Socio-constructivist Approach Research Articles

International Teachers Professional Developing: Blended Learning between Europe and Asia

Blended learning is one of the wider used instructional approaches to higher education for initial and continuing education. Blended education proposed between different international regions and countries is still scarce, especially involving developing countries. Specifically, we are interested to explore blended learning course for international teachers and teacher-educators professional learning. Some theoretical and operational principles to the design of blended learning are discussed in a socio-constructivist approach, followed by the description of a blended design in an international project. The paper goes in the direction to explore the potential for global collaboration and cooperative growth in blended learning.

Leadership curricula in UAE business and education management programmes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate leadership curricula in UAE business and education management programmes and examine the extent to which they are derived from and linked to students’ cultural and Islamic values using Habermas’ critical theory.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a mixed methods approach that takes classical pragmatism as its philosophical foundation and critical theory as a theoretical lens. Data are collected in four sequential phases using critical discourse analysis of course materials, class observations, student survey and faculty interviews. Results are integrated at the interpretative level and abductive reasoning is used as the logic of justification.FindingsResults show that despite the increasing efforts to incorporate cultural and Islamic values into the curriculum, it is still mainly dominated by Western theories and models of leadership, especially in the leadership courses offered by business schools, mainly because of accreditation requirements and the lack of English resources and theories on UAE and Islamic models of leadership.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to leadership curricula in the UAE. Researchers may extend and broaden the scope of the study by investigating leadership curricula in the Gulf and/or the Middle East. Future studies may also look at other theoretical frameworks recommended by other management scholars such as Mezirow’s transformational learning and the socio-constructivist approach (Hotho and Dowling, 2010). This study aims to open an ongoing debate and further investigation on the topic.Practical implicationsThe results of the current study may inspire faculty members and programme coordinators to develop critical and culturally relevant curricula that are informed by Habermas’ critical theory and best teaching practices.Originality/valueThe study adds to the current knowledge base through its research design and approach that address an under-investigated topic. None of the current studies empirically investigated leadership curricula in the UAE. The theoretical framework and research findings can be used to develop culturally relevant and value-oriented leadership curricula that reflect indigenous and Western perspectives of leadership.

Improvising musicians' self-regulation and distributed creativities: A phenomenological investigation

This paper explores musical improvisation, examining the learning processes utilized in acquiring improvisational skill, and the development of creative processes and expression of six elite Australian improvisers. Taking a socio-constructivist approach to examining how groups and individuals engage in, sustain, support, and productively develop processes of collaborative learning, this phenomenological study investigates the temporal and sequential characteristics of SRL and SSRL regulation that can inform teachers’ facilitation of group learning in the creative music ensemble. Concepts of meta-cognition and regulation of activity as a stable trait are challenged by the diverse ways self-regulation, co-regulation and socially shared regulation impact and shape thinking and learning. Distributed development and refinement of strategies and conceptualizations shaped by individual, teacher-student, and group activity impacting feedback, reflection and goal-setting of creative processes are discussed, with findings suggesting multiple creativities are distributed and interrelated amongst individual, teacher-student pairings and wider shared group activities. The study argues for informed thinking and teaching that develop multiple distributed creativities and awareness in teacher practice that enhance effective regulatory processes and learning.

Elements of the physical learning environment that impact on the teaching and learning in South African Grade 1 classrooms

Foundation phase teachers in South African schools follow a socio-constructivist approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics, which entails that learners experiment freely with concepts and are encouraged to communicate and share their thoughts and ideas. In an effort to understand the impact that the physical learning environment, such as noise or large class sizes, have on learning in South African foundation phase classrooms, this study deployed a qualitative case study design to gain insight into the learning and teaching that take place in Grade 1 classrooms. From a cognitive load perspective, the study found that noise, as result of the large number of learners in the class, as well as noise from the outdoor environment, contributes to the overload of learners’ working memory, which ultimately impacts negatively on learning. The study also found that the large classroom sizes in Grade 1 prevented teachers from rendering effective support, which causes uncertainty among learners in regard to what is expected of them when working on classroom tasks. This uncertainty leads to extraneous cognitive load.Keywords: education; extraneous cognitive load; foundation phase; mathematics; physical learning environment; poverty eradication; South Africa; sustainable development; working memory

Student perceptions and attitudes towards the use of Facebook to support the acquisition of Japanese as a second language

Abstract Linking Second Language Acquisition theories with a theoretically-grounded socio-constructivist pedagogical approach, this paper documents the attitudes and perceptions of first year language learners using social media (Facebook) as part of their core language module in an Irish university. Results from this study would indicate that while students acknowledge that it can support the acquisition of language, particularly grammatical and lexical knowledge, this does not necessarily mean students like it as a learning tool. Student attitudes are analysed to see if there is evidence of the major tenets of a socio-constructivist pedagogy. The analyis suggest that it supports some such tenets, namely peer-learning, student engagement, collaborative and contextualised learning. There is little evidence that it supports the tenets of motivation, self and peer assessment and a learner-centred approach.

The Integrated Approach to Teaching Visual Art in After‐School Activity Classes

AbstractThe present article discusses the possibilities of interdisciplinary integration for teaching art to primary‐school students in after‐school activities. Integrated teaching, as one of the ways for putting into practice the socioconstructivist approach to learning and the theory of the guided construction of knowledge, is used as a basis for conceiving and implementing the two projects described in the empirical part of the article. The research questions, addressed here, aim at finding out how a project‐based approach and the knowledge gained in school and through the students’ individual experiences can be applied pedagogically in after‐school art activities. To achieve the aims of the study a two‐cycle action research was conducted where the integrated teaching was viewed as a developmental spiral, in which the insights, experiences and results gained from the first project fed into the planning and realisation of the second one. The outcomes of the two projects suggest that the integrated presentation of teaching material enhances the students’ learning abilities to make associative connections between the different subjects, to transfer their skills from one project into another, and to apply their knowledge from one subject area to another by processing various sources of visual or verbal information in their creation of artworks. The two projects have proven empirically the validity and educational relevance of the integrated approach to teaching art, and the usefulness of the ideas in the New Finnish Core Curriculum for the holistic development of the child in the complexity of today's world.

A produção escrita de pessoas com deficiência intelectual na interação com as tecnologias digitais da informação e comunicação

Este artigo se insere em uma pesquisa maior, que investiga se a mediação em contexto digital exerce influência sobre a qualidade das produções textuais, sob os aspectos semânticos e ortográficos da escrita de pessoas com deficiência intelectual (DI). O estudo maior também verifica se a atividade de alimentação de Blogs exerce influência sobre a interação social, as Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação- TDIC e o letramento digital. A investigação se respalda na abordagem socioconstrutivista. Neste texto, objetiva-se investigar se a utilização das Tecnologias Digitais da Informação e Comunicação (TDIC), em pareceria com os mediadores voluntários (MV), influencia o desenvolvimento das competências de escrita de pessoas com DI. A coleta de dados realiza-se mediante a proposição de sessões de intervenção, nas quais as pessoas com DI produzem textos, sob a mediação dos MV, no contexto digital. Os resultados indicam que as estratégias de mediação estabelecidas pelo MV exercem influência positiva sobre as competências de escrita dos participantes com DI, visto que eles alteram qualitativamente seus textos. Esse resultado sugere que a mediação do MV no contexto digital se constitui como uma estratégia importante por possibilitar evolução da produção escrita de pessoas com DI. Conclui-se que os participantes desta investigação se beneficiam das TDIC, e demonstram competência para utilizar os recursos disponíveis no meio digital. A evolução da escrita se comprova, quando as ações das pessoas com DI no uso das TDIC são mediadas de forma clara, contextualizada, objetiva e adequada.

Protective Factors in Families: Themes From a Socioecological Study of Australian Defence Force Families Experiencing Parental Deployment

Families sometimes face prolonged and frequent absences of a parent due to employment in industries that require work away or for military deployment. Many families, however, are finding ways to survive and thrive. Within Australian Defence Force (ADF) families, despite the high stress and inherent danger, most do cope, displaying strength and resilience. Limited research has been conducted with Australian military families with young children, even less focusing on protective factors. There is particularly a dearth of research about families who have left the ADF or who have experienced the death of an ADF parent. This study offers unique insights through exploring family experiences of parental deployment by applying a socioconstructivist approach from data derived through narrative research. Protective factors were identified through relationships, the ADF, social media, community organizations, government departments, and digital communication technologies. Understanding how these families manage and ...

Generation Y and the World of Work in the Future

IntroductionEvery generation has its unique defining characteristics, and Generation Y, also known as Digital Natives, Net Generation, Generation@ or Millennials, is the generation which has grown up with the Internet. Generation Y is the term given to the generation succeeding Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Hence, Generation Y refers to a specific generation born from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. However, experts neither agree on an exact year when the era of Generation Y started nor do they claim a distinct year to mark an endpoint of the era. However, what definitely sets apart Generation Y from their forerunners is the fact that they grew up alongside mediatization and globalization.The definition of a whole generation inevitably inspires passionate debates as individuals are different concerning their social, cultural and economic backgrounds. Some scientists even refuse to accept the concept of generations. In their eyes it is virtually impossible to apply one definition to all as it comprises a range of diverse people. However, according to scientific literature portraying Generation Y, there are some characteristics which individuals of Generation Y obviously have in common and which set them apart from previous generations. Individuals of Generation Y differ in terms of attitudes, values and behavioral patterns from their predecessors. As a consequence, they tend to question strict hierarchies and entrenched structures. Although they are described as ambitious and determined, they appreciate a proper work-life balance. Unlike previous generations they are no longer willing to sacrifice their family lives to their careers. Hence, they expect employers to ensure the reconcilability of family and working life. Having grown up in a multioption society, Generation Y expresses a great need for individualism and flexibility, not only in their private lives, but also in their working environments.As Generation Y ascends the career ladder now and in the years to come, they are already influencing German companies and human resources managers. Especially against the backdrop of an anticipated labor shortage, Generation Y and their attitudes will shape the German economy. This article will contribute to an analysis of Generation Y, not only in terms of their chances and choices, but also by identifying the stumbling blocks which might stand in their way when it comes to making a career.Theoretical frameworkIn recent years, mediatization has emerged as an important concept and theoretical framework for considering the interplay between media, culture and society. Some of the most prevalent researchers in mediatization are noted to be Andreas Hepp, Stig Hjarvard, Friedrich Krote and Knut Lundby (Lunt and Livingstone, 2016). Although the idea of mediatization dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, the current concept was not outlined before the last decade (Ekstrom et al., 2016; Hepp, 2013). However, the researchers have not yet reached a consensus about a comprehensive definition of mediatization (Deacon and Stanyer, 2014; Hepp et al., 2015). On the one hand, there are researchers who consider that the concept is based on the institutionalist tradition. On the other hand, there are those who argue that mediatization is based on the socio-constructivist tradition (Hepp, 2013; Birkner, 2015).If mediatization was based on institutionalism, larger and smaller scale institutions, agencies and organizations would shape and regulate the communicative practices of media and the audience would need to adapt to the media and its objectives (Deacon and Stanyer, 2014; Hepp, 2013; Stromback and Van Aelst, 2013).This understanding is contrasted by disciples of the socio-constructivist tradition. One distinctive feature of the socio-constructivist approach is that it takes into account the change of the audience as well. The media and the media audience are both constantly changing and this approach aims to relate these changes to each other (Hepp, 2013; Hepp et al. …

Key Challenges of On-line Education in Multi-cultural Context

In meeting the ever-growing educational needs of culturally diverse student populations, universities and colleges still seek to maintain high quality standards, both for in situ and online education. Despite the latter's reportedly high effectiveness potential, online degree courses tend to have low students’ persistence and satisfaction rates. In this pape,r we examine the role that students’ and instructors’ national cultures play in the way individuals learn at a distance. We argue that students’ individual culture dimensions may prove influential in achieving overall learning outcomes. The key complexities for students involve understanding the instructor's role in a socio-constructivist approach, adapting online collaborative learning and acquiring academic skills. These can become crucial barriers to effective online learning. No less a challenge is presented by online distance education for instructors. Academic institutions’ managements have high expectations in terms of utilizing up-to-date teaching techniques, enhancing competitive edge and maximizing cost-effectiveness. Thus, the teaching staff is expected to play an increasingly essential role in the new environment. We conclude that instructors have to develop strategies to motivate, support and counsel students with the aim of facilitating the students’ on-line learning experience. This implies that teaching staff have to acquire new skills and competences vital for multicultural online education. Robert Kennedy College, whose experience is reflected in this paper, shares much of the issues of other institutions aiming to utilize distance online learning, but has the advantage that it was set up from the start as an online institution

Narrative, Acculturation and Ritual: Themes from a Socio-ecological Study of Australian Defence Force Families Experiencing Parental Deployment

Military deployment is typically considered a stressful period for families, generally lasting between 3 to 6 months for Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel. To date, insufficient research has been conducted concerning children and families who experience deployment within an Australian context. This study seeks to provide valuable insight into families with young children and explore their experiences of military deployment in an Australian context. Using a socio-constructivist approach, where truth is socially constructed both individually and culturally, ADF parents’ perceptions of their experiences are examined. Using Narrative Research, multiple methods of data collection are combined to gather various insights into families’ experiences. Data analysis was conducted using thematic verification identifying two main themes. Embracing an interpretivist epistemology, the researcher aims to create a shared knowledge around families’ understanding and experiences of deployment. Such knowledge will be helpful for effective support of parents, educators and professionals in their role with these children in the community.

Environmental Consciousness and Sustainable Energy Policies: Italian Parliamentary Debates in the Years 2009–2012

ABSTRACTThis contribution examines levels and components of consciousness (knowledge, experiences, awareness, concerns, values) invoked by decision makers and key informants in their speeches on energy sustainability at the Italian parliament in the years 2009–2012. A socioconstructivist approach, indeed, suggests that meaning-making and negotiation processes involved in the creation of laws affect the cultural shift required for successful energy transitions. Discussions among decision makers (n = 90) and consultation with key informants (n = 93) were submitted to content analysis. Results show that levels of consciousness are low, and their increase is due to external events, but they rapidly return to the baseline when the events in question leave the agenda. Cognitive components largely prevail over affects and values. Concerns are associated with all the energy sources. The observed unbalance among the components of consciousness, although being a pragmatic rhetorical choice, opens several questions about the Italian approach to energy sustainability.

On the margins of the profession: the work placement as a site for the literary translator trainee’s legitimate peripheral participation

ABSTRACTThe concepts of situated learning and legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) provide a theoretical framework for learning that is student-centred, based on collaboration and placed on the margins of a given community of practice, with a view to bringing the learner closer to that community. In translation pedagogy, these features converge most notably with the tenets of social constructivism, which insists on the importance of the publishable translation project in translator training methodology. This article aims to provide an account of a type of authentic translation project carried out at Universitat Jaume I (Castelló, Spain) as the final part of literary translator training at the institution, and to root it in learning theory and translation pedagogy. The translation project is conducted in the framework of the work placement that all students have to go through as a requirement for graduation. Actual practice in that context is for the most part in accordance with a socio-constructivist approach. But some relative departures from that approach are observed as regards the role assigned to the instructor, the notions of autonomy and empowerment, and identity formation.

Culture, emotions and narratives in education for cultural diversity: A sociocultural approach

Developing a reflexive stance on personal emotions and experiences relating to otherness is one of the main goals of innovative pedagogical activities designed to combat racism. This novel socio-constructivist approach to cultural diversity in education seems an interesting alternative to essentialist approaches, as it involves the learner and uses reflexivity to foster change. However, little is yet known about the psychosocial effects of introducing emotions and personal experiences into the learning environment. In this paper, adopting a sociocultural theoretical framework, we describe two pedagogical settings in which students? emotions and personal experiences were addressed in a multicultural context. The results of our first study showed that, in some teacher-student interactions, students? verbalized emotions were articulated in a more generic discourse. Working with emotions can therefore lead to what we call a secondarization process, whereby personal experiences are related to collective and conceptualized knowledge. However, these pedagogical practices may also generate unexpected outcomes that hinder learning. The second study explored the structuring effect of (self-)narratives, viewed as psychological instruments. These findings are discussed with a view to informing the debate on the role of emotional aspects in education, and sociocultural research in psychology examining the complex interplay between individual and cultural dimensions in learning.

Constructing an Explanation of Illness with Children: A Sample Case Study of Juvenile Arthritis

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to create a book to explain juvenile arthritis to newly diagnosed children, starting with the narratives of currently ill children. The development of the book followed a socio-constructivist approach and occurred over several stages, including: design of a comic-based workbook; conducting a workshop with ill children to listen to their experiences; collecting and organising the narratives into a children's book; adding physician explanations; consulting with parents and medical practitioners; and design of the final product. All stages led to meaningful enhancements to the book. The socio-constructivist approach and the workshop's open and friendly climate allowed children to express their conception of the illness, and to listen to and understand their peers’ points of view. Paediatric practitioners contributed to the project, providing clarity to the book and ensuring it would be scientifically sound and usable within the paediatric setting. In conclusion, written material addressed to children needs to be developed with a systematic methodology which takes a proper account of children's voices. This can be achieved using a socio-constructivist approach and through an appropriate listening setting.

Social determinants of health inequalities: moving toward a socio-constructivist model supported by information and communication technologies

There is a proven connection between an individual's social condition and his/her life expectancy and likelihood of contracting diseases. Indeed, a large body of scientific evidence shows that social inequalities, in particular, are the main “cause” of harm to health. The interpretation provided by the theory of specific determinants, according to which health inequalities are caused by lifestyles and a propensity for unhealthy behaviors, has contributed greatly to focusing scholars’ attention on social contexts, believed to influence an individual's inclination/exposure to risk, and therefore, health inequalities. Nevertheless, the theory of the social determinants of health provides a very rigid representation of the factors responsible for health, which are placed in categories with varying levels of centrality. In short, the theory sets out a hierarchy that goes from the general to the particular, with the more external layers (socio-cultural conditions and environmental context) influencing the internal layers (genetic and biological factors), but not vice versa. Reciprocal influences among the factors are excluded, as are interactions among the processes that put subjects at risk or protect them. The adopted explicative model is linear, reductionist, and based on a cause-and-effect relationship. However, today we know that interactions between the body, individual, and society are difficult to reconcile with a deterministic view of social inequalities in health; hence, there appears to be an urgent need to formulate hypotheses and develop approaches based on complex strategies regarding the construction of reality. This article sets out a pathway that, starting from the theory of the social determinants of health, goes on to show the necessity of a socio-constructivist approach supported by information and communication technologies. Moreover, it outlines the preconditions of a culture – and communication-based intervention model that can aid institutions in making choices in the field of social architecture that can reduce health inequalities.

A multi-analytical approach to predict the Facebook usage in higher education

Socio constructivist approach has an important say in cognitive absorption of learning in a student's life. This era of social networking services has given substantial importance to collaborative nature of learning, thus supporting Vygotsky's socio constructivist approach. The aim of this paper is to predict key determinants that affect students' intention towards academic use of Facebook. The usable data were gathered from 215 Omani students, and multi-analytical methods were employed to test the proposed research model. The results obtained from structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that resource sharing is the most influencing determinant in the decision of Facebook usage in higher education, followed by perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, collaboration and social influence. Further, the results obtained from SEM were used as input to the neural network model and results showed that collaboration is the most important predictor of Facebook adoption for academic purposes followed by, resource sharing, perceived enjoyment, social influence, and perceived usefulness. The findings of this study can be used to enhance the use of social media tool like Facebook for teaching and learning purposes. This is the first study which analyzed Facebook adoption for academic purposes by using a linear and nonlinear modelling. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Building a writing community through learning of French

This paper reports on a pilot study designed to develop writing proficiency in French via collaborative writing activities at intermediate level at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Twenty four students in the final year of French studies program took part in this innovative approach which integrates multimodal functionality of the e-learning platform combined with face to face interaction and discussions. Methodology draws on educational practice influenced by a socio-constructivist approach, and particularly on the importance of relevant meaningful tasks in the target language as well as ‘constructively aligned’ (Biggs, 1999: 11) assessment in language learning. The results show that groups used the online functionality to scaffold their writing skills and that collaborative tasks were perceived as an effective way of consolidating grammar knowledge and enhancing individual literacy skills in the foreign language. Qualitative analysis of students’ evaluation of their writing skills at the beginning and the end of the semester shows that group work acts as activator in the meta-learning that was occurring online as well as in the face -to -face discussions resulting in critical reflection in the independent learning process.

An Enactivist Approach to Web-based Learning

In the Web-based learning era, the possibility to use the online network for learning activities, studies and research has brought about a revolution in the educational processes and the emergence of a new culture characterized by the idea that knowledge is not closed and defined, but open and accessible to all. Within a perspective in which knowledge is generated by the interaction of the individual with the environment, the socio-constructivist approach paved the way to new theoretical frameworks that, starting from the social dimension of learning, acknowledge and embrace the biological aspects of learning processes, thus offering interesting reflections on the web-learning phenomenon. Stemming from these assumptions, LiveCampus was created; a social learning environment aimed at fostering a synergistic integration between the dimensions of formal and informal knowledge.

Anglicism: An active word-formation mechanism in Spanish

The adoption of the American neoliberal paradigm has resulted in significant social changes worldwide. Its effects are evident in different fields including language use. Thus, the influence of the English language and American culture on other languages is of interest for linguists, translators, and SL teachers, particularly within the socioconstructivist approach. This study aimed at identifying the presence of Anglicisms in the press in order to describe them, determine their frequency and patterns of use, and infer the causes of their incorporation in Spanish as well as its implications for SL teaching. Anglicisms were collected manually and semi-automatically for seven years and then analyzed according to formal characteristics and contextual domains. Results showed that Anglicisms have a strong presence in today’s press (in economics, computer science, sports, and culture), and that speakers adopt rather than adapt them. Four factors may explain the introduction of Anglicisms to Spanish: lexical gaps, social prestige, linguistic economy, and user preference. It was concluded that the English language and American culture have a significant presence in the press through Anglicisms, which needs to be taken into account in the SL socioconstructivist classroom.