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Philosophical perspectives on constructivist views of learning
Educational Psychologist
Abstract
At present, social constructivists agree on little more than the important assumption that knowledge is a social product. Beyond this, there is little agreement about process. Different viewpoints about what it means to negotiate meaning and what the object of that negotiation ought to be (i.e., strategies/skills versus big ideas) reflect different assumptions about learning and the nature of truth. We examine these assumptions by contrasting three underlying world views: mechanistic-information processing, organismic-radical constructivism, and Deweyan contextualism or transactional realism. This third world view, we argue, is most consistent with idea-based social constructivism.
... Rather, the meanings of desired skills are constructed through interactions between employers and employees, or between the members of communities that require skills and individuals who want to participate in such communities (Lave and Wenger, 1991). According to social constructivism, knowledge is shaped through the exchanges of perceptions about what counts as meaningful knowledge among subjective agencies (Prawat and Floden, 1994;Goldman, 1999). Adoption of this constructivist approach enables a departure from institutionalism, both theoretically and methodologically. ...
... A more significant recent move has been to engage with the critique of the political economy approach as too structuralist through recourse to critical realism. Maurer, Haolader and Shimu and Ramsarup, McGrath and Lotz-Sisitka (both this issue) are examples of this move (see also Powell and McGrath, 2019;Aldinucci et al., 2021;Ramsarup et al., 2022;VET Africa 4.0 Collective, 2023). Three main strands have emerged, all drawing on different aspects of the critical realist tradition to offer distinct responses to the political economy approach. ...
... Drawing particularly on Archer's later work (2003 and 2007), research on South Africa and Chile (Powell and McGrath, 2019a;Aldinucci et al., 2021) has sought to insist on the agency of young people navigating vocational systems without downplaying the powerful structural effects of the wider political economy. One aspect of this is a strong focus on young people's aspirations and the potential for vocational education and training to expand their aspirational horizons (Powell and McGrath, 2019;McGrath et al., 2020b). ...
This is the editorial for the special issue titled "Skills for development revisited" of the International Journal of Educational Development.
In 2012, IJED published a special issue on vocational education and training and development that reflected the sense of being at a potential turning point for policy, practice and research in this area as UNESCO convened the Third International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training. A decade on, we reflect on the way that the research literature has evolved in this period, suggesting a five-fold typology of literature that seeks to explore the VET-development relationship. First, we note that the vast majority of research published on VET in developing countries is practice-focused, concerned with improving classrooms, curricula and colleges, largely in the public sector. Whilst it considers VET in development contexts, it is typically not concerned with questions about the relationship between VET and development. Second, there is a well-established literature
that provides an economic analysis of skills development in the Global South. As, we explain in the paper, this has two main strands: one from the supply and the other from the demand side. The former focuses on the costefficiency of the VET system, while the latter pays attention to the labour market demands for skills and education.
Third, there is a constructivist tradition in which researchers emphasise empirically observing ways skills are demanded and used in the lives of people who embody them, instead of taking the models and logic of the public VET structure and educational programmes as paramount. Fourth, the political economy of skills tradition is concerned with the rules of how skills development operates, with a strong historical and comparative sensibility.
Fifth, we identify a “post-political economy of skills”, which seeks to build from the political economy tradition through drawing on diverse theoretical influences, such as critical realism, political ecology and the capabilities approach. We argue that this pluralism is to be welcomed but, nonetheless, advocate for better
dialogue across these traditions.
... The cognitive constructivist approach takes into account developmental stages and factors such as age, background, and education in the learning process [32]. According to Prawat and Floden [34], cognitive constructivism considers knowledge as an exploration of how the world functions, and its value is assessed based on its alignment with reality. ...
... Vygotsky's social constructivism emphasizes the importance of collaborative and socially interactive learning activities, while also highlighting the significance of understanding the historical context in which information is formed [35]. Social constructivism goes beyond individual logical reasoning and emphasizes the significance of knowledge derived from social interactions and communication [34] [37]. The argument is that social communication and interaction contribute to the development of thorough and dependable knowledge through shared understanding, testing, and evaluation. ...
The social constructivist approach to teaching and learning has garnered significant interest among educators and researchers. However, further investigation into its implementation and effectiveness in the classroom is still needed. This study aims to investigate engineering students’ perceptions of social constructivist practices in their technology classes, using the constructivist learning environment survey (CLES) as its framework. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods was used, which included online surveys and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of data from 300 responses showed that constructivism was partially implemented in the classroom. Specifically, student negotiation emerged as the most frequently perceived dimension, while shared control was perceived as seldom occurring. Most items on the personal relevance scale were frequently perceived, highlighting the importance of integrating technology learning into students’ daily lives. Similarly, the uncertainty of technology was found to be a common experience for students. In contrast, the dimension of critical voice received mixed results, emphasizing the necessity of a learning environment that fosters student expression and meaningful discussions. These findings suggest the necessity for additional investigation and integration of social constructivist practices that emphasize the enhancement of student engagement, promotion of critical thinking, and redistribution of power within the classroom setting.
... Constructivist theory: a philosophical view concerned with the mental structure of the learner, and how to construct the meaning of knowledge in the mental structure, in the light of their previous experiences. (Prawat & Folden, 1994). ...
The research aims to address the artistic deficiencies of students in employing their skills and previous experiences in designing and implementing a tight structure for artistic work based on the synthesis of materials and the development of aesthetic perception. Previous cognitive structures to reach new experiences and knowledge structures, and the research sample consisted of (15) student of the College of Education at King Faisal University, A pre and post test were applied to them in the test of skill performance-and a test of concepts of aesthetic perception of artistic work based on the synthesis of materials, and the results concluded that there are significant differences at the level of (0.01) between the average scores of the performance skills scale and aesthetic perception in the test (pre-post) in favor of the post-test, which indicates the effectiveness of teaching with constructivist theory for developing skill performance and concepts of aesthetic perception among the experimental research sample.
... Students not only act as recipients of knowledge transfer from teachers but also become individuals who actively use their creative ideas to explore and discover knowledge. In constructivist philosophy, learning is a collaborative process where students interact actively with the subject matter and the surrounding environment (Prawat & Floden, 1994). Like the "freedom-to-learn," this philosophy encourages students' independence, motivating them to explore, ask questions, and participate more proactively in learning. ...
This study explores the perspectives and implementation of social constructivism in the context of Islamic Education learning in State Senior High Schools in Palu City. The research method applied is a qualitative multi-case study. Data was gathered through direct observation, in-depth interviews, and written document analysis. Interviews involve two school principals and fifteen Islamic education teachers from two State Senior High Schools. The data was then analyzed using thematic analysis. This study found that the paradigm of the school principals demonstrates an understanding and support that needs improvement to delve into and precisely support the theory of social constructivism in the teaching of Islamic religious education. Nonetheless, the school principals also exhibit awareness of the significance of applying the principles of social constructivism in the context of Islamic education. In both schools, the teachers still need to understand social constructivism thoroughly. The teaching practices still rely on lecture methods as the primary approach, leading to the teacher's role primarily focused on imparting information, with collaborative learning implemented as question-and-answer sessions and group discussions. Limitations in assigning collaborative tasks and projects result in the potential for developing the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) among students, which needs to be fully optimized. The concept of scaffolding is only provided to students who inquire; thus, the principles of social constructivism in learning still need to be fully optimized. This study concluded that academics have the opportunity to enrich their knowledge, education practitioners can improve teaching skills, and policymakers can design more effective educational strategies and programs. Joint efforts are needed to enhance the understanding and implementation of social constructivism in Islamic Education learning in State Senior High Schools in Palu City.
... This view also overlooks the many contributions Muslim scholars have made to the body of science across the spectrum of history. Finally, knowledge is not the product of one language alone; rather, it could be perceived as a human product of cultural and social constructs (Gredler, 1997;Prawat & Floden, 1994). ...
This paper examines the complex role of English within the context of Kuwait's higher education. The role of English as a mediator between Kuwait and the Western world has catalyzed the rise of institutions offering 'American-style' education across the region, leading to the proliferation of courses delivered in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). Such institutions have adopted a monolingual policy with the intention of enhancing students' career opportunities through proficiency in English. At the same time, an 'English only' discourse seems to negatively affect local knowledge, language, and culture, leading to their marginalization. This study highlights the tensions between the global appeal of English for job market readiness and the local cultural and linguistic realities that are marginalized by an English-medium instructional policy. The article sets out to examine the dominant monolingual discourse at the English Preparatory Program (EPP) at one university in Kuwait, henceforth referred to as 'the university' . The study identifies several concerns, including the impact of globalization in promoting the misguided belief in English as the sole avenue to success, the cultural and linguistic disconnect in the curriculum, and the inadequacy of westernized teaching approaches. By drawing on theories of postmodernism and postcolonialism, this paper proposes strategies to disrupt colonial and neo-colonial frameworks within the EPP and suggests a more balanced approach to English language teaching that values both global and local perspectives.
... These two major developments furnish a set of variables to evaluate performance of teachers in Indian institutions. Apart from NCF-2005 and NCFTE-2009, new teaching and learning theories also emphasize on Learners to be viewed as active constructors, rather than passive recipients of knowledge (Phillips, 1995;Prawatt & Floden, 1994;Cobb, 1995). In 1990, a new theory, the emergence of multi faceted philosophy came into existence (Gredler, 1997). ...
Last few decades, student evaluation of educators has become a relevant but controversial subject to study. Indian Higher Education system is evolving in some new manners and pay impressive attention on Quality in Education and Teacher education in India also making considerable developments after National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE-2009). NCFTE-2009 provides a comprehensive role of educators in the classroom and institution. This study aims to explore the concept of professionalism with the eye of students and develops a valid and reliable scale to measure it. Scale was developed in three stages; (a) discussion with a small sample of participants and review of literature, (b) experts opinions and (c) statistical validation. 916 teacher trainees were selected as sample from two representative universities of Uttarakhand for standardization of scale. Principal component analysis discovered the six underlying factors; teacher performance, professional ethics, constructivists, inclusive, equitable and innovative. Reliability analysis also showed a good degree of reliability coefficient. Observations of study stated that teacher trainees were highly motivated and they participated interestingly to assess their educators.
... This approach requires the time and space to do so if innovation, which is at a premium in many business settings that are facing high competition, is to occur. Leaders should foster a culture and climate that facilitate the social sharing of information and knowledge construction within and across groups (Prawat & Floden, 1994;Wenger et al., 2002). Doing so ensures a vetting as to whether the information shared has organizational value before broader sharing. ...
... The study follows the epistemological stance of contextualism, which suggests that an event unfolds within its context as the actors and the environment interact and affect each other (Prawat & Floden, 1994). ...
Background
Degree apprenticeships (DA) help employees gain new knowledge and skills by allowing them to study towards a university degree while working full time. For these programmes to be effective, the learning design should be adapted to the needs of these students, who are goal oriented (i.e. they want to gain only knowledge that can be applied within their workplace), have limited time for studying, and usually have not attended formal education for some time. As these programmes are relatively new, there is limited research on how these students can be supported to achieve the programmes' learning goals by using information and communication technologies.
Objectives
This paper aims to understand whether a learning design that combines game‐based learning with online flipped classrooms can engage DA students in their learning and help them develop their reflective skills.
Methods
Two focus groups were conducted with DA students that study at a UK Business School towards gaining the Chartered Manager status. The focus groups recordings have been analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results and Conclusions
The three main themes, “change can be helpful and challenging at the same time”, “the ideal game”, and “the effect of others”, show that DA students find game‐based learning and online flipped classrooms useful, with the right support. Simulation games can be more fulfilling to DA students than quiz games, even if they take more of their out‐of‐class time. In addition, instructors are advised to work more closely with diverse teams to enable students share their work experiences and learn from each other.
Both developed and developing nations are seeing a growth in migrant enterprises and factors that contribute to the growth of migrant enterprises in various nations vary from one nation to another. This research study aimed to explore and seek an in-depth understanding of the factors influencing the growth of African migrant informal enterprises. The study utilised a qualitative approach with an exploratory research design. The participants were sampled using purposive sampling and the semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from research participants who were African migrant informal enterprise owners. Thematic analysis was employed as a tool for data analysis. A major finding from this study is that many of the African migrant informal enterprises are linked to social networks and together with the different entrepreneurial strategies employed by African migrants have contributed to the growth of African migrant-owned informal enterprises. Furthermore, despite the growing attention on African migrant enterprises in the academic literature but majority of the studies have focused on big cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban therefore there is limited which has focused on smaller cities. Therefore, this study occupies that gap and investigated the factors influencing the growth of these African migrant informal enterprises in the Mandeni Local Municipality.
Teachers are viewed as important agents of change in the reform effort currently under way in education and thus are expected to play a key role in changing schools and classrooms. Paradoxically, however, teachers are also viewed as major obstacles to change because of their adherence to outmoded forms of instruction that emphasize factual and procedural knowledge at the expense of deeper levels of understanding. New constructivist approaches to teaching and learning, which many reformers advocate, are inconsistent with much of what teachers believe-a problem that may be overcome if teachers are willing to rethink their views on a number of issues. This article seeks to advance this cause by identifying important aspects of current thinking that may get in the way of teachers adopting a constructivist approach to teaching and learning.
The representational view of mind in mathematics education is evidenced by theories that characterize learning as a process in which students modify their internal mental representations to construct mathematical relationships or structures that mirror those embodied in external instructional representations. It is argued that, psychologically, this view falls prey to the learning paradox, that, anthropologically, it fails to consider the social and cultural nature of mathematical activity and that, pedagogically, it leads to recommendations that are at odds with the espoused goal of encouraging learning with understanding. These difficulties are seen to arise from the dualism created between mathematics in students' heads and mathematics in their environment. An alternative view is then outlined and illustrated that attempts to transcend this dualism by treating mathematics as both an individual, constructive activity and as a communal, social practice. It is suggested that such an approach might make it possible to explain how students construct mathematical meanings and practices that, historically, took several thousand years to evolve without attributing to students the ability to peek around their internal representations and glimpse a mathematically prestructured environment. In addition, it is argued that this approach might offer a way to go beyond the traditional tripartite scheme of the teacher, the student, and mathematics that has traditionally guided reform efforts in mathematics education.
The advantages of involving students in authentic problem-solving activity is one thing about which all contemporary learning theorists agree. Such an approach fits well with the strategy-based performance model advanced by information processors, the impasse or perturbation learning model advanced by cognitive constructivists, and the socially mediated apprenticeship model advanced by the cultural anthropologists. Despite its pedagogical popularity, a focus on practical problem solving is subject to criticism because it downplays the transformative role of experience in education; the tendency in this approach is to define the world in negative terms, as a series of obstacles or impediments to be overcome. In the alternative view presented in this article, termed idea-based social constructivism, the focus is less on problems and more on the possibilities inherent in a given situation.
This paper examines the interfaces between pragmatism and interactionist sociology. Four tenets central to social interactionism have been selected for this study: the philosophical perspective on reality as being in the state of flux, the sociological view of social structure as emergent process, the methodological preference for participatory modes of research, and the ideological commitment to ongoing social reconstruction as a goal of sociological practice. It is argued that from the start interactionist sociologists were concerned with the problem of social order and sought new ways of conceptualizing social structure. Special emphasis is placed on the interactionists' predilection for a logic of inquiry sensitive to the objective indeterminacy of the situation. An argument is made that the failure of interactionist sociologists to address head-on the issues of power and inequality reflects not so much their uncritical reliance on pragmatism as their failure to follow consistently pragmatist tenets and to fulfill the political commitments of pragmatist philosophers.
This paper describes a research and development project in teaching designed to examine whether and how it might be possible to bring the practice of knowing mathematics in school closer too what it means to know mathematics within the discipline by deliberately altering the roles and responsibilities of teacher and students in classroom discourse. The project was carried out as a regular feature of lessons in fifth-grade mathematics in a public school. A case of teaching and learning about exponents derived from lessons taught in the project is described and interpreted from mathematical, pedagogical, and sociolinguistic perspectives. To change the meaning of knowing and learning in school, the teacher initiated and supported social interactions appropriate to making mathematical arguments in response to students’ conjectures. The activities students engaged in as they asserted and examined hypotheses about the mathematical structures that underlie their solutions to problems are contrasted with the conventional activities that characterize school mathematics.
Disputes in educational research over the past few decades have resulted in part from an inadequate conception of the nature of science itself. Developments in the philosophy of science have led to a new understanding–scientific realism–that has promise of resolving many longstanding dilemmas. At the core of the "standard view" of science is the incorrect Humean notion of causation, which has had devastating effects on research in the social sciences. An adequate notion of causation may provide a framework for research that is at once scientific, that incorporates the perceptions and intentions of participants, and that advances critical values such as social justice.
Three studies investigated the ability of elementary school children to ask and recognize educationally productive questions. Knowledge-based questions formulated in advance of instruction were found to be of a higher order than text-based questions produced after exposure to text materials. Depending on familiarity of the topic, knowledge-based questions varied between basic questions asking for information needed for orientation to a topic and "wonderment" questions often aimed at explanation or at resolving discrepancies in knowledge. Children's questions are seen as a potentially valuable resource in education but one that requires a different kind of classroom community from the several kinds commonly found. The potential of a computer-based medium, computer-supported intentional learning environments, for supporting a knowledge-building community is briefly considered.
Ideas like "understanding," "authenticity," and "community" are central in current debates about curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Many believe that teaching and learning would be improved if classrooms were organized to engage students in authentic tasks, guided by teachers with deep disciplinary understandings. Students would conjecture, experiment, and make arguments; they would frame and solve problems; and they would read, write, and create things that mattered to them. This article examines the challenge of creating classroom practices in the spirit of these ideals. With a window on her own teaching of elementary school mathematics, the author presents three dilemmas-of content, discourse, and community-that arise in trying to teach in ways that are, in Bruner's terms, "intellectually honest." These dilemmas arise reasonably from competing and worth-while aims and from the uncertainties inherent in striving to attain them. The article traces and explores the author's framing of and response t...