaires and interviews to understand students’ and instructors’ perceptions of the materials. The results indicate the RICH-Ed intercultural learning materials expanded students’ intercultural understanding. The interactive experiential learning activities enabled transformational self-reflection, challenging previous assumptions and developing appreciation for diverse perspectives. Similarly, the materials shaped instructors’ beliefs about intercultural communication. Instructors also experienced significant pedagogical shifts from essentialist to contemporary critical constructionist approaches. The collaborative lesson planning, observation, and reflection cycles built instructors’ confidence and competence in student-centred, dialogue-based methods aimed at intercultural learning goals. However, academic reading difficulties and the need for supplementary teacher training were issues identified. Recommendations include scaffolding comprehension through glossaries, discussions, and levelled reading; tailoring examples and roleplays for Chinese contexts; adding interactive multimedia; and expanding lesson studies. This utilisation-focused evaluation provides insights to strengthen emergent intercultural resources and training programmes in Chinese higher education.

Socio-cultural and Social Constructivist Theories and Its Application in EFL Classroom for Thai Pre-service Teachers: A Review for Further Research

Socio-cultural and social constructivist theories are crucial in learning and education. This article aims to inform readers about socio-cultural and social constructivist theories and to present their application in language classrooms. The body of knowledge in this article was synthesized from journal articles and books concentrating on the theories that are significant in preparing pre-service teachers in EFL classrooms. The article begins with an overview of socio-cultural theory involving mediation, activity theory, cooperative learning activities, and scaffolding. Then, the article explains the social constructivist theory and its application in EFL classrooms. The final part of the article sheds light on suggestions and future research.

Unveiling George Orwell through a Critical Race Theory Feminist Lens: A Social Constructivist Approach

Unveiling George Orwell through a Critical Race Theory Feminist Lens: A Social Constructivist Approach

Qualitative Exploration of Experiences of Mental Illness and Stigma Management Strategies Among University Students in Lahore

Current literature on student mental health offers ample evidence of a worldwide increase in the prevalence of mental health issues among university students. However, there is limited literature from a social constructionist approach within Pakistan examining the student perception of mental illness, stigma, stigma management, and barriers to help-seeking. This study attempts to bridge the gap by conducting a descriptive qualitative study using the social constructionist framework to understand the perception of mental illness and its corresponding stigma in a fluid, non-canonical fashion. Semi-structured interviews with 11 university students reveal the personalized meanings given to the critical terms within the study. Intersectional dimensions of gender, class, and level of education are extensively explored, considering the student’s perceptions. The reflexive thematic analysis identifies perceived determinants of mental illnesses, the perceived relationship between mental illness and stigma, stigma management strategies employed by respondents, and perceived coping mechanisms. In Pakistan, where mental illness is not only prevalent but highly stigmatized, this research hopes to be a valuable addition to scholarly research on mental health and illness among young people in higher education institutes.

Impact of the Neonatal Resuscitation Video Review program for neonatal staff: a qualitative analysis.

Neonatal resuscitation video review (NRVR) involves recording and reviewing resuscitations for education and quality assurance. Though NRVR has been shown to improve teamwork and skill retention, it is not widely used. We evaluated clinicians' experiences of NRVR to understand how NRVR impacts learning and can be improved. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) clinicians with previous NRVR experience were recruited for individual semi-structured interviews. Using a social constructivist viewpoint, five researchers used thematic analysis to analyze participant responses. Twenty-two clinicians (11 nurses, 11 doctors) were interviewed. All participants expressed positive attitudes towards NRVR. Four themes were identified: (1) Learning from reality-exposure to real-life resuscitations was highly clinically relevant. (2) Immersive self-regulation-watching videos aided recall and reflection. (3) Complexities in learner psychological safety-all participants acknowledged viewing NRVR videos could be confronting. Some expressed fear of judgment from colleagues, though the educational benefit of NRVR superseded this. (4) Accessing and learning from diverse vantage points-NRVR promoted group discussion, which prompted participant learning from colleagues' viewpoints. Neonatal clinicians reported NRVR to be an effective and safe method for learning and refining skills required during neonatal resuscitation, such as situational awareness and communication. Neonatal resuscitation video review is not known to be widely used in neonatal resuscitation teaching, and published research in this area is limited. Our study examined clinician attitudes towards an established neonatal resuscitation video review program. We found strong support for teaching using neonatal resuscitation video review among neonatal doctors and nurses, with key benefits including increased situational awareness and increased clinical exposure to resuscitations, while maintaining psychological safety for participants. The results of this study add evidence to support the addition of video review to neonatal resuscitation training.

Prisoner education and prisoner’s multi?scalarity of identity negotiated from penitentiary discourse

The growing interest in identity and language, coupled with increased interest in the relation between identity, language and education, has resulted in a rich amount of work that has informed education, identity and language. To keep abreast of the developments in identity research, the authors propose the research on prisoners’ identity changing from structuralism on identity as a set of generically inherent characteristics to social constructionist perspectives on identity as fluid and emerging in interaction. From the social constructionist perspective on identity, the prisoner’s multi-scalarity of identity is identified through the negotiation from penitentiary discourse indicating that the prisoners inhabit various identities in accordance with the discourses and discursive varieties that they are using, which requires us to alter the lens of seeing prisoners as having a single and stable identity of “Prisoner”. Prisoners’ fluid identity transformed from the legally fixed “prisoner” to the socially acceptable “people”, between which there is prisoners’ multi-scalarity of fluid identity, plays an important role in prisoners’ rehabilitation and socialisation. The successful identity transformation from “prisoner” to “people” means the efficient rehabilitating process of the prison for prisoners. The process of identity circulation has pedagogical implications for prisoner education.

Gendered workplace as a double-loop social construct: the case of Japanese women professionals

Purpose This paper aims to critically examine the role of women in the Japanese workplace and discusses its implications for gender studies within the context of diversity, equity and inclusion in international business (IB). Employing a social constructivism approach, this paper moves beyond conventional economic typologies and specific cases to offer an integrative and socially embedded perspective for understanding gender dynamics in the Japanese workplace. Design/methodology/approach This viewpoint paper critiques existing research on Japanese women professionals, drawing on factual evidence and literature to propose a double-loop gendering framework. This framework explores the socially constructed phenomenon of women in the Japanese workplace at multiple levels, providing a holistic interpretation of gender dynamics. Findings We identify five macro-level environmental factors that influence female labour participation, leadership positions and entrepreneurship. These factors are mediated by career motivation, corporate culture and men’s attitudes towards gender equality. Distinguishing between first-loop gendering, which focuses on problem-solving for improved gender equality, and second-loop gendering, which examines the underlying assumptions of social norms, values and beliefs, offers insights into the challenges Japan faces in achieving female leadership and equality. Second-loop gendering may help explain the paradoxical state of Japan’s women professionals, characterized by slow progress in gender equality despite significant political and financial resources. Our analysis reveals complex, multi-level interactions and influences within this socially constructed phenomenon. Originality/value This viewpoint paper provides a critical analysis of gender studies in the Japanese context, offering potential avenues for IB explorations. The insights extend to future IB studies, international comparisons of gender equality and the management of gender diversity in multinational corporations (MNCs).

Construct an instructional approach based on collaborative learning and reflective learning for enhance students’ analytical thinking and critical thinking skills

In the context of rapid globalization and digitalization, the development of students' critical and analytical thinking skills is increasingly prioritized in education. This study aims to address the gap in instructional models by designing an eight-step instructional model that integrates collaborative and reflective learning strategies to enhance these essential skills. Drawing on social constructivist theories and Dewey's reflective thinking framework, the research develops a comprehensive model that includes phases such as goal setting, team formation, exploration, collaborative practice, reflection, integration, and feedback. The findings suggest that this model significantly improves students' analytical and critical thinking abilities by promoting structured collaboration and intentional reflection. Through diverse group interactions and continuous self-assessment, students achieve a deeper understanding and critical analysis. The model's iterative feedback mechanisms also contribute to sustained improvements in student learning outcomes. This study introduces an original instructional model that theoretically supports the enhancement of analytical and critical thinking skills through a systematic integration of collaborative and reflective learning, offering practical implications for educators seeking to foster these higher-order thinking skills in students.

Improving affected victims and communitie reintegration of former Boko Haram terrorist defectors in Nigeria: a community-informed participatory action research

ABSTRACT Reintegrating defectors of terrorist groups into society is challenging due to community resistance and affected victims’ trauma. This article is the first to detail affected victims and community involvement in designing a trauma-informed cognitive behaviour therapy intervention to aid the reintegration of former Boko Haram members and defectors in Nigeria. Participants were recruited from Borno state, Nigeria. Informed by a participatory action research design and a social constructionist theoretical lens, we found that agonizing experiences, resentment towards incentives provided to former defectors limit successful reintegration, whilst using Trauma-informed intervention to address community needs could improve reintegration. It concludes that affected victims and community involvement in the design of reintegration programmes is crucial to its success.

Perspectives on Inclusion in Physical Education From Faculty and Students at Three Physical Education Teacher Education Programs in Chile

Discourse about, and the preparation of teachers regarding, the inclusion of all students has been lacking in Latin America broadly, including Chile. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members and undergraduate students on inclusion and social justice in Chile. Grounded in social constructionism, the research design of this qualitative inquiry was descriptive multiple case study. The 16 participants were PETE faculty—that is, two assistant professors and one adjunct faculty member (n = 3) and three heads of programs (n = 3)—as well as undergraduate students (n = 10) across three PETE programs in Chile. The primary data sources were 12 individual semistructured interviews with heads of the program and faculty and three focus group interviews with undergraduate students across programs. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis to draw on different themes capturing the perspectives on inclusion and social justice within the Chilean physical education curriculum. Findings were presented through themes and subthemes across PETE programs. Three major discussion themes are presented: (a) disability framed within a deficit model, (b) inclusion as an adapted pedagogical practice, and (c) inclusion as a rights-based model for equality of opportunities. We conclude, analytically, that a lack of critical critique of the deficit model of disability, adapted pedagogical practices alone, and sameness manifests forms of marginalization to students with disabilities in physical education.

Online Education Benefits Instructors’ Emotional Labor Management

The growth in online education preceded the pandemic, however, COVID-19 drastically altered the educational landscape by forcing the unprecedented shift of education from in-person to remote learning. This change heightened concerns over student outcomes due to a lack of emotional engagement that is critical to academic outcomes. To create a positive emotional connection in any learning environment, teachers must actively manage their emotions within professional guidelines. Studies on instructors’ emotional experiences are sparse, leading to a lack of understanding as to how instructors adapt their strategies and emotional labor in online versus in-person teaching modalities to build deep emotional connections with students. This study addresses this gap in the literature by asking instructors about their comparative experiences of emotional empathy and emotional labor in person and online. Nineteen qualitative interviews with higher education instructors experienced in both settings revealed three key findings: 1) creative use of empathy-building strategies online reduced instructors’ concerns over platform limitations, 2) the time lag in asynchronous online courses allowed instructors to more meaningfully address all student concerns and 3) contrary to expectations, emotional labor was experienced more intensely in face-to-face classes than online, suggesting that online settings gave instructors more space to manage emotional labor. This research centers on the debate between technological determinism and social constructionism: Are empathetic bonds and fulfilling professional experiences shaped by the teaching modality, or are they the result of adaptive pedagogies and strategies?

IMAGINE Research of Transformational Assessment

In the context of studying human beings, at the macro level, assessment is the process of documenting, analyzing, and interpreting empirical data to provide evidence regarding an observable entity concerning humans that emerges cognitively, affectively, physically, metaphysically, and/or spiritually, and which is internal or external to the person or group being observed. In this article, we argue that assessment does not belong exclusively to either the qualitative or quantitative research tradition; rather, it is central to both traditions, as well as to mixed methods research. Moreover, in every research study— whether representing the qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research tradition—some form of assessment is used. Further, assessment not only represents a social constructionist and/or a social constructivist act, but also, and even more importantly, it represents a political act. This article features a discussion about the systemic, historically disempowering nature of assessment that privileges an artificial and racist norm, and silences and punishes participants who become othered by traditional research and assessment paradigms.

Child Protection Staff Perspectives of the SOFT Program: Touch, Textures, Weights, and Pressures

ABSTRACT Aboriginal children are overrepresented in Australia’s child protection system, and limited tools are available to assist with connecting these children to their culture. The Stitching Our Future Together (SOFT) Program, developed in consultation with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples, services, and other specialists, is used within the Department of Communities’ Child Protection and Family Support (CPFS) Division in Western Australia to address big emotions and safe behaviours with Aboriginal children in care. This study used phenomenology and social constructivism to explore CPFS staff’s perspectives and experiences of the SOFT Program. Seven semistructured in-depth interviews took place with CPFS staff. Five themes were identified: the SOFT Program and its use, culturally responsive practice, facilitating relationships, communication, and recommendations and implementation challenges. Participants expressed that the SOFT Program fostered an understanding of, and communication about, pertinent issues such as family and domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, mental health, and child neglect and abuse. The findings show how staff described the program’s capacity to help them navigate complex situations, highlighting the need to incorporate more culturally centred and creative-based work into child protection practice. IMPLICATIONS The SOFT Program positively supports culturally responsive practice and facilitates relationships and communication for child protection workers and children in care. The integration of creative and legislated practices assists with personalising and enhancing the effectiveness of child protection work with children in care.

Implementation of Technical Communication Pedagogy in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review

One of the most significant needs in technical communication is to teach students how to communicate complex technical information. This paper systematically reviews the literature to map technical communication (TC) pedagogical strategies and theoretically underpinned approaches. The overall purpose is to illuminate patterns and trends in research that describe TC pedagogy, specifically learning objectives, method of delivery, content, assessment strategies, and theoretical frameworks. Following PRISMA guidelines, the study conducted detailed content analysis on 39 publications from 2017 to 2023 based on specific inclusion criteria.. Results show increasing trends in interdisciplinary, inclusive, and technology-driven approaches and recurrent themes of student-centered objectives, technology-based delivery, and diverse assessments, with Rhetorical Theory being the dominant theoretical framework in TC pedagogy research. Based on the findings, it is recommended that future research and practice in TC pedagogy prioritize the integration of comprehensive theoretical frameworks, such as social constructivism, genre theory, and rhetorical theory, to enhance the effectiveness of teaching strategies and better prepare students for the evolving demands of the modern workforce.

We need to talk about AL: has academic literacies designed the pedagogy out of Learning Development?

Academic literacies (AL) research has made significant contributions to understandings of student writing and literacy across higher education and particularly learning development. However, researchers and practitioners both within and external to the AL movement have struggled to clarify the relationship between AL and pedagogy. English for Academic Purposes researchers have highlighted the lack of a workable AL pedagogy, whilst AL researchers maintain that the model represents a design space or heuristic for thinking about practice in context, rather than a source of pedagogic prescriptions. This theoretical discussion elaborates concerns with the structural coherence of the AL model, its broadly social constructivist underpinnings and evidence base, and the impact of its ideological orientation on the pedagogy we derive from it. Underpinning these critiques is a suspicion that the interpretation of social constructivist epistemology on which AL relies to pinpoint weaknesses in the models of literacy/writing which it subsumes cannot generate a practical pedagogy. We argue that these structural and ideological tensions in the AL model help to explain confusion over its interpretation and implementation. We speculate that this singular focus on social constructivist-derived theory, though well-intentioned, does more to reinforce a particular ideological commitment than to enhance student learning.