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Sample records for socio-constructivist inquiry paradigm

  1. Teaching Probability: A Socio-Constructivist Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Sashi

    2015-01-01

    There is a considerable and rich literature on students' misconceptions in probability. However, less attention has been paid to the development of students' probabilistic thinking in the classroom. This paper offers a sequence, grounded in socio-constructivist perspective for teaching probability.

  2. Risk in Science Instruction. The Realist and Constructivist Paradigms of Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Julia; Hammann, Marcus

    2017-11-01

    Risk is always present in people's lives: diseases, new technologies, socio-scientific issues (SSIs) such as climate change, and advances in medicine—to name just a few examples—all carry risks. To be able to navigate risks in everyday life, as well as to participate in social debate on risk-related issues, students need to develop risk competence. Science education can be a powerful tool in supporting students' risk competence, which is an important component of scientific literacy. As there are different definitions of risk within the scientific community, the aims of this article are (1) to review the literature on two major theoretical frameworks for conceptualising risk, the realist, and the constructivist paradigms of risk and (2) to connect both in order to suggest a working definition of what can be understood as risk competence in science instruction.

  3. The applicability of constructivist user studies: how can constructivist inquiry inform service providers and systems designers? Constructivist inquiry, Case study, Systems design, User behaviour

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alison Pickard

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper has attempted to clarify the ways in which individual, holistic case studies, produced via the process of constructivist inquiry, can be tested for trustworthiness and applied to other, similar situations. Service providers and systems designers need contextual information concerning their users in order to design and provide systems and services that will function effectively and efficiently within those contexts. Abstract models can only provide abstract insight into human behaviour and this is rarely sufficient detail upon which to base the planning and delivery of a service. The methodological issues which surround the applicability of individual, holistic case studies are discussed, explaining the concept of 'contextual applicability.' The relevance and usefulness of in-depth case study research to systems designers and service providers is highlighted.

  4. Socio-Materiality and Modes of Inquiry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buch, Anders

    2018-01-01

    the character of the socio-material relationship. The discussion will be guided by John Dewey’s and Arthur F. Bentley’s reflections on Knowing and the Known (1989/1948), as they distinguish between different levels of describing inquiry into the world we inhabit. At some levels of inquiry, we tend to construe...... of technology on human activity. In Science and Technology Studies (STS) the question has been discussed as the ‘social shaping of technology’ and various theoretical frameworks have been put forward that stress the interwoven character of the social and the material, e.g. Social Construction of Technology...... (SCOT), Actor-Network Theory (ANT), and Agential Realism. Whereas there is general agreement in STS that the social and the material is related there is no general agreement about how the socio-material relationship should be understood. Ontological, epistemological and methodological issues tend...

  5. Techniques of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language through Constructivist Paradigm: Malaysian Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faryadi, Qais

    2007-01-01

    This analysis discusses the constructivist paradigm of teaching Arabic as a foreign language in Malaysian settings. This review examines the role of interactive multimedia in enhancing the chalk and talk methods of teaching Arabic in Malaysian schools. This paper also investigates the importance of Arabic Language in Malaysia. Furthermore, the…

  6. "Me? Teach Science?" Exploring EC-4 Pre-Service Teachers' Self Efficacy in an Inquiry-Based Constructivist Physics Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayan, Ratna; Lamp, David

    2010-01-01

    In this qualitative and interpretive study, we investigated factors that influenced elementary preservice teachers' self-efficacy in a constructivist, inquiry-based physics class. Bandura's (1977) theory of social learning was used as a basis to examine preservice teacher's self-efficacy. Participants included 70 female EC-4 preservice teachers…

  7. The Road Less Travelled: An Overview and Example of Constructivist Research in Accounting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charmayne Highfield

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This article provides a discussion of the nature of constructivism as a research paradigm within the context of accounting and presents a detailed example of a research study to demonstrate the application of this paradigm. The commentary features a particular emphasis on how the practicalities involved in designing and conducting the research meshed with the philosophy of the research paradigm. The illustrative research project concerns an investigation of organisational justice in the context of fairness in the workplace in public accounting firms. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, and textual transcriptions were interpreted using thematic methods and discourse analysis. The aim of the discussion and exemplar is to render constructivist approaches to research in accounting more accessible and apprehensible for researchers unfamiliar with, or new to, this field of qualitative inquiry.

  8. La práctica dicente-investigativa desdela tecnología educativa y el socio- constructivismo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robles-Altamirano, Adriana

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available A time of changes is experienced related to the current techno-scientific paradigm and education is no an exception. From the socio-constructivist theory of learning and the use of the information and communication technology (ICT in education, a more meaningful and autonomous learning is justified which is based on researching of learners. The socio-constructivism proposes the participation of students within a group learning project, which will enhance their ability to solve contextualized problems, allowing them to develop a social construction process of knowledge, supported by technological tools at their fingertips. This work aims to demonstrate that autonomous learning with the use of research is possible if a socio-constructivist approach to learning with the support of educational technology is applied.

  9. The Development of Constructivist Grounded Theory

    OpenAIRE

    Jane Mills; Ann Bonner; Karen Francis

    2006-01-01

    Constructivist grounded theory is a popular method for research studies primarily in the disciplines of psychology, education, and nursing. In this article, the authors aim to locate the roots of constructivist grounded theory and then trace its development. They examine key grounded theory texts to discern their ontological and epistemological orientation. They find Strauss and Corbin's texts on grounded theory to possess a discernable thread of constructivism in their approach to inquiry. T...

  10. Millennial Expectations and Constructivist Methodologies: Their Corresponding Characteristics and Alignment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Timothy L.

    2008-01-01

    In recent years, much emphasis has been placed on constructivist methodologies and their potential benefit for learners of various ages (Brandt & Perkins, 2000; Brooks, 1990). Although certain aspects of the constructivist paradigm have replaced several aspects of the behaviorist paradigm for a large contingency of stakeholders (particularly,…

  11. Research Paradigms and Their Use and Importance in Theological Inquiry and Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mittwede, Steven K.

    2012-01-01

    A survey and analysis of four major research paradigms--positivism, postpositivism, critical theory and constructivism--reveal that all have been applied effectively in recent theological inquiry. Although these paradigms might resemble worldviews to some extent, they are not so all-encompassing. Rather, they are essentially matrices of deeply…

  12. Teacher Candidates in Context: Investigating Inquiry Learning, Self-Efficacy and Stress within Teacher Education

    OpenAIRE

    Coppersmith, Sarah A.

    2017-01-01

    Global changes since the 2008 economic collapse continue to impact teacher candidates worldwide who are facing unparalleled challenges as they prepare for service in educational systems experiencing reform. Research exists on college student stress, yet absent is data showing teacher candidates in relation to stress and self-efficacy as they engage in socio-constructivist inquiry learning. Teacher candidates hold employment while taking classes and serving in schools, yet research shows that ...

  13. Cultural competence: a constructivist definition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanchet Garneau, Amélie; Pepin, Jacinthe

    2015-01-01

    In nursing education, most of the current teaching practices perpetuate an essentialist perspective of culture and make it imperative to refresh the concept of cultural competence in nursing. The purpose of this article is to propose a constructivist definition of cultural competence that stems from the conclusions of an extensive critical review of the literature on the concepts of culture, cultural competence, and cultural safety among nurses and other health professionals. The proposed constructivist definition is situated in the unitary-transformative paradigm in nursing as defined by Newman and colleagues. It makes the connection between the field of competency-based education and the nursing discipline. Cultural competence in a constructivist paradigm that is oriented toward critical, reflective practice can help us develop knowledge about the role of nurses in reducing health inequalities and lead to a comprehensive ethical reflection about the social mandate of health care professionals. © The Author(s) 2014.

  14. Pre-service teachers and socio-scientific inquiry : Opportunities and challenges

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Knippels, M.C.P.J.; van Harskamp, M.; Verhoeff, R.P.; Postma, P.A.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a teacher training program aiming to enable pre-service teachers to engage secondary education students in Socio-Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning (SSIBL). In SSIBL – an approach developed within the European project PARRISE – students formulate questions about

  15. Inquiries into Malaysia's socio-technical disasters: recommendations and lessons learnt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Said, Aini Mat; Ahmadun, Fakhru'l-Razi; Abdul Kadir, Razali; Daud, Mohamed

    2009-04-01

    Most democratic countries hold inquiries into disasters. One of their key functions is to establish the cause of an event and to learn lessons in order to prevent a recurrence. In addition, they offer an opportunity for communal catharsis, permitting the public to vent anger, distress and frustration and to exert pressure for policy changes. Malaysia has experienced six landmark socio-technical disasters since 1968, which resulted in the proposal or amendment of various safety/emergency acts and regulations. The authors used a grounded theory approach utilising a constant comparative method to analyse the recommendations made by the inquiries into these events. Data indicate that social and technical recommendations comprise 85 and 15 per cent, respectively, of the total recommendations made by the inquiry committees. This paper offers suggestions for improving the management of inquiry tribunals, as they will remain a valuable source of information for society and corporations to learn from past incidents.

  16. Reconstructing Christian Ethics: Exploring Constructivist Practices for Teaching Christian Ethics in the Masters of Divinity Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danaher, William

    2009-01-01

    This article reflects on an effort to incorporate constructivist pedagogies (learner-centered, inquiry-guided, problem-based models of teaching) into an introductory class on Christian Ethics in an M.Div. curriculum. Although some students preferred more traditional pedagogies, the majority found that constructivist pedagogies better accommodated…

  17. Paradigma socio-cognitivo en la Red Social Dreamcatchers en Cuba = Socio-cognitive paradigm in the Social Network Dreamcatchers in Cuba

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natali de la Caridad Sosa Pérez

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available La Ciencia de la Información en su nacimiento científico está influenciada por dos aspectos fundamentales, uno es el contexto de las tecnologías y el otro es su carácter interdisciplinario. La misma aparece con el propósito de centrar su atención en la información, y la convierte en su objeto de estudio. De ahí que en su desarrollo epistemológico, los paradigmas trazan el camino de estudio y práctica de la información, reflejan el contexto en la que se va desarrollando y cómo este al unísono influye en el desarrollo de esta ciencia. El paradigma socio-cognitivo, en la actualidad, se despliega bajo un contexto diferente, de redes sociales, donde las relaciones entre las personas se manifiestan de forma diferente y por tanto sus comportamientos, necesidades adquieren otra dimensión. Precisamente el tema de la investigación es el paradigma socio-cognitivo contextualizado en la red social Dreamcatchers de Cuba, con el objetivo de reconocer la presencia del paradigma socio-cognitivo en la misma. Como resultado fue el análisis del paradigma socio-cognitivo en la red social Dreamcatchers a partir de los indicadores propuestos donde se reconoció la influencia de la comunidad en las personas, a partir del análisis estadístico de la información y del software Ucinet. = Since its origin, Information Science has been influenced by two fundamental aspects: The context of the technologies and its interdisciplinary character with the purpose of focusing attention in information hence becoming its study object. In the epistemological development, paradigms map the way to study and practice information reflecting the context in which it develops and likewise influencing the development of this science. Nowadays, the socio-cognitive paradigm happens in a somehow different context: Social networks, where relationships among people, their behaviors and needs acquire another dimension. This research subject is the presence of the socio

  18. "Theory at the Crossroads": Mapping Moments of Mathematics Education Research onto Paradigms of Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stinson, David W.; Walshaw, Margaret

    2017-01-01

    In this essay, traveling through the past half-century, the authors illustrate how mathematics education research shifted, theoretical, beyond its psychological and mathematical roots. Mapping four historical moments of mathematics education research onto broader paradigms of inquiry, the authors make a case for the field to take up a theoretical…

  19. Incremental Inductive Learning in a Constructivist Agent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perotto, Filipo Studzinski; Älvares, Luís Otávio

    The constructivist paradigm in Artificial Intelligence has been definitively inaugurated in the earlier 1990's by Drescher's pioneer work [10]. He faces the challenge of design an alternative model for machine learning, founded in the human cognitive developmental process described by Piaget [x]. His effort has inspired many other researchers.

  20. Scientific Inquiry in Health Sciences Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Musaeus, Peter

    inquiry or critical thinking. Discussion: The value of this study is that it might enable educational developers to give junior faculty better guidance on teaching and specific feedback on their teaching portfolio in particular in regards to the design of learning activities that might use scientific...... in terms of a more systematic approach to higher-level thinking. Thus although participants cited one or more constructivist educational theorists, they did not express a well-articulated notion of inquiry and they provided limited concrete examples on how to design a conducive learning environment around...... inquiry as means and end in higher education....

  1. The SocioBox: A novel paradigm to assess complex social recognition in male mice

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    Dilja Krueger-Burg

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Impairments in social skills are central to mental disease, and developing tools for their assessment in mouse models is essential. Here we present the SocioBox, a new behavioral paradigm to measure social recognition memory. Using this paradigm, we show that male wildtype mice of different strains can readily identify an unfamiliar mouse among 5 newly acquainted animals. In contrast, female mice exhibit lower locomotor activity during social exploration in the SocioBox compared to males and do not seem to discriminate between acquainted and unfamiliar mice, likely reflecting inherent differences in gender-specific territorial tasks. In addition to a simple quantification of social interaction time of mice grounded on predefined spatial zones (zone-based method, we developed a set of unbiased, data-driven analysis tools based on heat map representations and characterized by greater sensitivity. First proof-of-principle that the SocioBox allows diagnosis of social recognition memory deficits is provided using male PSD-95 heterozygous knockout mice, a mouse model related to psychiatric pathophysiology.

  2. Constructivism: a naturalistic methodology for nursing inquiry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appleton, J V; King, L

    1997-12-01

    This article will explore the philosophical underpinnings of the constructivist research paradigm. Despite its increasing popularity in evaluative health research studies there is limited recognition of constructivism in popular research texts. Lincoln and Guba's original approach to constructivist methodology is outlined and a detailed framework for nursing research is offered. Fundamental issues and concerns surrounding this methodology are debated and differences between method and methodology are highlighted.

  3. Bridging Theory and Practice: Application of Constructivist Tenets to ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In consonance with this fact, constructivist believed that students must play active roles in their learning if it is to occur deeply, endure, be enjoyable, and transfer to contexts beyond the classroom. Constructivism as a theory of learning is still gaining popularity as a new paradigm for learning science. Yet translating a theory ...

  4. Paradigm Adherence and Personality Correlates across Mental Health Professions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rauscher, Laura Anne

    2012-01-01

    Paradigm adherence has been developed as a meta-theoretical approach to organize and to classify the multitude of different theories of counseling and psychotherapy. Four paradigms have been identified in the literature: The Organic-Medical, The Psychological, The Systemic-Relational, and the Social Constructivist paradigms. Only one other study…

  5. Teaching research methodology to student midwives through a socio-constructivist educational model: The experience of the high school for science and health techniques of Tunis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gherissi, Atf; Tinsa, Francine; Soussi, Sonia; Benzarti, Anis

    2016-02-01

    Since its independence in 1956, Tunisia's maternal health indicators have steadily improved as the result of the implementation of a national holistic strategy that emancipated women and developed midwifery education and maternal health services provision. The last review of the midwifery education programme, occurred in 2008, and was based on evidence based core competencies. This paper describes the implementation process of the socio-constructivist educational model used by to teach research methodology to student midwives, the changes observed among them, the challenges and the lessons learned. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Involving older people in research: practical considerations when using the authenticity criteria in constructivist inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Christine Brown; Clissett, Philip

    2011-01-01

    Aim The purpose of this paper is to identify practical suggestions that could enable other researchers to consider how quality may be evidenced using constructivist principles including the perspectives of older people and their caregivers. Background Constructivism suggests that reality is part of a social construction, which holds different meanings for each person, in which people are active agents, making autonomous decisions. This approach to research has been identified as suitable for health and social care professionals because these underpinning principles reflect the values of these professions, facilitating the involvement of users and carers. The authenticity criteria have been developed to reflect these philosophical principles but have been criticized for their inaccessible language. To incorporate user and carer perspectives, the criteria have been revised into a more accessible model matrix known as the AldreVast Sjuharad criteria. Discussion This paper reports on two constructivist studies that explored relationships between older people, families and staff in different settings – the community and care homes. Examples from both settings demonstrate how the perspectives of users and carers were incorporated throughout the research process. Following the AldreVast Sjuharad model matrix, practical guidance is provided on how the quality of constructivist research may be implemented in nursing research. Conclusions The different settings in this paper influenced how the AldreVast Sjuharad model matrix was applied. Further work is needed in exploring how the perspective of users and carers may be incorporated into the quality process of constructivist research. PMID:21073505

  7. Exploring Constructivist Social Learning Practices in Aiding Russian-Speaking Teachers to Learn Estonian: An Action Research Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiilo, Tatjana; Kutsar, Dagmar

    2012-01-01

    Based on appreciative inquiry and threshold concepts from an intercultural learning perspective, the article makes insights into the constructivist social learning practice of Estonian language learning amongst Russian-speaking teachers in Estonia. The application of educational action research methodology, more specifically that of Bridget…

  8. The Consideration of a Constructivist Evaluation Framework in Adult Guidance Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hearne, Lucy

    2011-01-01

    This article explores the findings of a doctoral study that examined the measurement of individual progression in the Irish Adult Education Guidance Initiative. The critical constructivist stance of the study challenges the prevalence of the positivist paradigm to evaluate long-term outcomes in adult guidance. The research highlights the…

  9. Understanding paradigms used for nursing research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Kathryn; Olson, Joanne K

    2006-02-01

    The aims of this paper are to add clarity to the discussion about paradigms for nursing research and to consider integrative strategies for the development of nursing knowledge. Paradigms are sets of beliefs and practices, shared by communities of researchers, which regulate inquiry within disciplines. The various paradigms are characterized by ontological, epistemological and methodological differences in their approaches to conceptualizing and conducting research, and in their contribution towards disciplinary knowledge construction. Researchers may consider these differences so vast that one paradigm is incommensurable with another. Alternatively, researchers may ignore these differences and either unknowingly combine paradigms inappropriately or neglect to conduct needed research. To accomplish the task of developing nursing knowledge for use in practice, there is a need for a critical, integrated understanding of the paradigms used for nursing inquiry. We describe the evolution and influence of positivist, postpositivist, interpretive and critical theory research paradigms. Using integrative review, we compare and contrast the paradigms in terms of their philosophical underpinnings and scientific contribution. A pragmatic approach to theory development through synthesis of cumulative knowledge relevant to nursing practice is suggested. This requires that inquiry start with assessment of existing knowledge from disparate studies to identify key substantive content and gaps. Knowledge development in under-researched areas could be accomplished through integrative strategies that preserve theoretical integrity and strengthen research approaches associated with various philosophical perspectives. These strategies may include parallel studies within the same substantive domain using different paradigms; theoretical triangulation to combine findings from paradigmatically diverse studies; integrative reviews; and mixed method studies. Nurse scholars are urged to

  10. A Practical Examination of Two Diverse Research Paradigms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, Robert A.

    2007-01-01

    This manuscript examines the practical differences between quantitative and qualitative inquiry by comparing the differences between one article from each paradigm. Quantitative research differs greatly from qualitative inquiry in purpose, assumptions, methodology, and representation. While quantitative research has been the dominant paradigm for…

  11. Using Aesthetic Response, a Poetic Inquiry to Expand Knowing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gerge, Anna; Warja, Margareta; Pedersen, Inge Nygaard

    2017-01-01

    affective neuroscience aimed at deepening the understanding of embodied felt sense. The Rx6 approach is based in aesthetics, a pragmatic pre-understanding inspired from an interpretive and a constructivist tradition, and it is a heuristic endeavour where art is applied towards the creation of meaning......Using Aesthetic Response, a Poetic Inquiry to Expand Knowing Abstract: The Rx6-Method A simple step-wise research procedure of arts-based research (ABR) called the Rx6 method is presented. This ABR method is grounded in expressive arts therapy, heuristic inquiry, attachment theory and contemporary...

  12. INTEGRATING INTERNET PROTOCOL TELEVISION (IPTV IN DISTANCE EDUCATION: A Constructivist Framework for Social Networking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Volkan YUZER

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available New communication technologies and constructivist pedagogy have the great potential to build very powerful paradigm shifts that enhance Internet Protocol Television (IPTV in distance education. Therefore, the main purpose of this chapter is to explore the new concerns, issues and potentials for the IPTV delivery of distance education to multicultural populations. In this study, the design strategies and principles of how to build social networking based on constructivist learning theory are discussed in order to generate a theoretical framework that provides everyday examples and experiences for IPTV in distance education. This framework also shows the needs, expectations and beliefs, and strengths-weaknesses of IPTV in distance. In short, this framework concentrates on discussing the main characteristics of IPTV in distance education and describes how those characteristics can help build constructivist online communities.

  13. Constructivist Grounded Theory?

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    Barney G. Glaser, PhD, Hon. PhD

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available AbstractI refer to and use as scholarly inspiration Charmaz’s excellent article on constructivist grounded theory as a tool of getting to the fundamental issues on why grounded theory is not constructivist. I show that constructivist data, if it exists at all, is a very, very small part of the data that grounded theory uses.

  14. Paths through interpretive territory: Two teachers' enactment of a technology-rich, inquiry-fostering science curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Scott Powell

    New understandings about how people learn and constructivist pedagogy pose challenges for teachers. Science teachers face an additional challenge of developing inquiry-based pedagogy to foster complex reasoning skills. Theory provides only fuzzy guidance as to how constructivist or inquiry pedagogy can be accomplished in a wide variety of contexts and local constraints. This study contributes to the understanding of the development of constructivist, inquiry-based pedagogy by addressing the question: How do teachers interpret and enact a technology-rich, inquiry fostering science curricula for fifth grade students' biodiversity learning? This research is a case study of two teachers chosen as critical contrasting cases and represent differences across multiple criteria including: urban I suburban, teaching philosophy, and content preparation. The two fifth grade teachers each enacted BioKIDS: Kids' Inquiry in Diverse Species, an eight week curriculum focused on biodiversity. BioKIDS incorporates multiple learning technologies to support student learning including handheld computer software designed to help students collect field data, and a web-based resource for data on local animal species. The results of this study indicate there are tensions teachers must struggle with when setting goals during enactment of inquiry science curricula. They must find a balance between an emphasis on authentic learning and authentic science, and between natural history and natural science. Authentic learning focuses on students' interests and lives; Authentic science focuses on students working with the tools and processes of science. Natural history focuses on the foundational skills in science of observation and classification. Natural science focuses on analytical science drawing on data to develop claims about the world. These two key tensions in teachers' goal setting were critical in defining and understanding differences in how teachers interpreted a curriculum to meet

  15. AS PRÁTICAS DE GEOGRAFIA ESCOLAR NA VISÃO SÓCIOCONSTRUTIVISTA: UMA ESTRATÉGIA DO ENSINO CENTRADO DO ALUNO / THE PRACTICES OF SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY IN THE SOCIO - CONSTRUCTIVIST VIEW: A STRATEGY OF STUDENT - CENTERED TEACHING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albano Fernando Mahumane Junior

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available This article reflects on the practices of school geography based on the theory of learning in the socio-constructivist. The same suggests some practices of school geography in the sense that it suits the one that is predicted of the student starting from diverse experiences taken in researches realized in the Group of Research in Teaching of Geography in the sense to analyze the practices of teaching of Geography in different schools secondary in the city of Maputo in Mozambique and that they (practices are distant from what is recommended in current pedagogies and didactics. The reflection on the practices of school geography in the socio - constructivist view has again questioned the methodological strategies of the teachers of geography; do they fit what is intended? How do you make them fit to meet the objectives of school geography? To answer these questions, a bibliographical survey was made on the theories of learning and methodologies of school geography. Thus, the study suggests that in order to meet the objectives of school geography it is necessary to place the student as the center of learning.

  16. Integrating Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) in Distance Education: A Constructivist Framework for Social Networking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuzer, T. Volkan; Kurubacak, Gulsun

    2011-01-01

    New communication technologies and constructivist pedagogy have the great potential to build very powerful paradigm shifts that enhance Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) in distance education. Therefore, the main purpose of this chapter is to explore the new concerns, issues and potentials for the IPTV delivery of distance education to…

  17. Using Appreciative Inquiry to Discover and Deliver Change for Surgical Technology Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabai, Katherine A.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine efficacious teaching-learning strategies that community college stakeholders employ that enhance surgical technology student outcomes. Knowles's adult learning theory, constructivist theory, and appreciative inquiry served as the theoretical foundation for this study. Discovering effective aspects and…

  18. Analysis of changes in teachers concerning constructivist perceptions, philosophies, and practices resulting from the year-long Iowa Chautauqua Professional Development Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abd Hamid, Nor Hashidah

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which teachers were able to make changes needed to move toward the use of more constructivist behaviors after being involved in the year long Iowa Chautauqua Professional Development Program (ICPDP). Constructivist behaviors were investigated from four perspectives; namely, actual classroom performances as viewed from videotapes, teachers and student perceptions of teacher use of constructivist teaching practices, teacher philosophy as revealed from the open-ended Philosophy of Teaching and Learning Instrument (PTL), and teacher reflections about their inquiry classrooms and uses of questioning strategies. Twenty-seven teacher participants and 321 of their students volunteered to participant in this study. Four types of data were collected to answer the research questions, namely (a) Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), (b) Philosophies of Teaching and Learning (PTL), (c) Videotapes evaluated with the Expert Science Teaching Evaluation Model (ESTEEM), and (d) Teacher Reflections regarding teaching strategies and questioning. Major findings include the following: (1) Teachers in the project showed significant growth concerning constructivist perceptions over time and for all six sub-scales of TCLES, namely personal relevance, scientific uncertainty, critical voice, shared control, student negotiation, and attitude toward science. (2) Teachers in the project indicated significant growth concerning philosophy of teaching and learning as measured by the PTL. (3) Teachers in the project indicated significant growth concerning constructivist teaching practices as evaluated by videotapes (using the ESTEEM instrument); significant differences were found for all four sub-scales of the ESTEEM. (4) Students in the project indicated significant growth concerning their constructivist perceptions over time for the total SCLES score and on the sub-scales of scientific uncertainty, shared control, and student

  19. Conceptual, Pedagogical, Cultural, and Political Dilemmas of Implementing a Constructivist Workshop Approach to Teaching Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porath, Suzanne L.

    2016-01-01

    Approached as an epistemology, implementing a constructivist workshop approach to literacy can challenge the traditional paradigm of teacher-focused instruction and transform to one where students construct knowledge together and learn through active engagement in authentic reading and writing. This study illustrated how two third-grade teachers…

  20. Characteristics of Using Digital Media as Predictors of Constructivist Teaching in Lower Secondary Education in Croatia

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    Topolovcan, Tomislav; Matijevic, Milan

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this research was to investigate whether particular socio-demographic characteristics of pupils in lower secondary education, their level of computer selfefficacy and motivation for using digital media in class are considered significant predictors of constructivist learning. Furthermore, the aim was to investigate the characteristics…

  1. Organizational Climate and Emotional Intelligence: An Appreciative Inquiry into a "Leaderful" Community College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoder, Debra Marie

    2005-01-01

    In an era of unprecedented challenges and rapid change, community colleges need effective leadership that brings out the best in people, organizations, and communities. This qualitative study was based on interpretive research using appreciative inquiry (AI). AI is based on social constructivist theory and is a collaborative and highly…

  2. Commentary on a participatory inquiry paradigm used to assess EOL simulation participant outcomes and design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gannon, Jane M

    2017-11-20

    Care at the end-of-life has attracted global attention, as health care workers struggle with balancing cure based care with end-of-life care, and knowing when to transition from the former to the latter. Simulation is gaining in popularity as an education strategy to facilitate health care provider decision-making by improving communication skills with patients and family members. This commentary focuses on the authors' simulation evaluation process. When data were assessed using a participatory inquiry paradigm, the evaluation revealed far more than a formative or summative evaluation of participant knowledge and skills in this area of care. Consequently, this assessment strategy has ramifications for best practices for simulation design and evaluation.

  3. Indonesian law and reality in the Delta : a socio-legal inquiry into laws, local bureaucrats and natural resources management in the Mahakam Delta, East Kalimantan

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Simarmata, Rikardo

    2012-01-01

    This book provides a socio-legal inquiry into the legal and administrative management of the natural resources of the Mahakam Delta, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. This book argues that due to a combination of complex legal and non-legal factors, laws and regulations on natural resources management of

  4. Narrative research on mental health recovery: two sister paradigms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spector-Mersel, Gabriela; Knaifel, Evgeny

    2017-06-24

    Despite the breadth of narrative studies on individuals with severe mental illness, the suitability of narrative inquiry to exploring mental health recovery (MHR) has not been examined. (1) Examining the appropriateness of narrative inquiry to studying MHR; (2) assessing the extent to which narrative studies on MHR conform to the unique features of narrative research, as a distinctive form of qualitative inquiry. Review of empirical, theoretical and methodological literature on recovery and narrative inquiry. Considering the perspectives of recovery and narrative as paradigms, the similarity between their ontology and epistemology is shown, evident in 10 common emphases: meaning, identity, change and development, agency, holism, culture, uniqueness, context, language and giving voice. The resemblance between these "sister" paradigms makes narrative methodology especially fruitful for accessing the experiences of individuals in recovery. Reviewing narrative studies on MHR suggests that, currently, narrative research's uniqueness, centered on the holistic principle, is blurred on the philosophical, methodological and textual levels. Well-established narrative research has major implications for practice and policy in recovery-oriented mental health care. The narrative inquiry paradigm offers a possible path to enhancing the distinctive virtues of this research, realizing its potential in understanding and promoting MHR.

  5. An Analysis of Learners' Intentions toward Virtual Reality Learning Based on Constructivist and Technology Acceptance Approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hsiu-Mei; Liaw, Shu-Sheng

    2018-01-01

    Within a constructivist paradigm, the virtual reality technology focuses on the learner's actively interactive learning processes and attempts to reduce the gap between the learner's knowledge and a real-life experience. Recently, virtual reality technologies have been developed for a wide range of applications in education, but further research…

  6. Evaluation of constructivist pedagogy: Influence on critical thinking skills, science fair participation and level of performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foxx, Robbie Evelyn

    Science education reform, driven by a rapidly advancing technological society, demands the attention of both elementary and middle school curriculum-developers. Science education training in current standards (National Research Council [NRC] Standards 1996) emphasize inquiry, which is reported to be a basic tenet of the theory known as constructivism (NAASP, 1996; Cohen, 1988; Conley, 1993; Friedman, 1999; Newman, Marks, & Gamoran, 1996; Smerdon & Burkam 1999; Sizer 1992; Talbert & McLaughlin 1993; Tobin & Gallagher, 1987; Yager, 1991, 2000). Pedagogy focusing on the tenets of constructivist theory, at the intermediate level, can address current science standards. Many science educators believe participation in science fairs helps students develop the attitudes, skills, and knowledge that will help them to be comfortable and successful in the scientific and technological society (Czerniak, 1996). Competing in science fairs is one vehicle which allows students to apply science to societal issues, solve problems and model those things scientists do. Moreover, constructing a science fair project is suggested as being an excellent means to foster the development of concepts necessary in promoting scientific literacy (Czerniak, 1996). Research further suggests that through science fairs or other inquiry activities, students construct their knowledge with fewer misconceptions as they explore and discover the nature of science (NRC 1996). Tohn 's study (as cited in Bellipanni, 1994) stated that science fairs are a major campaign to increase student skills and to allow students a chance to have fun with science. The purpose of this research was twofold: (1) to assess science problem solving skills of students instructed using constructivist pedagogy, and (2) to explore the effects of constructivist pedagogy's influence(s) on science fair participation/placement. Students' attitudes resulting from these experiences were examined as well.

  7. Teachers' Language on Scientific Inquiry: Methods of teaching or methods of inquiry?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gyllenpalm, Jakob; Wickman, Per-Olof; Holmgren, Sven-Olof

    2010-06-01

    With a focus on the use of language related to scientific inquiry, this paper explores how 12 secondary school science teachers describe instances of students' practical work in their science classes. The purpose of the study was to shed light on the culture and traditions of secondary school science teaching related to inquiry as expressed in the use of language. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews about actual inquiry units used by the teachers. These were used to situate the discussion of their teaching in a real context. The theoretical background is socio-cultural and pragmatist views on the role of language in science learning. The analysis focuses on two concepts of scientific inquiry: hypothesis and experiment. It is shown that the teachers tend to use these terms with a pedagogical function thus conflating methods of teaching with methods of inquiry as part of an emphasis on teaching the children the correct explanation. The teachers did not prioritise an understanding of scientific inquiry as a knowledge goal. It discusses how learners' possibilities to learn about the characteristics of scientific inquiry and the nature of science are affected by an unreflective use of everyday discourse.

  8. Contemporary paradigms for research related to women's mental health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doucet, Shelley Anne; Letourneau, Nicole Lyn; Stoppard, Janet M

    2010-04-01

    Mental health problems are serious health concerns that affect women across diverse settings internationally. Knowledge of this population historically has been informed by research using a positivist approach. This article is a critical examination of contemporary paradigms for research related to women's mental health. We begin the article with an introduction to women's mental health, followed by an overview of the postpositivist, critical theory, and constructivist paradigms. We then present a critical examination of the benefits and limitations of these paradigms in relation to the study of women's mental health. We conclude with implications for research and practice.

  9. THE CONSTRUCTIVIST INSTRUCTION THROUGH CONCEPTUAL MAPS – A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

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    Oana DRĂGAN

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The constructivism, seen as a postmodern paradigm, discusses education based on classical and modern practices. Constructivist methods highlighted as a tool, the conceptual maps, an innovative learning method that captures the manner in which an individual perceives the relationships between things, ideas or people, solving problems they face with and how they use their memory. In the past 10 years, conceptual maps were used as a tool to support meaningful learning in science teaching and to help the students and experts to represent and to visualize knowledge in a structured manner. The study " The constructivist instruction through conceptual maps – A Review of the Literature" presents literature review of the maps conceptual and follows the presentation of conceptual maps taking into account their history, advantages and disadvantages shows, the way of drawing such an instrument and also the existing limits of the method.

  10. The experience of women in male-dominated occupations: A constructivist grounded theory inquiry

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    Phiona Martin

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Orientation: Women in male-dominated occupations face unique challenges and use distinct coping strategies affecting their motivation and retention in these occupations. Research purpose: The purpose was to explore the experiences of women working in maledominated occupations to clarify the challenges they face and identify coping strategies that enable them to continue on their career paths. Motivation for the study: Many women who choose male-dominated careers soon change in favour of more female-dominated or gender-balanced career paths. An understanding of women’s experiences may facilitate strategies geared towards their motivation and retention in male-dominated occupations. Research design, approach and method: The authors conducted this exploratory qualitative study from a constructivist grounded theory perspective. They used a purposive sample of five women and conducted in-depth unstructured interviews. They analysed data using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Main findings: The authors found that formal and covert organisational practices, which upheld gender discrimination and bias, were the main challenges that women face. These practices included the inadequate accommodation of women’s unique physical, identity and work-life balance needs. Elements of women’s resilience included the use of femininity, adopting male characteristics, mentorship and intrinsic motivational factors. Practical/managerial implications: The findings may guide organisations to develop and implement policies, strategies and initiatives geared towards attracting, integrating, retaining, supporting and motivating women who are, or wish to be, employed in historically maledominated occupations. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to an evolving body of knowledge aimed at understanding how to integrate and retain women in male-dominated occupations better.

  11. "Learning to Like Learning": An Appreciative Inquiry into Emotions in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naude, L.; van den Bergh, T. J.; Kruger, I. S.

    2014-01-01

    Various learning philosophies, such as humanistic, constructivist, and socio-cultural approaches, have accentuated the importance of emotion in learning. In this article, we reviewed these approaches and explored the affective dimensions of learning. We conducted focus group and individual interviews with a group of female students in the…

  12. Adlerian Therapy as a Relational Constructivist Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Richard E.

    2003-01-01

    This article affirms that Adlerian therapy--both explicitly and implicitly--is a relational constructivist approach, and consequently may serve as an integrative bridge between cognitive constructivist and social constructivist therapies. Both theory and practice issues are discussed. (Contains 85 references.) (GCP)

  13. Developing 21st Century Skills through a Constructivist-Constructionist Learning Environment

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    Lay Ah-Nam

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Science and technology innovation and 21st century skills are increasingly important in the 21st century workplace. The purpose of this study is to propose an instructional strategy that develop constructivist-constructionist learning environment that simultaneously develop chemistry knowledge and 21st century skills. Based on constructivist and constructionist learning theories, we identified three central guiding principles for this study: (1 engage students in discovery and problem solving task through teamwork, (2 provide opportunities for communicating ideas, and (3 involve students in the process of design. An intervention module, Malaysian Kimia (chemistry Digital Game known as MyKimDG, was developed as a mechanism for creating the learning environment. In this study, students were required to work collaboratively to design educational media that help their peers who face difficulty in learning particular concept. They were guided to go through the IDPCR (Inquiry, Discover, Produce, Communicate and Review phases. It is hypothesized that MyKimDG can create learning environment that allows students to deepen subject content knowledge and practice various 21st century skills in real situation. This study employed quasi-experimental study with non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest control group design. Results suggest that this approach is able to improve the acquisition of chemistry knowledge and high productivity skill.

  14. The Effects of Social Constructivist Approach on the Learnersâ Problem Solving and Metacognitive Levels

    OpenAIRE

    Erdal Bay; Birsen Bagceci; Bayram Cetin

    2012-01-01

    Problem statement: Socio-cultural constructivism; stressing the social context, culture and collaborative side of learning, is another kind of constructivism. The social constructivist approach has positive effects on learners. It can be said that in improving problem solving and met cognitive awareness skills, which are amongst basic skills every individual should possess today. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is a significant difference in the learnersâ problem sol...

  15. "Sleuthing through the Rock Cycle": An Online Guided Inquiry Tool for Middle and High School Geoscience Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schifman, Laura; Cardace, Dawn; Kortz, Karen; Saul, Karen; Gilfert, Amber; Veeger, Anne I.; Murray, Daniel P.

    2013-01-01

    The rock cycle is a key component of geoscience education at all levels. In this paper, we report on a new guided inquiry curricular module, "Sleuthing through the Rock Cycle," which has a blended online/offline constructivist design with comprehensive teaching notes and has been successful in pilot use in Rhode Island middle and high…

  16. Naturalistic Inquiry in E-Learning Research

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    Shirley Agostinho

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the author explains how and why one particular qualitative research approach, the naturalistic inquiry paradigm, was implemented in an e-learning research study that investigated the use of the World Wide Web technology in higher education. A framework is presented that situates the research study within the qualitative research literature. The author then justifies how the study was compliant with naturalistic inquiry and concludes by presenting a model for judging the quality of such research. The purpose of this article is to provide an example of how naturalistic inquiry can be implemented in e-learning research that can serve as a guide for researchers undertaking this form of qualitative inquiry. As such, the focus of the article is to illustrate how methodological issues pertaining to naturalistic inquiry were addressed and justified to represent a rigorous research approach rather than presenting the results of the research study.

  17. The effect of guided inquiry-based instruction in secondary science for students with learning disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eliot, Michael H.

    Students with learning disabilities (SWLDs) need to attain academic rigor to graduate from high school and college, as well as achieve success in life. Constructivist theories suggest that guided inquiry may provide the impetus for their success, yet little research has been done to support this premise. This study was designed to fill that gap. This quasi-experimental study compared didactic and guided inquiry-based teaching of science concepts to secondary SWLDs in SDC science classes. The study examined 38 students in four classes at two diverse, urban high schools. Participants were taught two science concepts using both teaching methods and posttested after each using paper-and-pencil tests and performance tasks. Data were compared to determine increases in conceptual understanding by teaching method, order of teaching method, and exposure one or both teaching methods. A survey examined participants' perceived self-efficacy under each method. Also, qualitative comparison of the two test formats examined appropriate use with SWLDs. Results showed significantly higher scores after the guided inquiry method on concept of volume, suggesting that guided inquiry does improve conceptual understanding over didactic instruction in some cases. Didactic teaching followed by guided inquiry resulted in higher scores than the reverse order, indicating that SWLDs may require direct instruction in basic facts and procedures related to a topic prior to engaging in guided inquiry. Also application of both teaching methods resulted in significantly higher scores than a single method on the concept of density, suggesting that SWLDs may require more in depth instruction found using both methods. No differences in perceived self-efficacy were shown. Qualitative analysis both assessments and participants' behaviors during testing support the use of performance tasks over paper-and-pencil tests with SWLDs. Implications for education include the use of guided inquiry to increase SWLDs

  18. Deconstructing Research: Paradigms Lost

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trifonas, Peter Pericles

    2009-01-01

    In recent decades, proponents of naturalistic and/or critical modes of inquiry advocating the use of ethnographic techniques for the narrative-based study of phenomena within pedagogical contexts have challenged the central methodological paradigm of educational research: that is, the tendency among its practitioners to adhere to quantitative…

  19. An Emerging Theory for Evidence Based Information Literacy Instruction in School Libraries, Part 2: Building a Culture of Inquiry

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    Carol A. Gordon

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective – The purpose of this paper is to articulate a theory for the use of action research as a tool of evidence based practice for information literacy instruction in school libraries. The emerging theory is intended to capture the complex phenomenon of information skills teaching as it is embedded in school curricula. Such a theory is needed to support research on the integrated approach to teaching information skills and knowledge construction within the framework of inquiry learning. Part 1 of this paper, in the previous issue, built a foundation for emerging theory, which established user‐centric information behavior and constructivist learning theory as the substantive theory behind evidence based library instruction in schools. Part 2 continues to build on the Information Search Process and Guided Inquiry as foundational to studying the information‐to‐knowledge connection and the concepts of help and intervention characteristic of 21st century school library instruction.Methods – This paper examines the purpose and methodology of action research as a tool of evidence based instruction. This is accomplished through the explication of three components of theory‐building: paradigm, substantive research, and metatheory. Evidence based practice is identified as the paradigm that contributes values and assumptions about school library instruction. It establishes the role of evidence in teaching and learning, linking theory and practice. Action research, as a tool of evidence based practice is defined as the synthesis of authentic learning, or performance‐based assessment practices that continuously generate evidence throughout the inquiry unit of instruction and traditional data collection methods typically used in formal research. This paper adds social psychology theory from Lewin’s work, which contributes methodology from Gestalt psychology, field theory, group dynamics, and change theory. For Lewin the purpose of action

  20. Knowledge about Inquiry: A Study in South African High Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaigher, Estelle; Lederman, Norman; Lederman, Judith

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports a study on South African learners' knowledge about scientific inquiry using the Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI) Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 105 grade 11 learners from 7 schools across the socio-economic spectrum in a South African city. A rubric for scoring the VASI Questionnaire was developed and refined during…

  1. Towards a Cyber-Constructivist Perspective (CCP of Educational Design

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    Rocci Luppicini

    2003-02-01

    Full Text Available This theoretical paper utilizes cybernetic-based approaches (Bopry, 1999; Wiener, 1954 and communications theory (Habermas, 1984,1990; Krippendorff, 1994 to advance knowledge of constructivist learning. I argue that past educational research literature on constructivist learning is partly responsible for limiting how educational designers conceptualize individual and collaborative learning environments. A cyber-constructivist perspective (CCP is explored as a tool for increasing awareness of factors that may contribute to effective constructivist educational design (ED within learning communities. I discuss advantages and disadvantages of adopting a CCP in the design of constructivist learning environments.

  2. Organisational culture as a socio-economic phenomenon in the context of the modern management paradigm

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    Shubin Aleksandr A.

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The article studies cognitive component of the “organisational culture” category and marks our three groups of approaches to the aspect description of the studied category: aspects of the organisational culture formed by the control system; aspects of the organisational culture inherent in the controlled system; and universal aspects inherent in both control and controlled systems. The article provides the authors’ definition of the organisational culture as a complex element of the internal environment of the organisation that has certain phenomenological properties (synergy, dynamics, uniqueness, adaptability, mentality, hierarchy, aggregation, communicativeness and sociality; integrating spiritual, material, static and procedural elements with the aim of formation of a single management philosophy for ensuring external adaptation and efficient functioning of an enterprise. The article establishes the role and place of the organisational culture as a socio-economic phenomenon in the context of the modern management paradigm through specification of prerequisites of formation and development of the neo-classical concept of the organisational culture; features of the modern management paradigm; phenomenological properties of the culture; factors of influence upon the organisational culture and tendencies of development of the phenomenon of the national organisational culture.

  3. How Constructivist-Based Teaching Influences Students Learning Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seimears, C. Matt; Graves, Emily; Schroyer, M. Gail; Staver, John

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to provide details about the beneficial processes the constructivist pedagogy has in the area of teaching science. No Child Left Behind could possibly cause detrimental effects to the science classroom and the constructivist teacher, so this essay tells how constructivist-based teaching influences students and their…

  4. Operations Strategy under Chaos –Lessons to be learned from a new Paradigm

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koch, Christian

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new paradigm being able to conceptualize content and process aspects of Operations Strategy. Based on a critical reading of literature; two opposing paradigms of Operations Strategy are identified and described. The first focuses on content issues...... of Operations Strategy and relies on a normative orientation and the second focuses on process issues of Operations Strategy and relies on a descriptive orientation. To compare and evaluate the two paradigms; the results of a longitudinal case-study of Operations Strategy formulation and implementation...... in practice are shown. These results promote the need for a new or third paradigm to integrate and balance the two former paradigms. The new paradigm is labeled as a moderate constructivist paradigm using the metaphor of chaos and seems suitable for conceptualizing Operations Strategy as it is in practice...

  5. Socio-environmental cooperation and conflict? A discursive understanding and its application to the case of Israel and Palestine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ide, T.; Fröhlich, C.

    2015-10-01

    The existing literature faces difficulties when accounting for the simultaneity of socio-environmental conflict and cooperation. We suggest that this puzzle can be solved by more recent constructivist works, which argue that conflictive or cooperative behavior is driven by discursively constructed interests, identities and situation assessments. Based on a literature review and field interviews, we analyze and compare the dominant water discourses in Israel and Palestine with the discourse dominant among the activists of a water cooperation project between communities from Israel and the West Bank. Our main result is that discourses are indeed crucial for understanding water-related conflict and cooperation. This finding highlights the relevance of constructivist approaches in the study of socio-environmental conflict and cooperation as well as of practices of bottom-up discursive conflict transformation.

  6. Grounded Theory Method: Sociology's Quest for Exclusive Items of Inquiry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward Tolhurst

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The genesis and development of grounded theory method (GTM is evaluated with reference to sociology's attempt to demarcate exclusive referents of inquiry. The links of objectivist GTM to positivistic terminology and to the natural scientific distinction from "common sense" are explored. It is then considered how the biological sciences have prompted reorientation towards constructivist GTM, underpinned by the metaphysics of social constructionism. GTM has been shaped by the endeavor to attain the sense of exactitude associated with positivism, whilst also seeking exclusive referents of inquiry that are distinct from the empirical realm of the natural sciences. This has generated complex research techniques underpinned by tortuous methodological debate: eschewing the perceived requirement to define and defend an academic niche could help to facilitate the development of a more useful and pragmatic orientation to qualitative social research. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1203261

  7. Listening into the Dark: An Essay Testing the Validity and Efficacy of Collaborative Developmental Action Inquiry for Describing and Encouraging Transformations of Self, Society, and Scientific Inquiry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William R. Torbert

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Collaborative Developmental Action Inquiry (CDAI is introduced as a meta-paradigmatic approach to social science and social action that encompasses seven other more familiar paradigms (e.g., Behaviorism, Empirical Positivism, and Postmodern Interpretivism and that triangulates among third-person, objectivity-seeking social scientific inquiry, second-person, transformational, mutuality-seeking political inquiry, and first-person, adult, spiritual inquiry and consciousness development in the emerging present. CDAI tests findings, not only against third-person criteria of validity as do quantitative, positivist studies and qualitative, interpretive studies, but also against first- and second-person criteria of validity, as well as criteria of efficacy in action. CDAI introduces the possibility of treating, not just formal third-person studies, but any and all activities in one’s daily life in an inquiring manner. The aim of this differently-scientific approach is not only theoretical, generalizable knowledge, but also knowledge that generates increasingly timely action in particular cases in the relationships that mean the most to the inquirer. To illustrate and explain why the CDAI approach can explain unusually high percentages of the variance in whether or not organizations actually transform, all three types of validity-testing are applied to a specific study of intended transformation in ten organizations. The ten organization study found that adding together the performance of each organization’s CEO and lead consultant pn a reliable, well-validated measure of developmental action-logic, predicted 59% of the variance, beyond the .01 level, in whether and how the organization transformed (as rated by three scorers who achieved between .90 and 1.0 reliability. The essay concludes with a comparison between the Empirical Positivist paradigm of inquiry and the Collaborative Developmental Action Inquiry paradigm.

  8. Relationships among constructivist learning environment perceptions, motivational beliefs, self-regulation and science achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kingir, Sevgi; Tas, Yasemin; Gok, Gulsum; Sungur Vural, Semra

    2013-11-01

    Background. There are attempts to integrate learning environment research with motivation and self-regulation research that considers social context influences an individual's motivation, self-regulation and, in turn, academic performance. Purpose. This study explored the relationships among constructivist learning environment perception variables (personal relevance, uncertainty, shared control, critical voice, student negotiation), motivational beliefs (self-efficacy, intrinsic interest, goal orientation), self-regulation, and science achievement. Sample. The sample for this study comprised 802 Grade 8 students from 14 public middle schools in a district of Ankara in Turkey. Design and methods. Students were administered 4 instruments: Constructivist Learning Environment Survey, Goal Achievement Questionnaire, Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and Science Achievement Test. LISREL 8.7 program with SIMPLIS programming language was used to test the conceptual model. Providing appropriate fit indices for the proposed model, the standardized path coefficients for direct effects were examined. Results. At least one dimension of the constructivist learning environment was associated with students' intrinsic interest, goal orientation, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and science achievement. Self-efficacy emerged as the strongest predictor of both mastery and performance avoidance goals rather than the approach goals. Intrinsic value was found to be significantly linked to science achievement through its effect on self-regulation. The relationships between self-efficacy and self-regulation and between goal orientation and science achievement were not significant. Conclusion. In a classroom environment supporting student autonomy and control, students tend to develop higher interest in tasks, use more self-regulatory strategies, and demonstrate higher academic performance. Science teachers are highly recommended to consider these findings when designing

  9. Problem-solving in a Constructivist Environment

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    Lee Chien Sing

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available The dynamic challenges of an increasingly borderless world buoyed by advances in telecommunications and information technology has resulted in educational reform and subsequently, a reconceptualisation of what constitutes a learner, learning and the influence of the learning environment on the process of learning. In keeping up with the changing trends and challenges of an increasingly networked, dynamic and challenging international community, means to provide an alternative environment that stimulates inquiry and equips learners with the skills needed to manage technological change and innovations must be considered. This paper discusses the importance of interaction, cognition and context, collaboration in a networked computer-mediated environment, the problem-solving approach as a catalyst in stimulating creative and critical thinking and in providing context for meaningful interaction and whether the interactive environment created through computer-mediated collaboration will motivate learners to be responsible for their own learning and be independent thinkers. The sample involved learners from three schools in three different countries. Findings conclude that a rich interactive environment must be personally relevant to the learner by simulating authentic problems without lowering the degree of cognitive complexity. Review in curriculum, assessment and teacher training around constructivist principles are also imperative as these interrelated factors form part of the learning process system.

  10. Commentary: Toward Convergence in Creativity Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Ai-Girl; Wong, Meng-Ee

    2015-01-01

    This commentary is about reflection in the new language of creativity and the meanings of inquiry into creative life. The authors of the commentary adopt the cultural paradigm of psychology of creativity. They praise effortful creativity of the authors who submitted the articles to this special issue. Their studies employed diverse methods of…

  11. Socio-materiality and modes of inquiry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buch, Anders

    2018-01-01

    have opted for explanatory strategies that span the spectrum from technological determinism to voluntarism. Contemporary theorizing of the problem has tried to avoid the extremes of the spectrum, and opted for a middle ground that leaves room for human agency while still recognizing the impact...... (SCOT), Actor-Network Theory (ANT), and Agential Realism. Whereas there is general agreement in STS that the social and the material is related there is no general agreement about how the socio-material relationship should be understood. Ontological, epistemological and methodological issues tend...

  12. Portraiture of constructivist parental involvement: A model to develop a community of practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dignam, Christopher Anthony

    This qualitative research study addressed the problem of the lack of parental involvement in secondary school science. Increasing parental involvement is vital in supporting student academic achievement and social growth. The purpose of this emergent phenomenological study was to identify conditions required to successfully construct a supportive learning environment to form partnerships between students, parents, and educators. The overall research question in this study investigated the conditions necessary to successfully enlist parental participation with students during science inquiry investigations at the secondary school level. One hundred thirteen pairs of parents and students engaged in a 6-week scientific inquiry activity and recorded attitudinal data in dialogue journals, questionnaires, open-ended surveys, and during one-one-one interviews conducted by the researcher between individual parents and students. Comparisons and cross-interpretations of inter-rater, codified, triangulated data were utilized for identifying emergent themes. Data analysis revealed the active involvement of parents in researching with their child during inquiry investigations, engaging in journaling, and assessing student performance fostered partnerships among students, parents, and educators and supported students' social skills development. The resulting model, employing constructivist leadership and enlisting parent involvement, provides conditions and strategies required to develop a community of practice that can help effect social change. The active involvement of parents fostered improved efficacy and a holistic mindset to develop in parents, students, and teachers. Based on these findings, the interactive collaboration of parents in science learning activities can proactively facilitate a community of practice that will assist educators in facilitating social change.

  13. Students' beliefs, attitudes, and conceptual change in a traditional and a constructivistic high school physics classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, April Dean

    In this study, the relationships between student beliefs about the nature of science, student attitudes, and conceptual change about the nature of forces were investigated within a traditional and within a constructivistic high school physics classroom. Students in both classrooms were honors students taking a first year high school physics course and were primarily white and middle to upper SES. Students in the traditional classroom were all high ability juniors, and physics instruction was integrated with pre-calculus. Students in the constructivistic classroom were a mixture of juniors and seniors. Due to the interrelated nature of these factors and the complexity of their interactions, a naturalistic inquiry design was chosen. The data sources included videotape of 7-9 weeks of instruction; analysis of the videotapes using the Secondary Teacher Analysis Matrix (Gallagher & Parker, 1995); field notes; pretest/posttest assessment with the Force Concept Inventory (Hestenes, Wells, & Swackhammer, 1992); student responses from the Views on Science-Technology-Society questionnaire (Aikenhead & Ryan, 1992), the Questionnaire for the Assessment of a Science Course (Chiappetta, 1995), and the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (Taylor, Fraser, & White, 1994); student interviews; and teacher interviews. In the traditional classroom, (a) students did not think that physics was relevant to everyday experiences; (b) high conceptual change students were more likely to have an angular world view (Cobern, 1993) and have views more similar to the teacher's about the nature of science; and (c) high conceptual change students were able to develop an internally consistent understanding of the content; however, that content appeared to be isolated knowledge in some students. In the constructivistic classroom, (a) students saw physics as relevant and useful; (b) there was no difference in world view or agreement with the teacher's views on the nature of science between high

  14. Inquiry based learning: a student centered learning to develop mathematical habits of mind

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handayani, A. D.; Herman, T.; Fatimah, S.; Setyowidodo, I.; Katminingsih, Y.

    2018-05-01

    Inquiry based learning is learning that based on understanding constructivist mathematics learning. Learning based on constructivism is the Student centered learning. In constructivism, students are trained and guided to be able to construct their own knowledge on the basis of the initial knowledge that they have before. This paper explained that inquiry based learning can be used to developing student’s Mathematical habits of mind. There are sixteen criteria Mathematical Habits of mind, among which are diligent, able to manage time well, have metacognition ability, meticulous, etc. This research method is qualitative descriptive. The result of this research is that the instruments that have been developed to measure mathematical habits of mind are validated by the expert. The conclusion is the instrument of mathematical habits of mind are valid and it can be used to measure student’s mathematical habits of mind.

  15. Knowledge Building Conceptualisation within Smart Constructivist Learning Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    2017-01-01

    This chapter focuses on the meeting of Constructivism (as a learning theory) and Smart Learning and, thus, theorises Smart Constructivist Learning. The main field of research is Smart Learning Environments. Relying on the phenomena of ‘meaning construction’ and ‘meaningful understanding production......’ in the framework of smart constructivism, we will focus on analysing Smart Constructivist Knowledge Building. Accordingly, we analysed Learning-and-Constructing-Together as a smart constructivist model. The outcomes of this chapter could support the developments of smart learning strategies....

  16. Using Appreciative Inquiry and Dialogical Learning to Explore Dominant Paradigms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neville, Mary Grace

    2008-01-01

    Experiential learning theory, conversational learning, and seminar practices combine to shape an educational experience that is grounded in principles of appreciative inquiry. The seminar, taught to undergraduate business majors, seeks to encourage students to explore their underlying assumptions about business in society. Because postindustrial…

  17. Use of empathy in psychiatric practice: constructivist grounded theory study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watling, Chris

    2017-01-01

    Background Psychiatry has faced significant criticism for overreliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and medications with purported disregard for empathetic, humanistic interventions. Aims To develop an empirically based qualitative theory explaining how psychiatrists use empathy in day-to-day practice, to inform practice and teaching approaches. Method This study used constructivist grounded theory methodology to ask (a) ‘How do psychiatrists understand and use empathetic engagement in the day-to-day practice of psychiatry?’ and (b) ‘How do psychiatrists learn and teach the skills of empathetic engagement?’ The authors interviewed 17 academic psychiatrists and 4 residents and developed a theory by iterative coding of the collected data. Results This constructivist grounded theory of empathetic engagement in psychiatric practice considered three major elements: relational empathy, transactional empathy and instrumental empathy. As one moves from relational empathy through transactional empathy to instrumental empathy, the actions of the psychiatrist become more deliberate and interventional. Conclusions Participants were described by empathy-based interventions which are presented in a theory of ’empathetic engagement’. This is in contrast to a paradigm that sees psychiatry as purely based on neurobiological interventions, with psychotherapy and interpersonal interventions as completely separate activities from day-to-day psychiatric practice. Declaration of interest None. Copyright and usage © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license. PMID:28243463

  18. The effectiveness of constructivist science instructional methods on high school students' motivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Michele T.

    2007-12-01

    A problem facing educators is students' academic motivation to successfully complete science class offerings and pass state standardized tests. This study focused on the effectiveness of constructivist science instructional methods to motivate high school science students to complete classroom activities. It was the intent of this study to provide a voice for students regarding what activities promote their motivation. A constant comparative analysis including open, axial, and selective coding of participants' interview responses and classroom observations provided codes used to develop a substantive theory of motivation and personal investment in students' learning. The findings of this study were that teachers should provide students with constructivist lessons such as cooperative groups, problem-based learning, and inquiry questions in which to learn content objectives. As social beings, students are more motivated to participate in activities that allow them to work with peers, contribute their own ideas, and relate topics of interest to their own realities. Keeping these ideas in mind during lesson preparation will increase students' motivation and achievement. Variation of instruction should include activities that reflect multiple intelligences and real world situations. The researcher recommends the development of professional learning communities as a way for teachers to share teaching practices that motivate students to learn and become problem solvers, thus promoting social change in educators' pedagogy in the researcher's teaching community. In an era of educational accountability and federal regulations, this study provides an important tool for teachers to employ in order to meet the educational needs of their students.

  19. From Concepts to Predicates within Constructivist Epistemology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    2017-01-01

    Constructivism is a philosophical approach that appears in a variety of guises, some of them pedagogical, some epistemological and some in complex combinations. This article is based on constructivist epistemology. More specifically, constructivist epistemology provides a ground for conceptual an...... analysis of humans’ concept constructions, conceptions and concept learning processes. It will focus on conceptual specification and logical description of a flow from concepts to predicates....

  20. Are Employee Emotional and Socio-political Competences Related with Innovative Behavior?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kähler, Helena Grøn

    on the socio-political paradigm and the theory of innovation as a socio-political process, the main hypothesis is that employees’ strategic emotional intelligence, mediated by their socio-political competencies, will predict their innovative behavior, particularly their degree of idea-promoting and idea-realization....

  1. Understanding the Intersections of Paradigm, Meta-Theory, and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Researchers rely on theories to guide the research process. Theories provide directions in formulating research questions and in the interpretation of findings. The choice of theory to guide inquiry must relate to research paradigm and corresponding meta-theory. However, many beginning scholars experience difficulty in ...

  2. Acting, predicting and intervening in a socio-hydrological world

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, S. N.

    2014-03-01

    This paper asks a simple question: if humans and their actions co-evolve with hydrological systems (Sivapalan et al., 2012), what is the role of hydrological scientists, who are also humans, within this system? To put it more directly, as traditionally there is a supposed separation of scientists and society, can we maintain this separation as socio-hydrologists studying a socio-hydrological world? This paper argues that we cannot, using four linked sections. The first section draws directly upon the concern of science-technology studies to make a case to the (socio-hydrological) community that we need to be sensitive to constructivist accounts of science in general and socio-hydrology in particular. I review three positions taken by such accounts and apply them to hydrological science, supported with specific examples: (a) the ways in which scientific activities frame socio-hydrological research, such that at least some of the knowledge that we obtain is constructed by precisely what we do; (b) the need to attend to how socio-hydrological knowledge is used in decision-making, as evidence suggests that hydrological knowledge does not flow simply from science into policy; and (c) the observation that those who do not normally label themselves as socio-hydrologists may actually have a profound knowledge of socio-hydrology. The second section provides an empirical basis for considering these three issues by detailing the history of the practice of roughness parameterisation, using parameters like Manning's n, in hydrological and hydraulic models for flood inundation mapping. This history sustains the third section that is a more general consideration of one type of socio-hydrological practice: predictive modelling. I show that as part of a socio-hydrological analysis, hydrological prediction needs to be thought through much more carefully: not only because hydrological prediction exists to help inform decisions that are made about water management; but also because

  3. Life-Cycle Thinking in Inquiry-Based Sustainability Education--Effects on Students' Attitudes towards Chemistry and Environmental Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juntunen, Marianne; Aksela, Maija

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the present study is to improve the quality of students' environmental literacy and sustainability education in chemistry teaching by combining the socio-scientific issue of life-cycle thinking with inquiry-based learning approaches. This case study presents results from an inquiry-based life-cycle thinking project: an interdisciplinary…

  4. Desarrollo de herramientas de gestión socio-ambiental para cuencas andinas con actividades mineras = Development of socio-environmental management tools for Andean basins with mining activities

    OpenAIRE

    Pérez Foguet, Agustí; Yacoub López, Cristina; Miralles Esteban, Núria

    2013-01-01

    We present an analysis of three socio-environmental management tools developed and applied to an example of Andean basin with mining activities of significant importance. Socio-environmental conflicts related to mining activities are of increasing interest in the region. Most of them include water quality or quantity issues as a central part of the disputes. On the other hand, environmental regulations are changing from a paradigm focused on pollution control to a paradigm based on the health...

  5. Liberal Neutrality : Constructivist, not foundationalist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lendell Horne

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available In defending the principle of neutrality, liberals have often appealed to a more general moral principle that forbids coercing persons in the name of reasons those persons themselves cannot reasonably be expected to share. Yet liberals have struggled to articulate a non-arbitrary, non-dogmatic distinction between the reasons that persons can reasonably be expected to share and those they cannot. The reason for this, I argue, is that what it means to “share a reason” is itself obscure. In this paper I articulate two different conceptions of what it is to share a reason; I call these conceptions “foundationalist” and “constructivist.” On the foundationalist view, two people “share” a reason just in the sense that the same reason applies to each of them independently. On this view, I argue, debates about the reasons we share collapse into debates about the reasons we have, moving us no closer to an adequate defense of neutrality. On the constructivist view, by contrast, “sharing reasons” is understood as a kind of activity, and the reasons we must share are just those reasons that make this activity possible. I argue that the constructivist conception of sharing reasons yields a better defense of the principle of neutrality. À travers leur défense du principe de neutralité, les libéraux ont souvent interpellé un principe moral plus général qui interdit de contraindre des personnes pour des raisons dont on ne peut raisonnablement attendre que ces personnes elles-mêmes les partagent. Les libéraux éprouvent cependant de la difficulté à articuler une distinction non-arbitraire et non-dogmatique entre les raisons dont on peut raisonnablement attendre que les personnes les partagent et celles dont on ne le peut pas. Je soutiens dans cet article que cette difficulté provient du fait que «partager une raison » est une notion obscure. Pour illustrer cela, je me pencherai sur deux conceptions distinctes de ce que veut dire

  6. The Prerequisites for a Degrowth Paradigm Shift

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buch-Hansen, Hubert

    2018-01-01

    What would it take for a degrowth paradigm shift to take place? Drawing on contemporary critical political economy scholarship, this article identifies four prerequisites for socio-economic paradigm shifts: deep crisis, an alternative political project, a comprehensive coalition of social forces...... currently facing humanity. On the other hand, the prospects for a degrowth paradigm shift remain bleak: unlike political projects that became hegemonic in the past, degrowth has neither support from a comprehensive coalition of social forces nor any consent to its agenda among the broader population....

  7. Constructivist Learning Theory and Climate Science Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Somerville, R. C.

    2012-12-01

    Communicating climate science is a form of education. A scientist giving a television interview or testifying before Congress is engaged in an educational activity, though one not identical to teaching graduate students. Knowledge, including knowledge about climate science, should never be communicated as a mere catalogue of facts. Science is a process, a way of regarding the natural world, and a fascinating human activity. A great deal is already known about how to do a better job of science communication, but implementing change is not easy. I am confident that improving climate science communication will involve the paradigm of constructivist learning theory, which traces its roots to the 20th-century Swiss epistemologist Jean Piaget, among others. This theory emphasizes the role of the teacher as supportive facilitator rather than didactic lecturer, "a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage." It also stresses the importance of the teacher making a serious effort to understand and appreciate the prior knowledge and viewpoint of the student, recognizing that students' minds are not empty vessels to be filled or blank slates to be written on. Instead, students come to class with a background of life experiences and a body of existing knowledge, of varying degrees of correctness or accuracy, about almost any topic. Effective communication is also usually a conversation rather than a monologue. We know too that for many audiences, the most trusted messengers are those who share the worldview and cultural values of those with whom they are communicating. Constructivist teaching methods stress making use of the parallels between learning and scientific research, such as the analogies between assessing prior knowledge of the audience and surveying scientific literature for a research project. Meanwhile, a well-funded and effective professional disinformation campaign has been successful in sowing confusion, and as a result, many people mistakenly think climate

  8. Transforming Constructivist Learning into Action: Design Thinking in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheer, Andrea; Noweski, Christine; Meinel, Christoph

    2012-01-01

    In an ever changing society of the 21st century, there is a demand to equip students with meta competences going beyond cognitive knowledge. Education, therefore, needs a transition from transferring knowledge to developing individual potentials with the help of constructivist learning. Advantages of constructivist learning, and criteria for its…

  9. Inquiry-based science: Preparing human capital for the 21 st century and beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyd, Yolanda F.

    High school students need to graduate with 21st century skills to be college and career ready and to be competitive in a global marketplace. A positive trend exists favoring inquiry-based instructional practices that purportedly not only increase science content knowledge, but also 21 st century skill development. A suburban school district, Areal Township (pseudonym), implemented an inquiry-based science program based on this trend; however, the degree to which the program has been meeting students' needs for science content knowledge and 21st century skills development has not been explored. If we were to understand the process by which an inquiry-based science program contributes to attainment of science content and 21st century skill development, then we might be able to improve the delivery of the program and provide a model to be adopted by other schools. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to engage with multiple stakeholders to formatively assess the successes and obstacles for helping students to achieve science content and 21st century skills through an inquiry-based curriculum. Using constructivist theory, this study aimed to address the following central research question: How does the implementation of an inquiry-based program within the Areal Township School District (ATSD) support the acquisition of science content knowledge and the development of 21st century skills? This study found that 21st century skill development is embedded in inquiry-based instructional practices. These practices engage students in meaningful learning that spirals in content and is measured using diverse assessments. Time to do inquiry-based science and adequate time for collegial collaboration were obstacles for educators in grades K-5. Other obstacles were turnkey professional development and a lack of ongoing program monitoring, as a result of imposed extrinsic factors from state and federal mandates. Lastly, it was discovered that not all parts of

  10. Science Teachers' Perceptions of the Relationship Between Game Play and Inquiry Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mezei, Jessica M.

    The implementation of inquiry learning in American science classrooms remains a challenge. Teachers' perceptions of inquiry learning are predicated on their past educational experiences, which means outdated methods of learning may influence teachers' instructional approaches. In order to enhance their understanding and ultimately their implementation of inquiry learning, teachers need new and more relevant models. This study takes a preliminary step exploring the potential of game play as a valuable experience for science teachers. It has been proposed that game play and inquiry experiences can embody constructivist processes of learning, however there has been little work done with science teachers to systematically explore the relationship between the two. Game play may be an effective new model for teacher education and it is important to understand if and how teachers relate game playing experience and knowledge to inquiry. This study examined science teachers' game playing experiences and their perceptions of inquiry experiences and evaluated teacher's recognition of learning in both contexts. Data was collected through an online survey (N=246) and a series of follow-up interviews (N=29). Research questions guiding the study were: (1) What is the nature of the relationship between science teachers' game experience and their perceptions of inquiry? (2) How do teachers describe learning in and from game playing as compared with inquiry science learning? and (3) What is the range of similarities and differences teachers articulate between game play and inquiry experiences?. Results showed weak quantitative links between science teachers' game experiences and their perceptions of inquiry, but identified promising game variables such as belief in games as learning tools, game experiences, and playing a diverse set of games for future study. The qualitative data suggests that teachers made broad linkages in terms of parallels of both teaching and learning. Teachers

  11. Reconceptualizing Narratology. Arguments for a Functionalist and Constructivist Approach to Narrative

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meir Sternberg

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available This long conversation with Meir Sternberg focuses on some crucial points in narrative theory. Special attention is given, in the first part, to the historical evolution of narrative studies, as well as to the theoretical differences between different paradigms, form Aristotle, through French structuralism, to the present days; in the second part he centers on the explanation of his constructivist ant anti-mimetic model and on the difference with other approaches to narrative studies. Providing two fundamental arguments against what he calls «objectivist approaches», he demonstrates the validity and the theoretical value of some of his most thought-provoking proposals, such as the Proteus Principle and the universals of narrative. Thanks to its explanatory power the interview constitutes a simple introduction to Sternberg’s functional-rhetorical approach and a glimpse at the editorial policy of the journal «Poetics Today».

  12. The Constructivist Mathematics Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Karrie; Jones, Jennifer L.; Vermette, Paul J.

    2010-01-01

    By examining how people learn, the educational theories of Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner can be synthesized to give this set of core Constructivist principles. Principles of effective mathematics teaching: (1) allows learning that is "active" and "reflective". Students are required to transfer key concepts to new situations; (2) allows…

  13. A Systemic-Constructivist Approach to the Facilitation and Debriefing of Simulations and Games

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kriz, Willy Christian

    2010-01-01

    This article introduces some basic concepts of a systemic-constructivist perspective. These show that gaming simulation corresponds closely to a systemic-constructivist approach to learning and instruction. Some quality aspects of facilitating and debriefing simulation games are described from a systemic-constructivist point of view. Finally, a…

  14. The many and conflicting histories of medical education in Canada and the USA: an introduction to the paradigm wars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodges, Brian

    2005-06-01

    Medical education research is a maturing field of inquiry that derives theoretical perspectives from many domains. Yet while such theoretical diversity holds the promise of rich paradigmatic writing and debate, too often medical education researchers do not place their work in a historical or cultural context, giving the impression that they have somehow unearthed universal 'truths' about medical education. This paper introduces some of the key 'histories' of medical education from the contexts of Anglophone Canada and the USA following a review of major works in the history of medical education. There are many and conflicting histories of medical education in North America that can be classified according to different socio-historical paradigms. To avoid the error of over-generalisation, a much greater effort must be made to include historical, sociological, economic and other social science perspectives in the design, interpretation and application of medical education research.

  15. Using Writing as a Constructivist Instructional Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayanan, M.

    2006-12-01

    Researchers in the area of cognitive science and educational psychology have shown that instructors who encourage student writing are actually helping in motivating a reluctant pupil. It has also been reported that writing indirectly rewards an individual with dynamic interest. Furthermore, it is believed that writing strengthens the self-confidence of a lethargic learner. (Kosakowski, 1998). All in all, promoting writing helps and supports learners cultivate a positive attitude toward the subject matter in question. The constructivist approach promotes a learning paradigm and helps individuals learn and understand by "constructing" knowledge. Learners are effectively encouraged to generate and build their own knowledge base. Learners document progress by constructing new concepts based on previously gained knowledge. The role of the teacher is actually to facilitate the creation of a learning environment. The constructivist approach when used in the classroom enables the students to become more active, independent thinkers of knowledge. Education World writer Gloria Chaika (Chaika, 2000) states that "Talent is important, but practice creates the solid base that allows that unique talent to soar. Like athletes, writers learn by doing. Good writing requires the same kind of dedicated practice that athletes put in. Young writers often lack the support they need to practice writing and develop their talent to the fullest, though." The author has successfully utilized some of these principles and techniques in a senior level course he teaches. He has encouraged students to try to solve problems their own way and has asked them to observe, document, assess and evaluate the results. In the classroom, the author takes the role of a coach and helps the students approach the problem with a different viewpoint. Eventually the students document their conclusions in a page-long essay. This type of writing assignment not only builds critical thinking abilities but also

  16. Changing the attitudes and practices of professional developers through a constructivist model: The Technical Assistance Academy for Mathematics and Science Services

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charles, Karen Jungblut

    For much of this century, mathematics and science have been taught in a didactic manner that is characterized by a passive student and a lecturing teacher. Since the late eighties national standards have encouraged professional developers specializing in mathematics and science education to deliver the messages of inquiry-based learning, active student engagement, and learner-constructed knowledge to the teachers they support. Follow-up studies of professional development programs, however, found that telling teachers was no more effective than telling students. Information transmitted in a passive setting was not transferring into effective classroom practices. This phenomenological case study was conducted to determine the effects of a constructivist-oriented professional development experience, the Technical Assistance Academy, in changing the practices and attitudes of mathematics and science professional developers regarding the use of constructivist strategies in workshop design. This study focused on 45 professional developers who participated in the Technical Assistance Academy. Data from a 2 1/2 year period were collected from session evaluations, journal reflections, a follow-up interview, and site visits that included observations and collaborative planning. Content analysis procedures were used to find common themes among the data. Use of new skills developed as a result of participation in the Technical Assistance Academy was determined using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model Levels of Use framework (Hall & Hord, 1987). Changes in attitude were determined by examining participants' journal reflections related to common constructivist themes such as those discussed by Fosnot (1996c): learning is developmental, disequilibrium and reflection facilitate learning, and the construction of "big ideas" results from the opportunity to struggle with new information. Results verified that all 45 participants demonstrated some level of use, and that most were in

  17. The opportunities and challenges of guided inquiry science for students with special needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Marianne

    Research in science education has been conducted with various goals for instruction. Four outcomes identified include: immediate and delayed recall, literal comprehension, science skills and processes, and conceptual understanding. The promise of developing important thinking skills exists for all students if science instruction is designed to teach students the products of science and the principled process of inquiry. Guided inquiry science seeks to develop conceptual understanding through the pursuit of meaningful questions using scientific problem solving to conduct investigations that are thoughtfully generated and evaluated. Using a social constructivist perspective, this study examines the learning experiences of four students, identified by their teachers as learning disabled or underachieving. Four case studies are presented of the students' participation in a guided inquiry investigation of the behavior of light. Measures of conceptual understanding included pre- and post-instruction assessments, interviews, journal writing, videotapes, and fieldnotes. All four students demonstrated improved conceptual understanding of light. Five patterns of relationships influenced the development of the students' thinking. First, differences in the culture of the two classrooms altered the learning environment, Second, the nature of teacher interaction with the target students affected conceptual understanding. Third, interactions with peers modified the learning experiences for the identified students. Fourth, the conceptual and procedural complexity of the tasks increased the tendency for the students to lose focus. Finally, the literacy requirements of the work were challenging for these students.

  18. Constructivist Instructional Practices and Teacher Beliefs Related to Secondary Science Teaching and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Adrienne Fleurette

    The purpose of this mixed method research study was to examine the constructivist beliefs and instructional practices of secondary science teachers. The research also explored situations that impacted whether or not student centered instruction occurred. The study revealed science teachers held constructive beliefs pertaining to student questioning of the learning process and student autonomy in interacting with other learners. Teachers held the least constructivist beliefs pertaining to student teacher collaboration on lesson design. Additionally, teacher beliefs and practice were not congruent due to instructional practices being deemed less constructivist than reported. The study found that curricular demands, teacher perceptions about students, inadequate laboratory resources, and the lack of teacher understanding about the components of constructivist instruction inhibited student centered instruction. The results of this study led to six recommendations that can be implemented by school districts in collaboration with science teachers to promote constructivist instruction.

  19. A new paradigm for nursing: the potential of realism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wainwright, S P

    1997-12-01

    Realism has been the dominant approach in the philosophy of science for the last 20 years. Realist philosophy has also been widely employed across a range of social sciences. Unfortunately, these powerful intellectual currents have not reached the shores of nursing which appears trapped in a time-warped debate about 'qualitative' (constructivist) and 'quantitative' (positivist) approaches. This paper argues that both positivism and constructionism are seriously flawed as philosophies of social and natural science. This is in marked contrast with realism which is a philosophy of both the natural and social sciences. I therefore propose that realism should be adopted as a radically different new paradigm for a unified biopsychosocial nursing.

  20. The Effect of Constructivist Science Teaching on 4th Grade Students' Understanding of Matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cakici, Yilmaz; Yavuz, Gulben

    2010-01-01

    In the last three decades, the constructivist approach has been the dominant ideology in the field of educational research. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of constructivist science teaching on the students' understanding about matter, and to compare the effectiveness of a constructivist approach over traditional teaching methods.…

  1. An Online Social Constructivist Course: Toward a Framework for Usability Evaluations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Alana S.; Sheffield, Anneliese; Moore, Michelle; Robinson, Heather A.

    2016-01-01

    There is a need for a holistic usability evaluation framework that accommodates social constructivist online courses. Social knowledge construction may not be adequately evaluated using current frameworks. This qualitative research study examined the usability needs of a social constructivist online course. Data from an online course were analyzed…

  2. Pre-Service Teachers' Constructivist Teaching Scores Based on Their Learning Styles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kablan, Zeynel; Kaya, Sibel

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between pre-service teachers' constructivist teaching and their learning styles based on Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory. The Learning Styles Inventory-3 was administered at the beginning of the semester to determine preferred learning style. The Constructivist Teaching Evaluation Form was filled out by…

  3. Children, Objects, and Relations: Constructivist Foundations in the Reggio Emilia Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swann, Annette C.

    2008-01-01

    This article examines how children's construction of relationships in exploring materials helps to explain the constructivist foundations of the Reggio Emilia approach. A quasi-naturalistic study of 12 preschool children, ages 3 and 4 years, individually exploring different kinds of collage papers reveals a range of constructivist categories…

  4. AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL GLANCE AT THE CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH: CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING IN DEWEY, PIAGET, AND MONTESSORI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emel Ültanır

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available What people gain through sensation and cognition make up the individuals’ experiences and knowledge. Individuals benefit from previous experiences when resolving problems. Knowledge is constructed from the meanings one attributes to nature and the environment. In theories, it means that constructers depend on observation and when directly translated, the theory has the meaning of observation. In other words, we construct our own reality with those belonging to our social circle. For us, there is the world and we can’t disregard that; however, the relationship between us and the outside world is a joining as materialistic and structural as in a social environment. In this article, while the foundation of constructivism is being thoroughly analysed, Vico’s ideas in the 18th century and the neurobiological studies of scientific knowledge have been utilized. In light of constructivist learning, Dewey’s opinion on “Experience and Education”, Piaget’s cognitive schema theory in “cognitive development”, and Montessori’s ideas on “Decentring the Teacher” have been examined. Finally, the ideas of the three names on constructivist learning have been interpreted.

  5. Deconstructing Constructivism: Modeling Causal Relationships Among Constructivist Learning Environment Factors and Student Outcomes in Introductory Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komperda, Regis

    The purpose of this dissertation is to test a model of relationships among factors characterizing aspects of a student-centered constructivist learning environment and student outcomes of satisfaction and academic achievement in introductory undergraduate chemistry courses. Constructivism was chosen as the theoretical foundation for this research because of its widespread use in chemical education research and practice. In a constructivist learning environment the role of the teacher shifts from delivering content towards facilitating active student engagement in activities that encourage individual knowledge construction through discussion and application of content. Constructivist approaches to teaching introductory chemistry courses have been adopted by some instructors as a way to improve student outcomes, but little research has been done on the causal relationships among particular aspects of the learning environment and student outcomes. This makes it difficult for classroom teachers to know which aspects of a constructivist teaching approach are critical to adopt and which may be modified to better suit a particular learning environment while still improving student outcomes. To investigate a model of these relationships, a survey designed to measure student perceptions of three factors characterizing a constructivist learning environment in online courses was adapted for use in face-to-face chemistry courses. These three factors, teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence, were measured using a slightly modified version of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) instrument. The student outcomes investigated in this research were satisfaction and academic achievement, as measured by standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) exam scores and course grades. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to statistically model relationships among the three presence factors and student outcome variables for 391 students enrolled in six sections of a

  6. Designing and Implementing Web-Based Scaffolding Tools for Technology-Enhanced Socioscientific Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Suhkyung; Brush, Thomas A.; Glazewski, Krista D.

    2017-01-01

    This study explores how web-based scaffolding tools provide instructional support while implementing a socio-scientific inquiry (SSI) unit in a science classroom. This case study focused on how students used web-based scaffolding tools during SSI activities, and how students perceived the SSI unit and the scaffolding tools embedded in the SSI…

  7. Golkar Party's Political Communications the New Paradigm Bakrie Leadership 2009-2013

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khoiruddin Muchtar

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available This study base on the efforts of the Golkar Party's to the process of interpretation, socialization, and implementation of the new paradigm, the paradigm guide to reformations Golkar Party's become to democratic, independent, solid, strong, foundamental, and responsive. How Golkar party's political communication about socialization and implementation of a new paradigm of Golkar Party's leadership Aburizal Bakrie-year period from 2009 to 2012.The aim of this research is to study and overview of the process of socialization and implementation new paradigm Golkar Party's of the Aburizal Bakrie’s leadership. This contect described to using constructivist paradigm through the theory of Performance of Communication and Structuration. Research using the case study method. Data obtained by participation observer, unstructured interviews, and documentary study. The data also collected from informants. The results of this research show: 1 The Golkar Party's has a very significant infrastructure, so the making easier to socialization new paradigm to internal party, but Golkar Party's can not erase stigma society as the New Order party. Socializing new paradigm Golkar Party's to be done in integrated, systematic and continuous addressed to all cadres of various levels from the center to the village. 2 the new paradigm Golkar Party's ideals as the basis and foundation values stand for the Golkar Party's, the implementation is faced with the reality of the condition of the various political considerations and the interests of power, so it can not shown the Golkar Party's political communication with the direction of the reality, Golkar Party's must be have to political communication with the role of multi faces.

  8. The Power of Balance: Transforming Self, Society, and Scientific Inquiry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William R. Torbert

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The “power of balance” as conceived by Torbert represents an integral paradigm of principles, theory, and praxis. Deployed, the paradigm is one that can indeed inform and shape the development of self, society, and scientific inquiry. To explicate that fulsome vision, the book’s fifteen chapters develop the themes of three sections: Theory and Strategy, Heart and Practice, and Vision and Method. Here, we have excerpted from several chapters in Theory and Strategy, and from one chapter in Vision and Method. This means, of course, that we present but a small fraction of this integral classic, leaving out all of the rich, in-depth illustrations, including the author’s learning practice as he first attempted to enact the principles. Yet, we hope even this abbreviated form of The Power of Balance supports at least two goals: to offer deployable insights and practices for developing politics and the political; and to take root as part of a foundational canon for integral political thought, research, and praxis. How we readers deploy these principles in our own actions will determine the degree to which self, society, and scientific inquiry transform.

  9. Fuel poverty analysis in the light of the PHEBUS inquiry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ambrosio, Giulia; Belaid, Fateh; Bair, Sabrine; Teissier, Olivier

    2015-01-01

    This study is based on the Phebus inquiry about 'accommodation efficiency, equipment, needs and energy uses' from the French sustainable development commission. It aims at analysing the fuel poverty phenomenon in the light of these indicators: seriousness of the phenomenon, households' socio-economic characteristics, accommodations and behaviour, public aids, risk factors, economic indicators, standard profile of the targeted populations (income, energy efficiency diagnosis)

  10. Socio-economic applications of finite state mean field games

    KAUST Repository

    Gomes, Diogo A.; Machado Velho, Roberto; Wolfram, Marie Therese

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we present different applications of finite state mean field games to socio-economic sciences. Examples include paradigm shifts in the scientific community or consumer choice behaviour in the free market. The corresponding finite

  11. Doing Social Constructivist Research Means Making Empathic and Aesthetic Connections with Participants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Mi Song

    2014-01-01

    Social constructivist theorists tend to identify qualitative educational research as discovering meaning and understanding by the researcher's active involvement in the construction of meaning. Although these approaches have been widely influenced by Vygotsky's social constructivist approach, his own theoretical framework has received…

  12. Student Motivation in Constructivist Learning Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cetin-Dindar, Ayla

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between constructivist learning environment and students'motivation to learn science by testing whether students' self-efficacy in learning science, intrinsically and extrinsically motivated science learning increase and students' anxiety about science assessment decreases when more…

  13. Constructivist Early Education for Moral Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeVries, Rheta; Hildebrandt, Carolyn; Zan, Betty

    2000-01-01

    Examines role that constructivist teachers play in fostering moral development in young children. Traces development of perspective taking, autonomy, and self- regulation, and examines effects of different teaching and parenting practices on children's character development. Provides suggestions for teachers to promote optimal moral development by…

  14. UTILIZATION OF 5Es' CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH FOR ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Global Journal

    learning, the effective utilization of which can enhance biology teaching and learning. This paper focused on how ... KEYWORDS: Utilization, 5Es Constructivist approach, difficult concepts, Biology. ... gives hope to the development of the deep.

  15. The Windscale Inquiry: the public inquiry system on trial

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garry, A.M.

    1992-01-01

    This thesis is concerned with the Windscale Inquiry of 1977 and its effect on the public inquiry system. It focusses both on the major influences of the Windscale Inquiry process, and on the participants, their aims, motivations, expectations and achievements. It provides the most detailed examination of the Inquiry to date and, as a result, uncovers aspects of the process while have not been explored previously. The central questions of the thesis are: Was the outcome of the Windscale Inquiry inevitable or could it have reached different conclusions? and did the Windscale Inquiry demonstrate that the public inquiry system could be used by a government to reach a decision which it favoured? The thesis argues that the outcome of the Windscale Inquiry was almost inevitable. In fact it was found that the Inspector had made up his mind in favour of oxide reprocessing before the Inquiry opened. However, this finding does not express fully the Inquiry's impact, because, as the thesis shows, the Inquiry became a mechanism which forced the nuclear industry and the government to explain, and substantially alter, some parts of their policies. The process of bringing the government and industry to account, did not alter the THORP decision, but it demonstrated that any subsequent inquiries could subject nuclear developments to searching criticism and investigation. Indeed it is suggested that the Windscale Inquiry made it impossible for subsequent Governments to proceed with nuclear expansion without subjecting them to the public inquiry process. Part I of the thesis examines the history and structure of the public Inquiry system and the relevant aspects of planning law. Part II describes the history of reprocessing and the themes which led to the public inquiry being established. Part III forms the most detailed part of the thesis and examines the Windscale Inquiry process focussing on the participants and the issues involved. (author)

  16. Socio-Technical Implementation: Socio-technical Systems in the Context of Ubiquitous Computing, Ambient Intelligence, Embodied Virtuality, and the Internet of Things

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nijholt, Antinus; Whitworth, B.; de Moor, A.

    2009-01-01

    In which computer science world do we design and implement our socio-technical systems? About every five or ten years new computer and interaction paradigms are introduced. We had the mainframe computers, the various generations of computers, including the Japanese fifth generation computers, the

  17. Sustainable Livestock Farming for Improving Socio-Economic Condition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Shamsuddoha

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Sustainability is the most effective concept to improve socio-economic condition, including environment. Constructive socio-economic changes are getting priority in recent years among academia and business sector in Bangladesh. Bangladesh poultry sub-sector has long supply chains having associated with various stakeholders. In this paper, a case poultry farm was taken to examine a production process that links with socio-economic benefits. Design science method under the quantitative paradigm was chosen to develop a model for the case industry. A Simulation model was developed using simul8 software to construct the real poultry operation. The objectives of this paper are to construct a sustainable model for a case poultry industry along with socio-economic issues. Later, simulated model output will examine it through various performance indicators (KPIs to find out the impacts on socio-economic benefits. Numbers of KPIs have been briefly discussed in light of the research problem to illustrate positive effects of sustainable production.

  18. A Narrative Inquiry Exploring How College Communication Professors Engage Students with Public Speaking Apprehension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedel, Derek

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how communication professors at four-year private universities help students who exhibit public speaking apprehension (PSA) learn to cope with their anxiety. The research was framed in the narrative inquiry paradigm, interviewing eight college communication professors about their experiences…

  19. Development of constructivist behaviors among four new science teachers prepared at the University of Iowa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lew, Lee Yuen

    The development of constructivist behaviors among four new science teachers was studied during a four year period---student teaching through their first three years of teaching. Constructivist behaviors were examined from four perspectives: actual classroom performances as viewed from videotapes; teacher and student perceptions of use of constructivist practices from surveys; and teacher beliefs as gained from open-ended interviews. Data analyses involved constant comparison of data from two or more sources---descriptive statistics, statistical analyses, levels of teacher expertise regarding constructivist behaviors, qualitative descriptions, and direct quotes from videotapes and interview transcripts. The results indicate that the new teachers were largely early constructivist teachers. Constructivist teaching approaches were used during student teaching. Socialization and induction processes had minimal effects. Both observed practices and beliefs about teaching and learning were student-centered; after declines in years one and two, constructivist behaviors improved by the third year of teaching. Students of the new teachers perceived their lessons as being more interesting, more relevant to them, and that they had more autonomy about instruction than reported by students in other programs. Their perceptions better matched those of students taught by more experienced teachers, who were identified as expert constructivists. Although individual teachers were unique with different focuses and strengths, eleven dominant and consistently espoused student-centered beliefs were identified. The new teachers also shared a range of constructivist behaviors that correspond to national standards. These include: (1) Students sharing the responsibility of learning with teachers; (2) Student engagement in activities and experiences; (3) Students with positive attitudes who are motivated to learn; (4) Teaching that focuses on student relevance; (5) Variation in teaching

  20. Micro credit and women's agency: a comparative perspective across socio-religious communities in West Bengal, India

    OpenAIRE

    Kundu, AMIT

    2011-01-01

    The paper explores the impact of a government sponsored microcredit program in India on women's decision-making agency across different socio-religious communities. The paper shows that women's participation in the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojona (SGSY) has resulted in varied patterns of decision-making across socio-religious communities (SRC) in four areas chosen for inquiry: (a) Money Management, (b) Food item (c) Use of borrowed money and (d) Kinship and family matters. The likelihood ...

  1. Orientation to Self and Career: Constructivist Theory and Practice in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grier-Reed, Tabitha L.; Conkel-Ziebell, Julia L.

    2009-01-01

    As the world of work becomes increasingly dynamic and complex, career courses must shift to reflect the growing diversity of those in the beginning stages of career exploration. Constructivist career development has emerged as one way to help young adults meet the challenges of the 21st century. Yet, there is a dearth of constructivist career…

  2. Using inquiry-based instruction to meet the standards of No Child Left Behind for middle school earth science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Michael W.

    This study examined the effectiveness of a specific instructional strategy employed to improve performance on the end-of-the-year Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) as mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. A growing body of evidence suggests that the perceived pressure to produce adequate aggregated scores on the CRCT causes teachers to neglect other relevant aspects of teaching and attend less to individualized instruction. Rooted in constructivist theory, inquiry-based programs provide a o developmental plan of instruction that affords the opportunity for each student to understand their academic needs and strengths. However, the utility of inquiry-based instruction is largely unknown due to the lack of evaluation studies. To address this problem, this quantitative evaluation measured the impact of the Audet and Jordan inquiry-based instructional model on CRCT test scores of 102 students in a sixth-grade science classroom in one north Georgia school. A series of binomial tests of proportions tested differences between CRCT scores of the program participants and those of a matched control sample selected from other district schools that did not adopt the program. The study found no significant differences on CRCT test scores between the treatment and control groups. The study also found no significant performance differences among genders in the sample using inquiry instruction. This implies that the utility of inquiry education might exist outside the domain of test scores. This study can contribute to social change by informing a reevaluation of the instructional strategies that ideally will serve NCLB high-stakes assessment mandates, while also affording students the individual-level skills needed to become productive members of society.

  3. An Ever-Changing Meaning: A Career Constructivist Application to Working with African Refugees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, L. Marinn; Gibbons, Melinda M.

    2012-01-01

    Refugees are expected to determine how to integrate past experiences into their lives in a new culture. Constructivist approaches to counseling allow refugees opportunities to determine how to integrate these experiences into their future career choices. Refugee experiences throughout the resettlement process and a constructivist career counseling…

  4. Preparing student teachers for constructivist teaching about society in primary grades

    OpenAIRE

    Dvořáková, Michaela

    2012-01-01

    Preparing student teachers for constructivist teaching about society in primary grades Michaela Dvořáková Abstract The content of primary social studies could be described as cultural universals - domains of human existence that form part of everybody's experience. Despite that, children do need a skilled instruction helping them to elaborate these topics. We suppose that for the constructivist teachers, deep content knowledge and pedagogic content knowledge is necessary to elaborate and conc...

  5. Relationships between food producers and retail chains: From a constructivist perspective

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skytte, Hans

    This paper presents preliminary results from a large project in which we developed a new way of looking at interaction and relationships between companies. Our main focus of interest in the project was the relationships between food producers and retail chains. The project investigated the cooper......This paper presents preliminary results from a large project in which we developed a new way of looking at interaction and relationships between companies. Our main focus of interest in the project was the relationships between food producers and retail chains. The project investigated...... the cooperation between Danish food producers and retail chains in four countries regarding trade in pork and pork-based products. The paradigmatic outset in the project was the constructivist paradigm. Based on theories on organisational identity, organisational image, organisational fields, plausibility......, product development, and construction of meaning and shared meaning, an analytical framework was developed. The theoretical framework subsequently - founded on a grounded theory approach - was used as the basis for the analysis. The paper concludes with a number of recommen¬dations for food producers...

  6. Inquiry-based laboratory investigations and student performance on standardized tests in biological science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patke, Usha

    Achievement data from the 3rd International Mathematics and Sciences Study and Program for International Student Assessment in science have indicated that Black students from economically disadvantaged families underachieve at alarming rates in comparison to White and economically advantaged peer groups. The study site was a predominately Black, urban school district experiencing underachievement. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between students' use of inquiry-based laboratory investigations and their performance on the Biology End of Course Test, as well as to examine the relationship while partialling out the effects of student gender. Constructivist theory formed the theoretical foundation of the study. Students' perceived levels of experience with inquiry-based laboratory investigations were measured using the Laboratory Program Variable Inventory (LPVI) survey. LPVI scores of 256 students were correlated with test scores and were examined by student gender. The Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a small direct correlation between students' experience in inquiry-based laboratory investigation classes and standardized test scores on the Biology EOCT. A partial correlational analysis indicated that the correlation remained after controlling for gender. This study may prompt a change from teacher-centered to student-centered pedagogy at the local site in order to increase academic achievement for all students. The results of this study may also influence administrators and policy makers to initiate local, state, or nationwide curricular development. A change in curriculum may promote social change as students become more competent, and more able, to succeed in life beyond secondary school.

  7. Journeying from the philosophical contemplation of constructivism to the methodological pragmatics of health services research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appleton, Jane V; King, Lindy

    2002-12-01

    This paper presents our journey through a contemplation of the philosophical origins of constructivism to consider its role as an active methodology in qualitative research. The first part of the paper summarizes the philosophical background of constructivism and the five principles underpinning this paradigm as described through the works of Guba and Lincoln. The philosophical roots of constructivism are then compared with postpositivism, critical realism and participatory inquiry. The paper moves on to consider their common methodological steps, before examining how the constructivist research strategy is being adopted and adapted within the pragmatics of health service research. Recent studies will be drawn upon to illustrate the use of constructivist methodology. Questions are raised about the role of philosophy and the extent to which it should or does underpin or influence qualitative research strategies. We believe that if researchers gain an understanding of both philosophy and methodology a richer and more robust study is likely to result.

  8. The Texture of Educational Inquiry: An Exploration of George Herbert Mead's Concept of the Scientific.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franzosa, Susan Douglas

    1984-01-01

    Explores the implications of Mead's philosophic social psychology for current disputes concerning the nature of the scientific in educational studies. Mead's contextualization of the knower and the known are found to be compatible with a contemporary critique of positivist paradigms and a critical reconceptualization of educational inquiry.…

  9. Constructivist learning theories and complex learning environments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R-J. Simons; Dr. S. Bolhuis

    2004-01-01

    Learning theories broadly characterised as constructivist, agree on the importance to learning of the environment, but differ on what exactly it is that constitutes this importance. Accordingly, they also differ on the educational consequences to be drawn from the theoretical perspective. Cognitive

  10. Propaganda Studies in American Social Science: The Rise and Fall of the Critical Paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sproule, J. Michael

    1987-01-01

    Examines the inability of the propaganda paradigm to maintain its position as the standard framework for rhetorical inquiry in the sociointellectual atmosphere that surrounded World War II and the Cold War. Discusses the epistemological and ideological roots of the shift from propaganda to statistical/experimental communication research. (JD)

  11. Project LITE - Light Inquiry Through Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brecher, K.

    2004-12-01

    Hands-on, inquiry-based, constructivist activity offers students a powerful way to explore, uncover and ultimately gain a feel for the nature of science. In order to make practicable a more genuine approach to learning astronomy, we have undertaken the development of hands-on (and eyes-on) materials that can be used in introductory undergraduate astronomy courses. These materials focus on light and optics. Over the past several years as part of Project LITE (Light Inquiry Through Experiments), we have developed a kit of optical materials that is integrated with a set of Java applets. The combined kit and software allows students to do actual experiments concerning geometrical optics, fluorescence, phosphorescence, polarization and other topics by making use of the photons that are emitted by their computer screens. We have also developed a suite of over 100 Flash applets that allow students to directly explore many aspects of visual perception. A major effort of the project concerns spectroscopy, since it is arguably the most important tool used by astronomers to disentangle the nature of the universe. It is also one of the most challenging subjects to teach in undergraduate astronomy courses. The spectroscopy component of Project LITE includes take-home laboratory materials and experiments that are integrated with web-based software. We have also developed a novel quantitative handheld binocular spectrometer (patent pending). Our major spectroscopic software is called the Spectrum Explorer (SPEX). It allows students to create, manipulate and explore all types of spectra including blackbody, power law, emission and absorption. We are now extending the SPEX capabilities to help students gain easy access to the astronomical spectra included in the NVO databases. All of the Project LITE software can be found http://lite.bu.edu. Project LITE is supported by Grant #DUE-0125992 from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education.

  12. Appreciative inquiry for leading in complex systems: supporting the transformation of academic nursing culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moody, Roseanne C; Horton-Deutsch, Sara; Pesut, Daniel J

    2007-07-01

    Increasingly complex environments in which nurse educators must function create distinct challenges for leaders in nursing education. Complexity is found in the presence of knowledge-driven economies, advancements in technology, and the blurring of campus boundaries created by online learning versus traditional classroom education. A dual bureaucracy of faculty and administration coexists in nursing education. The transformation of bureaucratic culture is a strategic challenge for academic leaders who strive to move dichotomous groups toward a collective vision of a preferred future. This article advocates for the affirmative administrative process of appreciative inquiry for academic nursing leadership, in nudging the dual bureaucracy toward transformational change. The intent and characteristics of appreciative inquiry are discussed, appreciative leadership strategies and actions are explained, methods for leading cultural paradigm shift are outlined, and an exemplar of the actualization of appreciative inquiry is presented.

  13. A Proposal for a Research-based Constructivist Physics-and-Pedagogy Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zirbel, Esther

    2006-12-01

    This poster proposes a research-based science-and-pedagogy course that will combine the learning of fundamental physics concepts with methods of how to teach these concepts. Entitled “Understanding the Cosmos: From Antiquity to the Modern Day,” the course will explore how people learn science concepts through the ages, and from childhood through adulthood. This course will use the historical-constructivist approach to illustrate how our understanding of scientific phenomena advanced as we progressed from simple 2-dimensional thinking (starting with the flat Earth concept) to 3-D thinking (learning about the structure of the solar system) to 4-D thinking (understanding space-time and theories about the Big Bang). While transitioning from Impetus to Aristotelian to Newtonian to Einsteinian thinking, students will learn the essence of scientific thinking and inquiry. The overall goal of this course is to excite students in the process of scientific discovery, help them develop scientific reasoning skills, and provide them with fulfilling experiences of truly understanding science concepts. This will be done by employing active engagement techniques (e.g., peer tutoring, Socratic dialogue, and think/pair/share methods) and by challenging students to articulate their thoughts clearly and persuasively. This course could be of value for anybody wanting to enter the teaching profession or simply for anybody who would like to deepen their science understanding.

  14. Development and validation of a method for measuring depth of understanding in constructivist learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guarino, Lucia Falsetti

    A method for measuring depth of understanding of students in the middle-level science classroom was developed and validated. A common theme in the literature on constructivism in science education is that constructivist pedagogy, as opposed to objectivist pedagogy, results in a greater depth of understanding. Since few instruments measuring this construct exist at the present time, the development of such a tool to measure this construct was a significant contribution to the current body of assessment technologies in science education. The author's Depth of Understanding Assessment (DUA) evolved from a writing measure originally designed as a history assessment. The study involved 230 eighth grade science students studying a chemical change unit. The main research questions were: (1) What is the relationship between the DUA and each of the following independent variables: recall, application, and questioning modalities as measured by the Cognitive Preference Test; deep, surface, achieving, and deep-achieving approaches as measured by the Learning Process Questionnaire; achievement as measured by the Chemical Change Quiz, and teacher perception of student ability to conceptualize science content? (2) Is there a difference in depth of understanding, as measured by the DUA, between students who are taught by objectivist pedagogy and students who are taught by constructivist pedagogy favoring the constructivist group? (3) Is there a gender difference in depth of understanding as measured by the DUA? (4) Do students who are taught by constructivist pedagogy perceive their learning environment as more constructivist than students who are taught by objectivist pedagogy? Six out of nine hypothesis tests supported the validity of the DUA. The results of the qualitative component of this study which consisted of student interviews substantiated the quantitative results by providing additional information and insights. There was a significant difference in depth of

  15. Pedagogical perspectives and implicit theories of teaching: First year science teachers emerging from a constructivist science education program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, Michael James

    Traditional, teacher-centered pedagogies dominate current teaching practice in science education despite numerous research-based assertions that promote more progressive, student-centered teaching methods. Best-practice research emerging from science education reform efforts promotes experiential, collaborative learning environments in line with the constructivist referent. Thus there is a need to identify specific teacher education program designs that will promote the utilization of constructivist theory among new teachers. This study explored the learning-to-teach process of four first-year high school teachers, all graduates of a constructivist-based science education program known as Teacher Education Environments in Mathematics and Science (TEEMS). Pedagogical perspectives and implicit theories were explored to identify common themes and their relation to the pre-service program and the teaching context. Qualitative methods were employed to gather and analyze the data. In depth, semi-structured interviews (Seidman, 1998) formed the primary data for probing the context and details of the teachers' experience as well as the personal meaning derived from first year practice. Teacher journals and teaching artifacts were utilized to validate and challenge the primary data. Through an open-coding technique (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) codes, and themes were generated from which assertions were made. The pedagogical perspectives apparent among the participants in this study emerged as six patterns in teaching method: (1) utilization of grouping strategies, (2) utilization of techniques that allow the students to help teach, (3) similar format of daily instructional strategy, (4) utilization of techniques intended to promote engagement, (5) utilization of review strategies, (6) assessment by daily monitoring and traditional tests, (7) restructuring content knowledge. Assertions from implicit theory data include: (1) Time constraints and lack of teaching experience made

  16. Applications of social constructivist learning theories in knowledge translation for healthcare professionals: a scoping review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Aliki; Menon, Anita; Boruff, Jill; Rodriguez, Ana Maria; Ahmed, Sara

    2014-05-06

    Use of theory is essential for advancing the science of knowledge translation (KT) and for increasing the likelihood that KT interventions will be successful in reducing existing research-practice gaps in health care. As a sociological theory of knowledge, social constructivist theory may be useful for informing the design and evaluation of KT interventions. As such, this scoping review explored the extent to which social constructivist theory has been applied in the KT literature for healthcare professionals. Searches were conducted in six databases: Ovid MEDLINE (1948 - May 16, 2011), Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycInfo, and AMED. Inclusion criteria were: publications from all health professions, research methodologies, as well as conceptual and theoretical papers related to KT. To be included in the review, key words such as constructivism, social constructivism, or social constructivist theories had to be included within the title or abstract. Papers that discussed the use of social constructivist theories in the context of undergraduate learning in academic settings were excluded from the review. An analytical framework of quantitative (numerical) and thematic analysis was used to examine and combine study findings. Of the 514 articles screened, 35 papers published between 1992 and 2011 were deemed eligible and included in the review. This review indicated that use of social constructivist theory in the KT literature was limited and haphazard. The lack of justification for the use of theory continues to represent a shortcoming of the papers reviewed. Potential applications and relevance of social constructivist theory in KT in general and in the specific studies were not made explicit in most papers. For the acquisition, expression and application of knowledge in practice, there was emphasis on how the social constructivist theory supports clinicians in expressing this knowledge in their professional interactions. This scoping review was the first to examine

  17. An Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Constructivist Approach in Teaching Business Statistics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greeni Maheshwari

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: The main aim of the research is to examine the performance of second language English speaking students enrolled in the Business Statistics course and to investigate the academic performance of students when taught under the constructivist and non-constructivist approaches in a classroom environment. Background: There are different learning theories that are established based on how students learn. Each of these theories has its own benefits based on the different type of learners and context of the environment. The students in this research are new to the University environment and to a challenging technical course like Business Statistics. This research has been carried out to see the effectiveness of the constructivist approach in motivating and increasing the student engagement and their academic performance. Methodology\t: A total of 1373 students were involved in the quasi-experiment method using Stratified Sampling Method from the year 2015 until 2016. Contribution: To consider curriculum adjustments for first year programs and implications for teacher education. Findings: The t-test for unequal variances was used to understand the mean score. Results indicate students have high motivation level and achieve higher mean scores when they are taught using the constructivist teaching approach compared to the non-constructivist teaching approach. Recommendations for Practitioners: To consider the challenges faced by first year students and create a teaching approach that fits their needs. Recommendation for Researchers: To explore in depth other teaching approaches of the Business Statistics course in improving students’ academic performance. Impact on Society\t: The constructivist approach will enable learning to be enjoyable and students to be more confident. Future Research: The research will assist other lectures teaching Business Statistics in creating a more conducive environment to encourage second language English

  18. Teachers' tendencies to promote student-led science projects: Associations with their views about science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bencze, J. Lawrence; Bowen, G. Michael; Alsop, Steve

    2006-05-01

    School science students can benefit greatly from participation in student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects. For various possible reasons, however, students tend not to be engaged in such inquiries. Among factors that may limit their opportunities to engage in open-ended inquiries of their design are teachers' conceptions about science. To explore possible relationships between teachers' conceptions about science and the types of inquiry activities in which they engage students, instrumental case studies of five secondary science teachers were developed, using field notes, repertory grids, samples of lesson plans and student activities, and semistructured interviews. Based on constructivist grounded theory analysis, participating teachers' tendencies to promote student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects seemed to correspond with positions about the nature of science to which they indicated adherence. A tendency to encourage and enable students to carry out student-directed, open-ended scientific inquiry projects appeared to be associated with adherence to social constructivist views about science. Teachers who opposed social constructivist views tended to prefer tight control of student knowledge building procedures and conclusions. We suggest that these results can be explained with reference to human psychological factors, including those associated with teachers' self-esteem and their relationships with knowledge-building processes in the discipline of their teaching.

  19. Constructivist-Visual Mind Map Teaching Approach and the Quality of Students' Cognitive Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhindsa, Harkirat S.; Makarimi-Kasim; Anderson, O. Roger

    2011-01-01

    This study compared the effects of a constructivist-visual mind map teaching approach (CMA) and of a traditional teaching approach (TTA) on (a) the quality and richness of students' knowledge structures and (b) TTA and CMA students' perceptions of the extent that a constructivist learning environment (CLE) was created in their classes. The sample…

  20. Médiatisation dans l'enseignement supérieur : vers un nouveau paradigme éducatif ? Mediatisation in Higher Education: towards a new educational paradigm?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie-José Barbot

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available Le statut de service public de l'enseignement supérieur suffit-il à garantir que l'innovation en cours se situe dans une rationalité davantage au service de l'innovation pédagogique qu'à celui d'intérêts économiques? Aussi est-il essentiel de poser la question du sens des transformations : s'agit-il du renforcement d'une pédagogie classique transmissive ou assiste-t-on au développement d'un autre paradigme de référence constructiviste et interactionniste? En ce sens, nous présentons des réflexions qui proviennent d'une recherche-action en cours portant sur l'Université en ligne (Uel qui correspond au DEUG I de sciences. Selon les universités, les changements s'inscrivent dans des configurations hétérogènes. C'est peut-être de cette mise en oeuvre de dispositifs que dépend la réussite : on ne peut faire l'économie d'une ingénierie éducative s'inscrivant dans la complexité. Elle prend en compte des dimensions macro-éducatives (politique, finalités méso (dispositif et micro (ressources et écriture, apprentissages.Is the public service status of universities enough to ensure a rationale for development based on pedagogic innovation rather than economic interests? It is also essential to pose questions about the nature of changes: do they reinforce a traditional transmissional pedagogy or are we witnessing the development of a new constructivist or interactionist paradigm? We present here our reflections on a current action-research project, l'Université en ligne (Uel - University on-line -, relating to an undergraduate science qualification, DEUG 1. Universities claim to be developing a range of models of development and it is perhaps this way that success lays. The complexity of an educational project is not in keeping with economic interests: macro-educational (politics, autonomy, meso (institutional provision and micro (resources and writing, learning dimensions must be taken into account.

  1. Exploring South African high school teachers' conceptions of the nature of scientific inquiry: a case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Washington T Dudu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper explores conceptions of the nature ofscientific inquiry (NOSI held by five teachers who were purposively and conveniently sampled. Teachers' conceptions of the NOSI were determined using a Probes questionnaire. To confirm teachers' responses, a semi-structured interview was conducted with each teacher. The Probes questionnaire was based on six tenets of the nature of scientific inquiry but only three tenets are presented in this paper, namely: (1 scientists use a variety of methods to conduct scientific investigations; (2 scientific knowledge is socially and culturally embedded; and (3 scientific knowledge is partly the product of human creativity and imagination. The study found that the teachers held mixed NOSI conceptions. These conceptions werefluid and lacked coherence, ranging from static, empiricist-aligned to dynamic, constructivist-oriented conceptions. Although all participants expressed some views that were consistent with current, acceptable conceptions of NOSI, some held inadequate (naïve views on the crucial three NOSI tenets. The significance of this study rests in recommending explicit teaching of NOSI duringpre-service and in-service training which enables teachers to possess informed conceptions about NOSI. With these informed conceptions, teachers may internalise the instructional importance of the NOSI which, in turn, may help avoid the lack of attention to NOSI currently evidenced in teachers' instructional decisions. This might result in teachers' orientations shifting towards an explicit inquiry-based approach from that of an implicit science process and discovery approach.

  2. Investigations in Pure Mathematics: A Constructivist Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirst, Keith; Shiu, Christine

    1995-01-01

    Discusses an investigative, constructivist approach in the context of undergraduate mathematics, with particular reference to pure mathematics, general aims and objectives, assessment strategies, and problems of supervision that affect tutors and lecturers using this approach. Gives students' views on their experiences in this mode of working. (19…

  3. To sleep, perchance to dream... or staying awake: On Balkanism and the failure of the constructivist standpoint in Serbia: A view from the past

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đerić Gordana

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper examines the meanings of representations of Serbia, the Balkans and Europe at the time of encounter between Enlightenment and Romanticist traditions. The analysis starts from the assumption that the emergence of negative representations of South Eastern Europe cannot be discussed without placing it within the broader context of 18th and 19th century philosophy and literature and the consequences of new philosophical and literary ideas. Underlying the substantial change of the previously dominant paradigms that is expressed in the symbolic division into 'West' and "East', there was a factual rather than symbolic division into an industrial and an agricultural Europe, whose boundaries coincided with the reference points of the symbolic distinction. Insisting on the importance of both analytic levels - the 'symbolic' and the 'factual' - the first section of the paper briefly outlines the development of symbolic geography in the context of 'Balkan' studies ('Balkan variations of orientalism' or 'balkanism' in the 1990s, as well as the failure of this genre and the constructivist paradigm in Serbian social theory. The second section is devoted to the discourses of conceptualizing broader communities in symbolic, linguistic, imagological, cultural, political, economic etc. terms, focusing on the beginnings of ideological and linguistic unification of South Slavs and their inclusion into the "enlightened Europe". By analyzing Vuk Stefanovia: Karadzix's writings, as well as correspondence, articles and commentaries referring to Vuk's work in the first half of the 19th century, the author takes the perspective of the past in order to identify the reasons for the failure of imagological and constructivist approach today.

  4. Post graduate students in educational psychology and theraplay a relational case inquiry

    OpenAIRE

    2014-01-01

    M.Ed. Educational psychology honours students and Theraplay: a relational case inquiry. The South African community is moving towards fundamental socio-and-political restructuring. Part of the restructuring process is establishing suitable psychological intervention for the needy black child. From the researcher's understanding of the black child's need and knowledge of the different types of play therapies, the research question pertaining to how black students would relate to Theraplay e...

  5. Consistency between Constructivist Profiles and Instructional Practices of Prospective Physics Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ozlem Ates

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to explain the extent to which prospective physics teachers’ views and practices are consistent with the constructivist framework. A case study design was employed as the research approach. The study was conducted with 11 prospective physics teachers attending a state university in Turkey. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observation notes and lesson plans. The interview guide consisted of questions which allowed the interviewer to probe participants’ views of constructivism based on 5E learning model. Such questions as “how do you plan your teaching?” (introducing new topics, continuing the lecture, types of questions to ask, evaluating students’ understanding etc. were included in the interview. Following the analysis of the interview data, participants’ profiles were classified into three categories: traditional, transition and constructivist under the dimensions “beginning of a lesson,” “learning process,” “learning environment” and “assessment.” Observations were carried out using an observation checklist consisting of 24 items based on 5E learning model. Another checklist developed by the researchers was used to evaluate participants’ teaching qualifications. Interview results showed that seven participants had transitional, three had constructivist and one had traditional views. However, none of the participants were observed to exhibit constructivist teaching styles. Moreover, observation and interview results were consistent only for six participants, indicating that almost half of the participants had difficulty putting their views into practice.

  6. teaching food production and preservation using constructivist

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Global Journal

    teaching methods where students are actively involved in thinking and creating ... KEYWORDS: food production, food preservation Biology, 5Es constructivist model, self-reliance ... shelf live. The world's population is growing every day but food production which is the basic ... life matters so as to be self-reliant citizens of this.

  7. Applications of social constructivist learning theories in knowledge translation for healthcare professionals: a scoping review

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Use of theory is essential for advancing the science of knowledge translation (KT) and for increasing the likelihood that KT interventions will be successful in reducing existing research-practice gaps in health care. As a sociological theory of knowledge, social constructivist theory may be useful for informing the design and evaluation of KT interventions. As such, this scoping review explored the extent to which social constructivist theory has been applied in the KT literature for healthcare professionals. Methods Searches were conducted in six databases: Ovid MEDLINE (1948 – May 16, 2011), Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycInfo, and AMED. Inclusion criteria were: publications from all health professions, research methodologies, as well as conceptual and theoretical papers related to KT. To be included in the review, key words such as constructivism, social constructivism, or social constructivist theories had to be included within the title or abstract. Papers that discussed the use of social constructivist theories in the context of undergraduate learning in academic settings were excluded from the review. An analytical framework of quantitative (numerical) and thematic analysis was used to examine and combine study findings. Results Of the 514 articles screened, 35 papers published between 1992 and 2011 were deemed eligible and included in the review. This review indicated that use of social constructivist theory in the KT literature was limited and haphazard. The lack of justification for the use of theory continues to represent a shortcoming of the papers reviewed. Potential applications and relevance of social constructivist theory in KT in general and in the specific studies were not made explicit in most papers. For the acquisition, expression and application of knowledge in practice, there was emphasis on how the social constructivist theory supports clinicians in expressing this knowledge in their professional interactions. Conclusions This

  8. Conceptualizations of water security in the agricultural sector: Perceptions, practices, and paradigms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malekian, Atefe; Hayati, Dariush; Aarts, Noelle

    2017-01-01

    Conceptions of agricultural water security are conditioned by larger understandings of being and reality. It is still unclear what such understandings mean for perspectives on water security in general and on causes and solutions related to perceived water security risks and problems in agricultural sector in particular. Based on a systematic literature review, three conceptualizations of water security, related to different paradigms, are presented. Also the consequences of such conceptualizations for determining research objectives, research activities, and research outcomes on agricultural water security are discussed. The results showed that agricultural water security from a positivist paradigm referred to tangible and measurable water-related hazards and threats, such as floods and droughts, pollution, and so forth. A constructivist approach to agricultural water security, constituted by a process of interaction and negotiation, pointed at perceptions of water security of farmers and other stakeholders involved in agricultural sector. A critical approach to agricultural water security focused on the processes of securing vulnerable farmers and others from wider political, social, and natural impediments to sufficient water supplies. The conclusions of the study suggest that paradigms, underlying approaches should be expressed, clarified, and related to one another in order to find optimal and complementary ways to study water security issues in agricultural sector.

  9. The Warrant for Constructivist Practice within Educational Technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bopry, Jeanette

    1999-01-01

    Discusses educational technology as a form of technical rationality and considers the conflict between practitioners' epistemological position as constructivists and technical rationality. Topics include cybernetics; autonomous systems theory; enactive constructivism; representation versus effective action; mind and memory; enaction in artificial…

  10. Critical inquiry and knowledge translation: exploring compatibilities and tensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimer-Kirkham, Sheryl; Varcoe, Colleen; Browne, Annette J.; Lynam, M. Judith; Khan, Koushambhi Basu; McDonald, Heather

    2016-01-01

    Knowledge translation has been widely taken up as an innovative process to facilitate the uptake of research-derived knowledge into health care services. Drawing on a recent research project, we engage in a philosophic examination of how knowledge translation might serve as vehicle for the transfer of critically oriented knowledge regarding social justice, health inequities, and cultural safety into clinical practice. Through an explication of what might be considered disparate traditions (those of critical inquiry and knowledge translation), we identify compatibilities and discrepancies both within the critical tradition, and between critical inquiry and knowledge translation. The ontological and epistemological origins of the knowledge to be translated carry implications for the synthesis and translation phases of knowledge translation. In our case, the studies we synthesized were informed by various critical perspectives and hence we needed to reconcile differences that exist within the critical tradition. A review of the history of critical inquiry served to articulate the nature of these differences while identifying common purposes around which to strategically coalesce. Other challenges arise when knowledge translation and critical inquiry are brought together. Critique is one of the hallmark methods of critical inquiry and, yet, the engagement required for knowledge translation between researchers and health care administrators, practitioners, and other stakeholders makes an antagonistic stance of critique problematic. While knowledge translation offers expanded views of evidence and the complex processes of knowledge exchange, we have been alerted to the continual pull toward epistemologies and methods reminiscent of the positivist paradigm by their instrumental views of knowledge and assumptions of objectivity and political neutrality. These types of tensions have been productive for us as a research team in prompting a critical reconceptualization of

  11. Critical inquiry and knowledge translation: exploring compatibilities and tensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimer-Kirkham, Sheryl; Varcoe, Colleen; Browne, Annette J; Lynam, M Judith; Khan, Koushambhi Basu; McDonald, Heather

    2009-07-01

    Knowledge translation has been widely taken up as an innovative process to facilitate the uptake of research-derived knowledge into health care services. Drawing on a recent research project, we engage in a philosophic examination of how knowledge translation might serve as vehicle for the transfer of critically oriented knowledge regarding social justice, health inequities, and cultural safety into clinical practice. Through an explication of what might be considered disparate traditions (those of critical inquiry and knowledge translation), we identify compatibilities and discrepancies both within the critical tradition, and between critical inquiry and knowledge translation. The ontological and epistemological origins of the knowledge to be translated carry implications for the synthesis and translation phases of knowledge translation. In our case, the studies we synthesized were informed by various critical perspectives and hence we needed to reconcile differences that exist within the critical tradition. A review of the history of critical inquiry served to articulate the nature of these differences while identifying common purposes around which to strategically coalesce. Other challenges arise when knowledge translation and critical inquiry are brought together. Critique is one of the hallmark methods of critical inquiry and, yet, the engagement required for knowledge translation between researchers and health care administrators, practitioners, and other stakeholders makes an antagonistic stance of critique problematic. While knowledge translation offers expanded views of evidence and the complex processes of knowledge exchange, we have been alerted to the continual pull toward epistemologies and methods reminiscent of the positivist paradigm by their instrumental views of knowledge and assumptions of objectivity and political neutrality. These types of tensions have been productive for us as a research team in prompting a critical reconceptualization of

  12. Using teacher action research to promote constructivist learning ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The primary focus was to assist South African teachers to become reflective practitioners in their daily mathematics classroom teaching. The study involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative data were collected using the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) to ...

  13. Community and inquiry: journey of a science teacher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldberg, Jennifer; Welsh, Kate Muir

    2009-09-01

    In this case study, we examine a teacher's journey, including reflections on teaching science, everyday classroom interaction, and their intertwined relationship. The teacher's reflections include an awareness of being "a White middle-class born and raised teacher teaching other peoples' children." This awareness was enacted in the science classroom and emerges through approaches to inquiry . Our interest in Ms. Cook's journey grew out of discussions, including both informal and semi-structured interviews, in two research projects over a three-year period. Our interest was further piqued as we analyzed videotaped classroom interaction during science lessons and discovered connections between Ms. Cook's reflections and classroom interaction. In this article, we illustrate ways that her journey emerges as a conscientization. This, at least in part, shapes classroom interaction, which then again shapes her conscientization in a recursive, dynamic relationship. We examine her reflections on her "hegemonic (cultural and socio-economic) practices" and consider how these reflections help her reconsider such practices through analysis of classroom interaction. Analyses lead us to considering the importance of inquiry within this classroom community.

  14. Understanding technology use and constructivist strategies when addressing Saudi primary students' mathematics difficulties.

    OpenAIRE

    Alabdulaziz, M.; Higgins, S.

    2017-01-01

    This paper will investigate the relationship between technology use and the use of constructivist strategies when addressing Saudi primary students' mathematics difficulties. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used for the purpose of this research, which were undertaken with three mathematics teachers from school A which used technology, and the other three from school B, which did not use technology. We found that technology can support constructivist approach when teaching and...

  15. Do Junior High School Students Perceive Their Learning Environment as Constructivist?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moustafa, Asely; Ben-Zvi-Assaraf, Orit; Eshach, Haim

    2013-08-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the manner in which the features of a constructivist learning environment, and the mechanisms at its base, are expressed in junior high school students' conceptions. Our research is based on an integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches, deigned to provide a wider ranging and deeper understanding. Eight hundred and forty eighth- and ninth-grade students from over 15 schools participated in the study. Of the 840 students who completed the questionnaire, the explanations of 200 well-written questionnaires were further analyzed qualitatively. The findings of the study are presented in terms of the four scales employed in the CLES, namely the autonomy scale, the prior knowledge scale, the negotiation scale, and the student-centeredness scale. The quantitative results achieved here concur with parallel studies conducted around the world. The findings indicate that a considerable portion of the students perceive their learning environment as a constructivist one and report positive attitudes toward the way they are being taught. In terms of the qualitative results, however, it appears that in some cases, the students' explanations reveal that in fact, and contrary to the bare quantitative results, some students do not perceive their learning environment as being constructivist. This raises the question of whether the fact that students recognize the factors associated with constructivist teaching is indeed an indication that such teaching exists in practice. This finding emphasizes the importance of combining qualitative and quantitative methods for arriving at a balanced view of classroom occurrences.

  16. Effect Of Constructivist-Based Teaching Strategy On Academic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Research reports indicate that this negative attitude was caused, majorly, by teachers' conventional (lecture) method of teaching integrated science. Research reports on the effectiveness of constructivist-based teaching strategy revealed that the strategy enhanced students' academic performance. In view of this, this study ...

  17. Using teacher action research to promote constructivist learning ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erna Kinsey

    2. To describe the learning environment of typical classrooms in. South African ... a more teacher-centred approach to more constructivist teaching ap- proaches and ... control over their lives within a framework promoted through action research ... cycles of questioning, planning, implementing, collecting data and reflecting ...

  18. Impact of backwards faded scaffolding approach to inquiry-based astronomy laboratory experiences on undergraduate non-science majors' views of scientific inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyons, Daniel J.

    NOSI. According to the results of a Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, there was a significant shift in the distributions of both samples toward a more informed understanding of DvE after the intervention curriculum was administered, while there was no significant change in either direction for understanding of MMS. The results of the instructor interview analysis suggested that the intervention curriculum provided multiple opportunities for students to evaluate and determine the relevance of data in the context of producing evidence-based conclusions directly related to specific research questions, thereby supporting the development of more informed views of DvE. These results also suggested that students might not have realized that they were exclusively engaged in non-experimental type inquiries, as various research methods were not explicitly addressed. The intervention curriculum used a consistently phased stepwise format, which may also have led the students to accommodate their astronomy inquiry experiences within persistent misconceptions of "The Scientific Method" as the only valid means of constructing scientific knowledge, thereby leading to no change in understanding of MMS. The results of the study suggest that a scaffolded, inquiry-based, introductory astronomy laboratory curriculum purposefully designed and scaffolded to enhance students' understandings could be effective in enhancing undergraduate non-science majoring students' views of certain aspects of NOSI. Through scaffolding inquiry experiences that deliver multiple opportunities to engage in authentic scientific inquiries, the novel curriculum provides a valuable resource for the astronomy education community to engage students in learning experiences that reflect the contemporary views of constructivist inquiry-based learning, which focuses on the interpretation of data to create evidence in light of specific questions, as well as opportunities to engage in authentic scientific discourse. As such it can

  19. Student Inquiry in the Research Process: Part I: Inquiry Research Basics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preddy, Leslie B.

    2002-01-01

    Discusses the appropriate use of inquiry among students, teachers, and library media specialists. Topics include planning for an inquiry research project; collaboration between the library media specialist and classroom teacher; national goals, standards, and best practices; teacher roles for inquiry; and evaluating inquiry research. (LRW)

  20. How to link geography, cross-curricular approach and inquiry in science education at the primary schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karvánková, Petra; Popjaková, Dagmar

    2018-05-01

    Pupil research in school lessons in the sense of Inquiry-Based Education (IBE) is one of the constructivist approaches to education. Inquiry strengthens the positive approach of pupils to natural science subjects, encouraging them to study phenomena and processes taking place in the natural environment around them and use the acquired knowledge in their practical life. Geography as a school subject, due to the multidisciplinary nature of geography as a science, is close to natural sciences as well. This is because of the broadness of the subject of geographical studies, the complex (natural and cultural) landscape. The close links of geography to all cross-sectional themes make it a good support for teaching classical science subjects at schools such as mathematics, physics, chemistry or biology, environmental education. Moreover, the field teaching is one of the strong assets of the implementation of IBE in the school geography. Presented case study on the 'effect of noise on the surroundings' explores the facts mentioned above, in geography teaching. It verifies the pupils' knowledge and skills to adopt the basic principles of IBE in the practice. At the same time, it presents the concrete experiences how the children master the individual stages of IBE during the process of education.

  1. A collaborative narrative inquiry: Two teacher educators learning about narrative inquiry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barkhuizen, Gary

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available With its capacity to unharness the power of narrative to promote meaning-making of lived experience, narrative inquiry is developing as a credible approach to research in several areas in the field of language teaching (Johnson, 2006. This article tells the story of two narrative researchers working in language teacher education who engaged in a collaborative narrative inquiry as both participants and inquirers, in order to learn more about narrative inquiry. The ‘bounded’ nature of their inquiry design provided a feasible way for them to explore their focus of research (i.e. their learning about narrative inquiry, and led them, through an iterative and reflexive process of analysing their narrative data, to formulate what they believe are essential ingredients of principled narrative inquiry work. Four narrative inquiry variables became the scaffolding which enabled them to answer their research questions, and are offered here as a heuristic for teaching practitioners, whether they be teachers, teacher educators or researchers, to guide them in narrative inquiries into their own work.

  2. The Evaluation of a Turkish Literature Coursebook According to the Constructivist Learning Approach

    OpenAIRE

    Gürbüz OCAK

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the level of congruence of a ninth grade Turkish literature coursebook with the constructivist approach. Data in the study were collected through the “Constructivist Coursebook Evaluation Scale” which is a 5-point Likert type scale developed by the researcher. The reliability coefficient of the scale was calculated as .88 and the scale consists of four sub-dimensions, namely, introduction, teaching, format, and assessment. The scale was administered t...

  3. Teachers' Concerns about Adopting Constructivist Online Game-Based Learning in Formal Curriculum Teaching: The VISOLE Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jong, Morris S. Y.

    2016-01-01

    Our work is set against the backdrop of the pervasive discussion of harnessing online games to provide students with new constructivist learning opportunities. Upon the theoretical foundation, we have developed Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Learning Environment (VISOLE), a teaching framework for implementing constructivist online game-based…

  4. Exploring the meaning of practicing classroom inquiry from the perspectives of National Board Certified Science Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karaman, Ayhan

    of science teachers. Second, it examined the meaning of practicing classroom inquiry for National Board Certified Science Teachers [NBCSTs]. Based on the specific cases of four NBCSTs, this naturalistic inquiry study was conducted to answer to those questions with the involvement of the following qualitative data sources: classroom observations, in-depth teacher interviews, and document analyses of teacher portfolios. The specific cases in this study indicated that undergoing the performance assessment process of NBC played an affirmational role for National Board Certified Science Teachers [NBCSTs] in their professional development. Their successful completion of the portfolio assessment process created a sharpened confidence into their existing notions and ways of teaching science. In the study, not all teachers were equally open to science education reform ideas. This meant that NBC experience strengthened the conventional notions of teaching science held by some teachers rather than generating a higher affiliation with the reform ideas. The teacher cases presented in this study denoted that teachers' conceptions of classroom inquiry were driven both by scientific and constructivist rationales. However, NBCSTs failed to create broader operational definitions of classroom inquiry. They tended to reduce the meaning of classroom inquiry into empirical investigations of students. The conventional representation of the scientific method as a stepwise linear process influenced teachers' understandings and practices of classroom inquiry. NBCSTs used inquiry in their classrooms to introduce their students to the cognitive processes and the actions of practicing scientists but not necessarily to teach scientific principles. Their reluctance to teach scientific principles through inquiry developed in parallel to their tendency of associating classroom inquiry with the highest levels of student autonomy. Participant teachers' particular understandings of scientific literacy

  5. Social constructivist learning environment in an online professional practice course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sthapornnanon, Nunthaluxna; Sakulbumrungsil, Rungpetch; Theeraroungchaisri, Anuchai; Watcharadamrongkun, Suntaree

    2009-02-19

    To assess the online social constructivist learning environment (SCLE) and student perceptions of the outcomes of the online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice that was designed based on social constructivism theory. The online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was carefully designed by organizing various activities, which were intended to encourage social interaction among students. The Constructivist Online Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) was applied to assess the SCLE. Course evaluation questionnaires were administered to assess student perceptions of this online module. The result from the COLLES illustrated the development of SCLE in the course. The students reported positive perceptions of the course. An online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was effective in promoting SCLE.

  6. FROM THE BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS TO POST-BEHAVIORALISM: HISTORY OF PARADIGM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. I. Bogachev

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Article is devoted to the review of formation and decline of behavioralism paradigm in political science. The author begins the analysis with critical consideration of the scientific concepts preceding emergence of modernist empiricism within which there is a behavioral analysis. Further the researcher traces formation behaviorism in the social disciplines: formation model in psychology, release of the theory out of limits of pure psychology and transferring ideas in sociology and political science. The author analyzes inquiries to the scientific theory by behavioralism. He opens the principles of behavioralism as paradigm in political science. The author presents the conceptual and contextual factors promoting recession of popularity behavioralism in political science and submits methodological restrictions approach. The author states the main claims of critics to this research approach and explains the reasons decline this paradigm. At the same time the methodological reflection of behavioralism which has followed recession of his popularity is reflected in work. The author opens the principles of the new methodological direction – post-behavioralism and the position of modern representatives of the behavioral analysis.

  7. Constructivist Teaching/Learning Theory and Participatory Teaching Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernando, Sithara Y. J. N.; Marikar, Faiz M. M. T.

    2017-01-01

    Evidence for the teaching involves transmission of knowledge, superiority of guided transmission is explained in the context of our knowledge, but it is also much more that. In this study we have examined General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University's cadet and civilian students' response to constructivist learning theory and participatory…

  8. A socio-cognitive inquiry of excessive mobile phone use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pourrazavi, Sara; Allahverdipour, Hamid; Jafarabadi, Mohammad Asghari; Matlabi, Hossein

    2014-08-01

    The study examined the predictive ability of selected demographic and socio-psychological characteristics in explaining excessive mobile phone use (EMPU) behavior and problematic use in a sample of university students on the basis of the social cognitive theory. The sample consisted of 476 randomly selected university students in Tabriz, Iran. The study was cross-sectional in nature. A researcher-designed questionnaire was used for the purpose of data collection. No causal inferences were drawn due to non-experimental nature of the study. It was found that having boyfriend/girlfriend increases the likelihood of EMPU while self-efficacy to avoid EMPU decreases it. Self-efficacy to avoid EMPU, self-regulation, observational learning, self-control, and attitude toward EMPU were predictors of mobile phone problematic use. The results provided a proper fit for a conceptual model of reciprocal determinism. Although social cognitive constructs may predict mobile phone problematic use, they are not useful in predicting the behavior of EMPU. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Hinkley Point 'C' power station public inquiry: proof of evidence on local site related issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gammon, K.M.

    1988-09-01

    A public inquiry has been set up to examine the planning application made by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) for the construction of a 1200 MW Pressurized Water Reactor power station at Hinkley Point (Hinkley Point ''C'') in the United Kingdom, adjacent to an existing nuclear power station. The CEGB evidence to the Inquiry on local site related issues begins by setting the proposed development within the context of local authority planning policies for the area. The implications of the development in terms of overall land needs, construction, access, buildings and works both temporary and permanent, are described. Environmental impacts, aesthetic and socio-economic factors are considered including possible effects on agriculture, nature conservation, water supply, transport and employment. (UK)

  10. The Relationship between Pre-Service Science Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs and Preferences for Creating a Constructivist Learning Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saylan, Asli; Armagan, Fulya Öner; Bektas, Oktay

    2016-01-01

    The present study investigated the relationship between pre-service science teachers' epistemological beliefs and perceptions of a constructivist learning environment. The Turkish version of Constructivist Learning Environment Survey and Schommer's Epistemological Belief Questionnaire were administered to 531 pre-service science teachers attending…

  11. The STS-constructivist reform: some discordant notes | Nworgu ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It would appear that as many more voices join in the advocacy for STS constructivist Reform in science teaching/learning, more discordant notes are emitted. The purpose of the paper therefore, was to spotlight some of these discordant notes emitted in the course of the on-going reform advocacy. Specifically, three of such ...

  12. Exploring preservice teachers' interpretations of curricular experiences while learning to teach in an inquiry-oriented way: A phenomenology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sander, Scott A.

    Despite ubiquitous calls for school reform, the traditional transmission model of education continues to dominate our nation's science classrooms at all levels. How do these experiences impact those who enter formal teacher education programs and Methods courses that promote a more inquiry-oriented way of teaching science? The purpose of this foundational study was to explore the interpretations of five preservice science teachers' (PSTs) curricular experiences in order to gain a greater understanding directly from the participants about learning to teach in an inquiry-oriented way. Phenomenology was selected as a flexible methodology that enabled access to the "lifeworld" that PSTs had constructed of their experiences within a science Methods course. The inquiry-based methods used within the course also provided the data that ultimately became the bulk of the stories presented in Chapter 4. The methods were selected for their ability to make the PSTs' thinking visible. The use of "thinking routines" within the context of the Methods course supplied data from the PSTs as they were in the role of a student. The use of the virtual classroom TeachLivE(TM) supplied data from the PSTs as they were in the role of a teacher. The data generated by these unique methods helped to constitute the stories presented in Chapter 4. Instead of stories about the PSTs these are stories constructed from the data that represents the thinking of PSTs. The stories are presented as what PSTs see, believe, care about, and wonder with regards to learning to teach in an inquiry-oriented way. This data indicates that while PSTs have taken notice of the challenge to their existing ideas about teaching science there are still significant barriers that must be overcome to replace entrenched beliefs in order for them to implement inquiry-oriented practices in their future classrooms. As a beginning step in the inquiry process and aligned with constructivist theories of learning, thinking routines

  13. Social Constructivist Learning Environment in an Online Professional Practice Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakulbumrungsil, Rungpetch; Theeraroungchaisri, Anuchai; Watcharadamrongkun, Suntaree

    2009-01-01

    Objective To assess the online social constructivist learning environment (SCLE) and student perceptions of the outcomes of the online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice that was designed based on social constructivism theory. Design The online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was carefully designed by organizing various activities, which were intended to encourage social interaction among students. The Constructivist Online Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) was applied to assess the SCLE. Course evaluation questionnaires were administered to assess student perceptions of this online module. Assessment The result from the COLLES illustrated the development of SCLE in the course. The students reported positive perceptions of the course. Conclusion An online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was effective in promoting SCLE. PMID:19513147

  14. Development of constructivist theory of mind from middle childhood to early adulthood and its relation to social cognition and behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weimer, Amy A; Parault Dowds, Susan J; Fabricius, William V; Schwanenflugel, Paula J; Suh, Go Woon

    2017-02-01

    Two studies examined the development of constructivist theory of mind (ToM) during late childhood and early adolescence. In Study 1, a new measure was developed to assess participants' understanding of the interpretive and constructive processes embedded in memory, comprehension, attention, comparison, planning, and inference. Using this measure, Study 2 tested a mediational model in which prosocial reasoning about conflict mediated the relation between constructivist ToM and behavior problems in high school. Results showed that the onset of constructivist ToM occurs between late childhood and early adolescence and that adolescents who have more advanced constructivist ToM have more prosocial reasoning about conflict, which in turn mediated the relation with fewer serious behavior problems in high school, after controlling for academic performance and sex. In both studies, girls showed more advanced constructivist ToM than boys in high school. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Application of Cognitive and Socio-Cultural Theories in CALL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa Akın Güngör

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Since it is quite difficult in traditional learning atmospheres for the learners to be exposed to the target language adequately in foreign language acquisition, CALL in which virtual environment is designed in more appropriate way has given rise. Two main paradigms, cognitive model and socio-cultural theory, have also been adopted in CALL. Moreover, rather than applying one theory, combination of these paradigms is unavoidable. However, application of this combination is challenging in practice, as these two theories have different principles. Furthermore, when it comes to online education, it turns into more challenging process. In this poster this combination is presented with the help of sample applications from Gazi University.

  16. Influences of Constructivist-Oriented Nutrition Education on Urban Middle School Students' Nutrition Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaughtry, Nate; Fahlman, Mariane; Martin, Jeffrey J.; Shen, Bo

    2011-01-01

    Background: Health professionals are looking to nutrition-based youth health interventions in K-12 schools to combat the growing obesity crisis; however, none have explored the influences of interventions guided by constructivist learning theory. Purpose: This study examined the influences of a constructivist-oriented nutrition education program…

  17. Towards a new paradigm of Socio-Hydrology; insights from the Saskatchewan River Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheater, H. S.; Gober, P.

    2011-12-01

    Effects of human-induced change on the land surface and the functioning of water systems are ubiquitous. There is a basic need to understand these human processes and to represent them appropriately in hydrological models. Some land use effects, such as urbanisation, are well understood, but not readily quantifiable at catchment scale. Agricultural intensification, on the other hand, is poorly understood, and tools for quantification often lack scientific basis. And while land surface change affects runoff and recharge, in most major river systems flows are also modified by storage, withdrawals and returns; groundwater is also often heavily influenced by management. Quantification of these effects remains a major and neglected challenge - much large-scale hydrological modelling is concerned with hypothetical 'natural' systems. At a deeper level, in an era of rapid change and profound uncertainties about both human and physical systems, water management requires an understanding of the drivers of, and responses to change. Socio-hydrology has two very specific social components: 1. Integrating humans and their activities into water science. 2. Ensuring that water decision-making incorporates a range of values and perspectives about the meaning, value and use of water. Socio-hydrology recognizes that many of the current stresses on water systems stem from social factors such as demography, the global economy, changing societal values and norms, technological innovation, laws and customs, and financial markets. It also acknowledges that the inability of many water systems to adjust to change is because of outdated governance, institutional rigidity, failure to adequately perceive threats to water security, ill-functioning markets, and undue focus on physical at the expense of social change. Increasingly, it is recognized that some of the most critical vulnerabilities in contemporary water systems lie at the intersection between human activities and physical systems

  18. Logics and falsifications a new perspective on constructivist semantics

    CERN Document Server

    Kapsner, Andreas

    2014-01-01

    This volume examines the concept of falsification as a central notion of semantic theories and its effects on logical laws. The point of departure is the general constructivist line of argument that Michael Dummett has offered over the last decades. From there, the author examines the ways in which falsifications can enter into a constructivist semantics, displays the full spectrum of options, and discusses the logical systems most suitable to each one of them. While the idea of introducing falsifications into the semantic account is Dummett's own, the many ways in which falsificationism departs quite radically from verificationism are here spelled out in detail for the first time. The volume is divided into three large parts. The first part provides important background information about Dummett’s program, intuitionism and logics with gaps and gluts. The second part is devoted to the introduction of falsifications into the constructive account, and shows that there is more than one way in which one can do ...

  19. Personal Inquiry Manager

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Suarez, Angel; Ternier, Stefaan; Specht, Marcus

    2014-01-01

    The Personal Inquiry Manager (PIM) is an integration approach based on a mobile application, based on Android, to support the IBL process and gives users mobile access to their inquiries. Moreover it facilitates a more self-directed approach as it enables to set up their own personal inquiries. The

  20. Influence of teacher-directed scientific inquiry on students' primal inquiries in two science classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Brian Andrew

    Scientific inquiry is widely used but pervasively misunderstood in elementary classrooms. The use of inquiry is often attached to direct instruction models of teaching, or is even passed as textbook readings or worksheets. Previous literature on scientific inquiry suggests a range or continuum beginning with teacher-directed inquiry on one extreme, which involves a question, process, and outcome that are predetermined by the teacher. On the other end of the continuum is an element of inquiry that is extremely personal and derived from innate curiosity without external constraints. This authentic inquiry is defined by the study as primal inquiry. If inquiry instruction is used in the elementary classroom, it is often manifested as teacher-directed inquiry, but previous research suggests the most interesting, motivating, and lasting content is owned by the individual and exists within the individual's own curiosity, questioning and processes. Therefore, the study examined the impact of teacher-directed inquiry in two elementary fourth grade classrooms on climate-related factors including interest, motivation, engagement, and student-generated inquiry involvement. The study took place at two elementary classrooms in Arizona. Both were observed for ten weeks during science instruction over the course of one semester. Field notes were written with regard for the inquiry process and ownership, along with climate indicators. Student journals were examined for evidence of primal inquiry, and twenty-two students were interviewed between the two classrooms for evidence of low climate-related factors and low inquiry involvement. Data from the three sources were triangulated. The results of this qualitative study include evidence for three propositions, which were derived from previous literature. Strong evidence was provided in support of all three propositions, which suggest an overall negative impact on climate-related factors of interest, motivation, and engagement for

  1. Analyzing and Critiquing the Concepts of Professional Autonomy and Accountability through the Prisms of Decentralization and Constructivist Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shapiro, Arthur; Koren, Andrej

    2012-01-01

    This analysis and synthesis explores constructs of professional autonomy and accountability using constructivist theory and practice to examine the organizational dynamics of centralization/decentralization, particularly as applied to educational organizations. Major schools of constructivist thought are explored to shed light on…

  2. Constructing New Theory for Identifying Students with Emotional Disturbance: A Constructivist Approach to Grounded Theory

    OpenAIRE

    Dori Barnett

    2012-01-01

    A grounded theory study that examined how practitioners in a county alternative and correctional education setting identify youth with emotional and behavioral difficulties for special education services provides an exemplar for a constructivist approach to grounded theory methodology. Discussion focuses on how a constructivist orientation to grounded theory methodology informed research decisions, shaped the development of the emergent grounded theory, and prompted a way of thinking about da...

  3. Online Learning for Social Constructivism: Creating a Conducive ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    On-line learning is a process which is facilitated through the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It has the potential for stimulating learning on a social constructivist paradigm given the wide range of applications available on the Internet and the web. The social constructivist paradigm is associated with creative ...

  4. PENGEMBANGAN DESAIN PEMBELAJARAN INQUIRY MENINGKATKAN MOTIVASI DAN PRESTASI BELAJAR MATEMATIKA MATERI LUAS DAN VOLUME BENDA PUTAR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sulistyawati Sulistyawati

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Learning strategy which gives less chance for the students to be actively included in the learning process will reduce the interest of students in learning which resulted in the lack of students’ motivation in learning which also will affect the students achievement in learning. The active learning strategy is a strategy which actively includes students to be active physically, mentally and socially. Based on these fact, the strategy of learning used by teacher plays a very important role in improving the students’ motivation as well as the success of learning. To achieve the goal of learning, teacher should pay attention to: (1 reduce the direct lecture method, (2 assigns different assignment to each students, (3 groups students based on their ability, (4 the material must be modified and enriched accordingly, (5 uses variation of procedures, (6 tries to develop the learning situation based on the students’ abilities, (7 motivate students to me actively engage in all learning activities. Inquiry Based Learning is an important component of constructivist approach which has a long history in innovative learning. Learning through inquiry will gives benefits for students. It spur on students’ interest to know more things, motivates them to continue learning to get the final answer. Students will learn to solve problem independently and think critically as they must analyzed and arrange information.

  5. Developing genetic competency in undergraduate nursing students through the context of human disease and the constructivist framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tribble, Leta Meole

    Nowhere is the influence of genetics more extensively seen than in medicine. More precise diagnostic testing, prevention methods, and risk counseling have resulted from recent decades of genetics research, including the Human Genome Project (HGP). The expansion in genetics knowledge and related technologies will drive a major paradigm shift from diagnosis and treatment to preventive medicine. Resulting from this predicted shift are educational challenges for healthcare professionals including both physicians and nurses. The largest group of healthcare providers is registered professional nurses whose work allows a unique and holistic view of patients and families, often caring for patients throughout the life span. Nurses need to understand basic genetic concepts including the role of genes in common diseases, to identify individuals at risk through the collection of informed family histories, to provide information about genetic testing and informed consent, and to know when and how to make appropriate referrals to genetic specialists. The purpose of this study was to expand the clinical application and use of genetic principles in patient management and care. To do this, a survey of South Carolina nursing educators from twenty two nursing programs was conducted to determine the extent of genetic content in the curriculum. The second part of the study was teaching a semester course in human genetics to undergraduate nursing students, a need identified in the literature review and supported by results of the nursing programs survey. Through the use of clinical case studies, PBL activities, and "shrink wrapped" lectures, all congruent with the constructivist viewpoint of learning, student's objective post-intervention measurements indicated significant improvement in content knowledge with an effect size of 1.6 and significant improvement in their ability to analyze and draw the family history in a pedigree format. An attitudinal tool used to assess student

  6. Ezines: A Constructivist Instructional Activity for Teaching Diagnosis and Psychopathology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Karyn Dayle; Granello, Paul F.

    2008-01-01

    Ezines (electronic zines) are independently made, online publications that can provide creative, pedagogical possibilities for constructivist learning in counselor education and, specifically, the diagnosis class. Making ezines about mental disorders and psychopathology allows students to engage in active learning about important topics while…

  7. Racism and Ethnocentrism: Social Representations of Preservice Teachers in the Context of Multi- and Intercultural Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole Carignan

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Using a constructivist inquiry paradigm, the authors attempted in their content analysis to understand the social representations on race and ethnocentrism of preservice secondary teachers studying in an urban university in a Midwest city in the United States. Although social representations can be understood as something in which our participants deeply believe, this study suggests that racial and ethnocentric biases should be examined in the context of multi- and intercultural education. The authors favor a way of revisiting taken-for-granted ideas toward traditional, liberal, and critical or radical multiculturalism. They argue for the recognition not only of the differences and diversity of students (multicultural perspective but also of the way in which teachers understand, communicate, and interact with them (intercultural perspective.

  8. Comparing Two Inquiry Professional Development Interventions in Science on Primary Students' Questioning and Other Inquiry Behaviours

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, Kim; Burgh, Gilbert; Kennedy, Callie

    2017-02-01

    Developing students' skills to pose and respond to questions and actively engage in inquiry behaviours enables students to problem solve and critically engage with learning and society. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of providing teachers with an intervention in inquiry pedagogy alongside inquiry science curriculum in comparison to an intervention in non-inquiry pedagogy alongside inquiry science curriculum on student questioning and other inquiry behaviours. Teacher participants in the comparison condition received training in four inquiry-based science units and in collaborative strategic reading. The experimental group, the community of inquiry (COI) condition, received training in facilitating a COI in addition to training in the same four inquiry-based science units. This study involved 227 students and 18 teachers in 9 primary schools across Brisbane, Australia. The teachers were randomly allocated by school to one of the two conditions. The study followed the students across years 6 and 7 and students' discourse during small group activities was recorded, transcribed and coded for verbal inquiry behaviours. In the second year of the study, students in the COI condition demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of procedural and substantive higher-order thinking questions and other inquiry behaviours than those in the comparison condition. Implementing a COI within an inquiry science curriculum develops students' questioning and science inquiry behaviours and allows teachers to foster inquiry skills predicated by the Australian Science Curriculum. Provision of inquiry science curriculum resources alone is not sufficient to promote the questioning and other verbal inquiry behaviours predicated by the Australian Science Curriculum.

  9. Radical constructivism: Between realism and solipsism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Delgado, Alberto

    2002-11-01

    This paper criticizes radical constructivism of the Glasersfeld type, pointing out some contradictions between the declared radical principles and their theoretical and practical development. These contradictions manifest themselves in a frequent oscillation between solipsism and realism, despite constructivist claims to be an anti-realist theory. The paper also points out the contradiction between the relativism of the radical constructivist principles and the constructivist exclusion of other epistemological or educational paradigms. It also disputes the originality and importance of the radical constructivist paradigm, suggesting the idea of an isomorphism between radical constructivist theory and contemplative realism. In addition, some pedagogical and scientific methodological aspects of the radical constructivist model are examined. Although radical constructivism claims to be a rational theory and advocates deductive thinking, it is argued that there is no logical deductive connection between the radical principles of constructivism and the radical constructivist ideas about scientific research and learning. The paper suggests the possibility of an ideological substratum in the construction and hegemonic success of subjective constructivism and, finally, briefly advances an alternative realist model to epistemological and educational radical constructivism.

  10. Preservice Teachers' Teacher Efficacy Beliefs and Constructivist-Based Teaching Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Temiz, Tugba; Topcu, Mustafa Sami

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between preservice teachers' (PTs) teacher efficacy beliefs and their constructivist-based teaching practices. Data were gathered through the questionnaire (Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale) and the observation protocol (Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol) administered to the…

  11. Facilitating Tough Conversations: Using an Innovative Simulation-Primed Qualitative Inquiry in Pediatric Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Ambrose H; Tiyyagura, Gunjan K; Dodington, James M; Hawkins, Bonnie; Hersey, Denise; Auerbach, Marc A

    Deep exploration of a complex health care issue in pediatrics might be hindered by the sensitive or infrequent nature of a particular topic in pediatrics. Health care simulation builds on constructivist theories to guide individuals through an experiential cycle of action, self-reflection, and open discussion, but has traditionally been applied to the educational domain in health sciences. Leveraging the emotional activation of a simulated experience, investigators can prime participants to engage in open dialogue for the purposes of qualitative research. The framework of simulation-primed qualitative inquiry consists of 3 main iterative steps. First, researchers determine applicability by consideration of the need for an exploratory approach and potential to enrich data through simulation priming of participants. Next, careful attention is needed to design the simulation, with consideration of medium, technology, theoretical frameworks, and quality to create simulated reality relevant to the research question. Finally, data collection planning consists of a qualitative approach and method selection, with particular attention paid to psychological safety of subjects participating in the simulation. A literature review revealed 37 articles that used this newly described method across a variety of clinical and educational research topics and used a spectrum of simulation modalities and qualitative methods. Although some potential limitations and pitfalls might exist with regard to resources, fidelity, and psychological safety under the auspices of educational research, simulation-primed qualitative inquiry can be a powerful technique to explore difficult topics when subjects might experience vulnerability or hesitation. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE CONSTRUCTIVIST INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS IN A TEACHING AND LEARNING COURSE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meri Fuji Siahaan

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Constructivism is defined as building one’s own understanding. Constructivist instructional method requires that teacher should not be the one who informs but who facilitates the students learning. The purpose of this study is to obtain the students’ perceptions on the implementation of constructivist instructional methods in Teaching and Learning course. A survey research methodology was used with first semester students who were taking teaching and learning course as the subjects of this study. Methods of collecting data were questionnaires with open ended questions, deep interview and documentation. A qualitative analysis technique was performed on data from the survey instrument and the interview to answer 4 research questions. A descriptive analysis technique was performed on data to answer 1 research question from the survey instrument and documents. The data analysis revealed that constructivism instructional methods were clearly experienced when they were required to answer a lot of probing questions, had discussion in the classroom, had Facebook online discussions with clear guidance to do so, created ted talks and debating.The study implies that the constructivist instructional methods experienced by the students in the class help them to better understand the constructivism theory and its implications.

  13. Revisiting Constructivist Teaching Methods in Ontario Colleges Preparing for Accreditation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, Rachel A.

    2015-01-01

    At the time of writing, the first community colleges in Ontario were preparing for transition to an accreditation model from an audit system. This paper revisits constructivist literature, arguing that a more pragmatic definition of constructivism effectively blends positivist and interactionist philosophies to achieve both student centred…

  14. A constructivist approach to learning and teaching | Venter | South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In richer environments the lecturers should put more control of the environment in the hands of the learners (Wilson 1995). In this article I would like to propose a constructivist approach to learning and teaching in the education and training of teachers to enable them to use it in their own classrooms. South African Journal of ...

  15. Enhancing Scientific Inquiry Literacy of Prospective Biology Teachers through Inquiry Lab Project in Microbiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kusnadi, K.; Rustaman, N. Y.; Redjeki, S.; Aryantha, I. N. P.

    2017-09-01

    The implementation of the inquiry laboratory based project to enhance scientific inquiry literacy of prospective biology teachers in Microbiology course has been done. The inquiry lab based project was designed by three stages were debriefing of basic microbiology lab skills, guided inquiry and free inquiry respectively. The Study was quasi experimental with control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects were prospective biology teachers consists of 80 students. The scientific inquiry literacy instrument refers to ScInqLiT by Wenning. The results showed that there was significant difference of scientific inquiry literacy posttest scores between experiment and control (α 0,05) and was obtained N-gain score was 0.49 (medium) to experiment and 0.24 (low) to control. Based on formative assessment showed that development of student’s scientific attitude, research and microbiology lab skills during conducting project were increased. Student’s research skills especially in identification of variables, constructing a hypothesis, communicating and concluding were increased. During implementation of inquiry project also showed that they carried out mind and hands-on and so collaborative group investigation lab activities. Our findings may aid in reforming higher-education, particularly in microbiology laboratory activities to better promote scientific inquiry literacy, scientific attitude, research and laboratory skills.

  16. Inquiry-based leading and learning : Inquiry-based working by school boards, school leaders and teachers and students’ inquiry habit of mind

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luijk, E.

    2017-01-01

    Inquiry-based working is assumed to contribute to improving educational quality and to stimulate professional learning. It involves having an inquiry habit of mind, being data literate and creating a culture of inquiry in schools (based on Earl & Katz, 2006). The general aim of this study was to

  17. A Robot-Partner for Preschool Children Learning English Using Socio-Cognitive Conflict

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzoni, Elvis; Benvenuti, Martina

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an exploratory study in which a humanoid robot (MecWilly) acted as a partner to preschool children, helping them to learn English words. In order to use the Socio-Cognitive Conflict paradigm to induce the knowledge acquisition process, we designed a playful activity in which children worked in pairs with another child or with…

  18. Fitting methods to paradigms: are ergonomics methods fit for systems thinking?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salmon, Paul M; Walker, Guy H; M Read, Gemma J; Goode, Natassia; Stanton, Neville A

    2017-02-01

    The issues being tackled within ergonomics problem spaces are shifting. Although existing paradigms appear relevant for modern day systems, it is worth questioning whether our methods are. This paper asks whether the complexities of systems thinking, a currently ubiquitous ergonomics paradigm, are outpacing the capabilities of our methodological toolkit. This is achieved through examining the contemporary ergonomics problem space and the extent to which ergonomics methods can meet the challenges posed. Specifically, five key areas within the ergonomics paradigm of systems thinking are focused on: normal performance as a cause of accidents, accident prediction, system migration, systems concepts and ergonomics in design. The methods available for pursuing each line of inquiry are discussed, along with their ability to respond to key requirements. In doing so, a series of new methodological requirements and capabilities are identified. It is argued that further methodological development is required to provide researchers and practitioners with appropriate tools to explore both contemporary and future problems. Practitioner Summary: Ergonomics methods are the cornerstone of our discipline. This paper examines whether our current methodological toolkit is fit for purpose given the changing nature of ergonomics problems. The findings provide key research and practice requirements for methodological development.

  19. Teaching Science through Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilcox, Jesse; Kruse, Jerrid W.; Clough, Michael P.

    2015-01-01

    Science education efforts have long emphasized inquiry, and inquiry and scientific practices are prominent in contemporary science education reform documents (NRC 1996; NGSS Lead States 2013). However, inquiry has not become commonplace in science teaching, in part because of misunderstandings regarding what it means and entails (Demir and Abell…

  20. The impact of a STS/Constructivist learning approach on the beliefs and attitudes of preservice science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akcay, Hakan

    The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an Science-Technology-Society (STS) course for preservice science teachers. The course was designed to change not only preservice science teachers' attitudes toward science, scientists and science courses, but also the awareness and use of STS/Constructivist approaches in teaching. It also focuses on changes in preservice science teachers regarding the effectiveness of an STS/Constructivist learning environment. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used with and a one-group pretest-posttest design. The instruments were administered to the preservice science teachers at the beginning of the semester as pre-tests and again at the end of the semester as post-tests. Data gathered from pre- and post-administration were analyzed for each of the instruments that provide answers to the research questions. The sample consists of forty-one pre-service science teachers who were enrolled in the Societal & Educational Applications of Biological Concepts course during the spring semester of the 2004 and 2005 academic years at the University of Iowa. The major findings for the study include the following: (1) Preservice science teachers showed significantly growth over the semester in their perceptions concerning STS/Constructivism, beliefs about science teaching and learning, and attitudes toward science and technology, and their implications for society. These significant changes were not affected by gender nor grade (elementary vs secondary) level. (2) Preservice science teachers gain in understanding of how students learn with STS/Constructivist approaches. They also increased their use of STS/Constructivist approaches which were developed and applied to teaching science for all students. (3) Preservice science teachers showed statistically significant growth toward an STS/Constructivist philosophy of science teaching and learning in terms of student actions in the classroom, as well as their

  1. The Implementation of a Social Constructivist Approach in Primary Science Education in Confucian Heritage Culture: The Case of Vietnam

    Science.gov (United States)

    H?ng, Ngô Vu Thu; Meijer, Marijn Roland; Bulte, Astrid M. W.; Pilot, Albert

    2015-01-01

    Social constructivism has been increasingly studied and implemented in science school education. Nevertheless, there is a lack of holistic studies on the implementation of social constructivist approach in primary science education in Confucian heritage culture. This study aims to determine to what extent a social constructivist approach is…

  2. Action Learning and Constructivist Grounded Theory: Powerfully Overlapping Fields of Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rand, Jane

    2013-01-01

    This paper considers the shared characteristics between action learning (AL) and the research methodology constructivist grounded theory (CGT). Mirroring Edmonstone's [2011. "Action Learning and Organisation Development: Overlapping Fields of Practice." "Action Learning: Research and Practice" 8 (2): 93-102] article, which…

  3. Exercise in Inquiry: Critical Thinking in an Inquiry-Based Exercise Physiology Laboratory Course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiPasquale, Dana M.; Mason, Cheryl L.; Kolkhorst, Fred W.

    2003-01-01

    Describes an inquiry-based teaching method implemented in an undergraduate exercise physiology laboratory course. Indicates students' strong, positive feelings about the inquiry-based teaching method and shows that inquiry-based learning results in a higher order of learning not typically observed in traditional style classes. This teaching method…

  4. Constructing New Theory for Identifying Students with Emotional Disturbance: A Constructivist Approach to Grounded Theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dori Barnett

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available A grounded theory study that examined how practitioners in a county alternative and correctional education setting identify youth with emotional and behavioral difficulties for special education services provides an exemplar for a constructivist approach to grounded theory methodology. Discussion focuses on how a constructivist orientation to grounded theory methodology informed research decisions, shaped the development of the emergent grounded theory, and prompted a way of thinking about data collection and analysis. Implications for future research directions and policy and practice in the field of special and alternative education are discussed.

  5. Conceptual Foundations for the Formation of a New Paradigm for Socio-Economic Development of Regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Turskyj Ihor V.

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the article is to define the theoretical and methodological foundations and practical basis for the process of forming a new paradigm of regional development, in particular the features of classical and modern theories of regional development in the aspect of the formation of factors for intensifying the social and humanitarian development of entrepreneurship in regions. There noted an increase in the role of humanitarian values and social factors in the economic development of regions in the existing paradigms of regional development, which makes it necessary to concentrate research on the development of the humanitarian and social spheres in close interrelation with economic development. Based on the research and analysis of internal and external factors of the regional economic development, a set of key factors for the development of the knowledge economy in regions is defined. The study of regional approaches to regional development has led to the conclusion that, under current conditions, the existing paradigms of regional development should be improved taking into account the realities of the emergence of new economic systems based on human capital and knowledge, as well as on the introduction of the component of social and humanitarian space of the region into the analysis of regional development processes.

  6. Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry cycle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pedaste, Margus; Mäeots, Mario; Siiman, Leo A.; de Jong, Anthonius J.M.; van Riesen, Siswa; Kamp, E.T.; Kamp, E.T.; Manoli, Constantinos C.; Zacharia, Zacharias C.; Tsourlidaki, Eleftheria

    2015-01-01

    Inquiry-based learning is gaining popularity in science curricula, international research and development projects as well as teaching. One of the underlying reasons is that its success can be significantly improved due to the recent technical developments that allow the inquiry process to be

  7. Implementation of a Proposed Model of a Constructivist Teaching-Learning Process – A Step Towards an Outcome Based Education in Chemistry Laboratory Instruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Paz B. Reyes

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This study implemented the proposed model of a constructivist teachinglearning process and determined the extent by which the students manifested the institutional learning outcomes which include competency, credibility, commitment and collaboration. It also investigated if there was an improvement in the learning outcomes after the implementation of the constructivist teachinglearning process and determined the students’ acceptance of the constructivist teaching-learning process. Towards the end a plan of action was proposed to enhance the students’ manifestation of the institutional learning outcomes. It made use of the qualitative- quantitative method particularly the descriptive design. The results of the study revealed that the students manifest competency, credibility, commitment and collaboration as they accept positively the constructivist teaching-learning process in their chemistry laboratory subject. It can be deduced from the findings that the constructivist teaching-learning process improved the learning outcomes of the students. The use of the proposed plan of action is recommended for an effective chemistry laboratory instruction.

  8. Constructivist Learning Environment During Virtual and Real Laboratory Activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ari Widodo

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Laboratory activities and constructivism are two notions that have been playing significant roles in science education. Despite common beliefs about the importance of laboratory activities, reviews reported inconsistent results about the effectiveness of laboratory activities. Since laboratory activities can be expensive and take more time, there is an effort to introduce virtual laboratory activities. This study aims at exploring the learning environment created by a virtual laboratory and a real laboratory. A quasi experimental study was conducted at two grade ten classes at a state high school in Bandung, Indonesia. Data were collected using a questionnaire called Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES before and after the laboratory activities. The results show that both types of laboratories can create constructivist learning environments. Each type of laboratory activity, however, may be stronger in improving certain aspects compared to the other. While a virtual laboratory is stronger in improving critical voice and personal relevance, real laboratory activities promote aspects of personal relevance, uncertainty and student negotiation. This study suggests that instead of setting one type of laboratory against the other, lessons and follow up studies should focus on how to combine both types of laboratories to support better learning.

  9. Primary teachers conducting inquiry projects : effects on attitudes towards teaching science and conducting inquiry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra; Walma van der Molen, Julie Henriëtte; van Hest, Erna G.W.C.M.; Poortman, Cindy Louise

    2017-01-01

    This study used an experimental, pretest-posttest control group design to investigate whether participation in a large-scale inquiry project would improve primary teachers’ attitudes towards teaching science and towards conducting inquiry. The inquiry project positively affected several elements of

  10. How to create more supportive supervision for primary healthcare: lessons from Ngamiland district of Botswana: co-operative inquiry group

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nkomazana, Oathokwa; Mash, Robert; Wojczewski, Silvia; Kutalek, Ruth; Phaladze, Nthabiseng

    2016-01-01

    Background Supportive supervision is a way to foster performance, productivity, motivation, and retention of health workforce. Nevertheless there is a dearth of evidence of the impact and acceptability of supportive supervision in low- and middle-income countries. This article describes a participatory process of transforming the supervisory practice of district health managers to create a supportive environment for primary healthcare workers. Objective The objective of the study was to explore how district health managers can change their practice to create a more supportive environment for primary healthcare providers. Design A facilitated co-operative inquiry group (CIG) was formed with Ngamiland health district managers. CIG belongs to the participatory action research paradigm and is characterised by a cyclic process of observation, reflection, planning, and action. The CIG went through three cycles between March 2013 and March 2014. Results Twelve district health managers participated in the inquiry group. The major insights and learning that emerged from the inquiry process included inadequate supervisory practice, perceptions of healthcare workers’ experiences, change in the managers’ supervision paradigm, recognition of the supervisors’ inadequate supervisory skills, and barriers to supportive supervision. Finally, the group developed a 10-point consensus on what they had learnt regarding supportive supervision. Conclusion Ngamiland health district managers have come to appreciate the value of supportive supervision and changed their management style to be more supportive of their subordinates. They also developed a consensus on supportive supervision that could be adapted for use nationally. Supportive supervision should be prioritised at all levels of the health system, and it should be adequately resourced. PMID:27345024

  11. Parents' concerns regarding the growth characteristics of their adolescents: a qualitative inquiry in Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheraghi, Mohammad Ali; Rezasoltani, Parvaneh; Vedadhir, AbouAli; Taghizadeh, Ziba; Samadanifard, Seyyed Hossein

    2018-12-01

    In recent times, parents have become increasingly concerned, both subjectively and objectively, about their adolescents' body height/weight growth. Parent-adolescent interactions about this issue and the potential socio-psychological consequences of such interactions should be considered as an important influencing factor on the future of adolescents' sexual and reproductive health. To achieve a greater understanding of such concerns, it is necessary to further elucidate parents' experiences on this topic, so as to expand the existing literature. This study aimed to explain the perceptions of parents' concerns regarding their adolescents' growth characteristics in the socio-cultural context of Iran as a transitional society. This paper is part of a larger qualitative study designed using the Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology (CGTM). We conducted open-ended intensive interviews with eleven parents individually and recruited them through purposeful and theoretical sampling from a teaching hospital, community, and a primary school in Tehran with theoretical sampling variation in terms of teenagers' age, sex, and birth order, place of residence, parents' occupation and education, and the self-reported socio-economic status. Using the analytical procedures of the CGTM, we performed analyses. In the findings, the concept of 'living with constant sense of uncertainty' emerged from the subcategories including 'feeling existing and potential concern about expected minimum and maximum bio-positions of growth,' 'feeling potential concern about biological health consequences,' 'feeling potential concern about the emergence of early/late maturity signs,' 'feeling potential concern about adolescent's emotional threat,' 'feeling concerned about future employment, education, marriage, and fertility,' and 'feeling potential concern about the society's view'. These findings suggest that parents are living with a constant sense of uncertainty about their teens' growth

  12. Big inquiry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wynne, B [Lancaster Univ. (UK)

    1979-06-28

    The recently published report entitled 'The Big Public Inquiry' from the Council for Science and Society and the Outer Circle Policy Unit is considered, with especial reference to any future enquiry which may take place into the first commercial fast breeder reactor. Proposals embodied in the report include stronger rights for objectors and an attempt is made to tackle the problem that participation in a public inquiry is far too late to be objective. It is felt by the author that the CSS/OCPU report is a constructive contribution to the debate about big technology inquiries but that it fails to understand the deeper currents in the economic and political structure of technology which so influence the consequences of whatever formal procedures are evolved.

  13. The Effects of Constructivist Learning Environment on Prospective Mathematics Teachers' Opinions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narli, Serkan; Baser, Nes'e

    2010-01-01

    To explore the effects of constructivist learning environment on prospective teachers' opinions about "mathematics, department of mathematics, discrete mathematics, countable and uncountable infinity" taught under the subject of Cantorian Set Theory in discrete mathematics class, 60 first-year students in the Division of Mathematics…

  14. Effectiveness of constructivist approach on students achievement in mathematics: A case study at primary school in Kuantan, Pahang

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samsudin, Syafiza Saila; Ujang, Suriyati; Sahlan, Nor Fasiha

    2016-06-01

    This study was conducted on students in Year 3 at Sekolah Kebangsaan Air Putih, Kuantan. The study used a constructivism approach in simplest fraction topic in Mathematics. Students were divided into 2 groups; the control group and the experimental group. Experimental group was taught using Constructivist Approach whereas the control group student was taught using the Traditional Approach. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of constructivist learning approach the topic of Simplest Fraction. It also aimed to compare the student's achievement between the constructivist approach and traditional approach. This study used the instrument in pre-test, post-test, questionnaires and observation. The data were analyzed with SPSS 15.0 for window. The finding shows there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test for experimental group after using constructivism approach in learning process. The mean scores (76.39) of the post-test is higher than the mean scores (60.28) for pre-test. It is proved that constructivist approach is more efficient and suitable for teaching and learning in simplest fraction topic in the classroom compared to traditional approaches. The findings also showed interest and the positive perception of this approach.

  15. An educational ethnography of teacher-developed science curriculum implementation: Enacting conceptual change-based science inquiry with Hispanic students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunsell, Eric Steven

    An achievement gap exists between White and Hispanic students in the United States. Research has shown that improving the quality of instruction for minority students is an effective way to narrow this gap. Science education reform movements emphasize that science should be taught using a science inquiry approach. Extensive research in teaching and learning science also shows that a conceptual change model of teaching is effective in helping students learn science. Finally, research into how Hispanic students learn best has provided a number of suggestions for science instruction. The Inquiry for Conceptual Change model merges these three research strands into a comprehensive yet accessible model for instruction. This study investigates two questions. First, what are teachers' perceptions of science inquiry and its implementation in the classroom? Second, how does the use of the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model affect the learning of students in a predominantly Hispanic, urban neighborhood. Five teachers participated in a professional development project where they developed and implemented a science unit based on the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model. Three units were developed and implemented for this study. This is a qualitative study that included data from interviews, participant reflections and journals, student pre- and post-assessments, and researcher observations. This study provides an in-depth description of the role of professional development in helping teachers understand how science inquiry can be used to improve instructional quality for students in a predominantly Hispanic, urban neighborhood. These teachers demonstrated that it is important for professional development to be collaborative and provide opportunities for teachers to enact and reflect on new teaching paradigms. This study also shows promising results for the ability of the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model to improve student learning.

  16. Primary Teachers Conducting Inquiry Projects: Effects on Attitudes towards Teaching Science and Conducting Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra I.; Walma van der Molen, Juliette H.; van Hest, Erna G. W. C. M.; Poortman, Cindy

    2017-01-01

    This study used an experimental, pretest-posttest control group design to investigate whether participation in a large-scale inquiry project would improve primary teachers' attitudes towards teaching science and towards conducting inquiry. The inquiry project positively affected several elements of teachers' attitudes. Teachers felt less anxious…

  17. Investigating the Effectiveness of Teaching Methods Based on a Four-Step Constructivist Strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çalik, Muammer; Ayas, Alipaşa; Coll, Richard K.

    2010-02-01

    This paper reports on an investigation of the effectiveness an intervention using several different methods for teaching solution chemistry. The teaching strategy comprised a four-step approach derived from a constructivist view of learning. A sample consisting of 44 students (18 boys and 26 girls) was selected purposively from two different Grade 9 classes in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Data collection employed a purpose-designed `solution chemistry concept test', consisting of 17 items, with the quantitative data from the survey supported by qualitative interview data. The findings suggest that using different methods embedded within the four-step constructivist-based teaching strategy enables students to refute some alternative conceptions, but does not completely eliminate student alternative conceptions for solution chemistry.

  18. Approaches to Inquiry Teaching: Elementary teacher's perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ireland, Joseph; Watters, James J.; Lunn Brownlee, J.; Lupton, Mandy

    2014-07-01

    Learning science through the process of inquiry is advocated in curriculum documents across many jurisdictions. However, a number of studies suggest that teachers struggle to help students engage in inquiry practices. This is not surprising as many teachers of science have not engaged in scientific inquiry and possibly hold naïve ideas about what constitutes scientific inquiry. This study investigates teachers' self-reported approaches to teaching science through inquiry. Phenomenographic interviews undertaken with 20 elementary teachers revealed teachers identified six approaches to teaching for inquiry, clustered within three categories. These approaches were categorized as Free and Illustrated Inquiries as part of an Experience-centered category, Solution and Method Inquiries as part of a Problem-centered category, and Topic and Chaperoned Inquiries as part of a Question-centered category. This study contributes to our theoretical understanding of how teachers approach Inquiry Teaching and suggests fertile areas of future research into this valued and influential phenomenon broadly known as 'Inquiry Teaching'.

  19. Inquiries and technological assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-01-01

    The authors examine six Canadian inquiries to determine their values as scientific assessments, their ability to combine scientific data with policy considerations, and their effectiveness in extending public debate on scientific issues. Among the inquiries examined are the environmental assessment hearings into the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station, the Bayda inquiry into the Cluff Lake uranium mine, and the Porter commission on electric power planning in Ontario

  20. Accidental naturalism: criticism of a theoretical model of socio-ecological legitimacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Santiago M. Cruzada

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This article proposes the need for a theoretical review on the current epistemological assumption that establishes the dichotomy nature-society as a cornerstone of a broad worldview for western contexts. We will discuss the anthropological perspectives that assume that in these spaces, generically without nuances, social practice and ideas are not constructed in such a close relationship to the environment, falling under a belief that nature exists outside the human will. We will debate the naive ethnological essentialism that position naturalism as a central model of a socio-european worldview, characterized by dualistic patterns that have enabled monistic paradigms of socio-ecological relationships to be established at the same time, and in contrast to this, in other parts of the world.

  1. An inquiry into socio-historical factors contributing to poverty within the Early Church in Palestine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frederick Kakwata

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This article seeks to investigate the root causes of poverty in the early Christian community.The view that is put forward and argued in this article is that poverty was widespread in early Christianity with particular reference to the converted Jews in Palestine. This was the result of socio-historical factors, namely the Israelites’ contact with Canaanites during the conquest,and the implementation of the secular leadership paradigm derived from those paga n nations around Israel, which led to their subjugation under the oppressive and exploitative and economic structures of the Roman Empire. For that reason many believers, newly converted Jews, at that time were destitute and impoverished as they belonged to the lower classes in society. In spite of this state of affairs, the early Christians in Jerusalem seemed to have faced the challenges of poverty with a measure of success as can be attested by the statement ‘for there was no needy person amongst them …’ (Ac 4:34. ’n Ondersoek na sosio-historiese faktore wat tot armoede binne die vroeë Christelikekerk in Palestina bygedra het. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die grondoorsake van armoede in die vroeë Christelike gemeenskap te ondersoek met spesifieke verwysing na die bekeerde Jode in Palestina. Die standpunt wat in hierdie artikel gestel en beredeneer word, is dat armoede algemeen in die vroeë Christendom voorgekom het. Dit was as gevolg van verskeie sosio-historiese faktore, waaronder die Israeliete se kontak met die Kanaäniete ná die inname, asook die instelling van die sekulêre paradigma oor leierskap wat Israel aan die naburige heidennasies ontleen het en wat op hulle verknegting onder die Romeinse Ryk se onderdrukkende en uitbuitende strukture uitgeloop het. ’n Groot aantal gelowiges, bekeerde Jode, was in daardie tyd behoeftig en armoedig omdat hulle deel van die laer klasse in die samelewing was. Tog, ten spyte van hierdie omstandighede, het die vroeë Christene

  2. College science teachers' views of classroom inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Patrick L.; Abell, Sandra K.; Demir, Abdulkadir; Schmidt, Francis J.

    2006-09-01

    The purposes of this study were to (a) gain an understanding of the views of inquiry held by faculty members involved in undergraduate science teaching and (b) describe the challenges, constraints, and opportunities that they perceived in designing and teaching inquiry-based laboratories. Participants included 19 college professors, representing both life and physical science disciplines, from (a) 2-year community college, (b) small, private nonprofit liberal arts college, (c) public master's granting university, and (d) public doctoral/research extensive university. We collected data through semistructured interviews and applied an iterative data analysis process. College science faculty members held a full and open inquiry view, seeing classroom inquiry as time consuming, unstructured, and student directed. They believed that inquiry was more appropriate for upper level science majors than for introductory or nonscience majors. Although faculty members valued inquiry, they perceived limitations of time, class size, student motivation, and student ability. These limitations, coupled with their view of inquiry, constrained them from implementing inquiry-based laboratories. Our proposed inquiry continuum represents a broader view of inquiry that recognizes the interaction between two dimensions of inquiry: (a) the degree of inquiry and (b) the level of student directedness, and provides for a range of inquiry-based classroom activities.

  3. Contemporary Constructivist Practices in Higher Education Settings and Academic Motivational Factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alt, Dorit

    2016-01-01

    This study was aimed at assessing the relationships between college students' pre-entry factors, self-efficacy and motivation for learning, and the perceived constructivist learning in traditional lecture-based courses and seminars (SM). The study included 411 undergraduate third-year college students. Several scales were administered to the…

  4. A Moderate Constructivist E-Learning Instructional Model Evaluated on Computer Specialists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Fernando; Manrique, Daniel; Vines, Jose M.

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a novel instructional model for e-learning and an evaluation study to determine the effectiveness of this model for teaching Java language programming to information technology specialists working for the Spanish Public Administration. This is a general-purpose model that combines objectivist and constructivist learning…

  5. The influence of an inquiry professional development program on secondary science teachers' conceptions and use of inquiry teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotter, Christine

    2005-11-01

    This research investigated nine secondary science teachers' conceptions and use of inquiry teaching throughout a year-long professional development program. The professional development program consisted of a two-week summer inquiry institute and research experience in university scientists' laboratories, as well as three academic year workshops. Teachers' conceptions of inquiry teaching were established through both qualitative interviews and a quantitative instrument given before and after the summer institute and again at the end of the academic year. Videotapes of all nine teachers presenting inquiry lessons in their own classrooms were evaluated using an observation protocol that measured the teachers' degree of reform teaching. Three of the teachers were chosen for an in-depth case study of their classroom teaching practices. Data collected from each of the case study teachers included videotapes from classroom observations, responses to an inquiry survey, and transcripts from two additional qualitative interviews. Students' responses to their teachers' use of inquiry teaching were also investigated in the case study classrooms. Through their participation in the professional development experience, the teachers gained a deeper understanding of how to implement inquiry practices in their classrooms. The teachers gained confidence and practice with inquiry methods through developing and presenting their institute-developed inquiry lessons, through observing other teachers' lessons, and participating as students in the workshop inquiry activities. Data analysis revealed that the teachers' knowledge of inquiry was necessary but not sufficient for their implementation of inquiry teaching practices. The teachers' conceptions of science, their students, effective teaching practices, and the purpose of education were found to have a direct effect on the type and amount of inquiry instruction performed in the high school classrooms. The research findings suggest that

  6. Systemic-constructivist couple therapy (SCCT): Description of approach, theoretical advances, and published longitudinal evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, David W; Doell, Faye K; Dalton, E Jane; Ahmad, Saunia

    2008-12-01

    The systemic-constructivist approach to studying and benefiting couples was derived from qualitative and quantitative research on distressed couples over the past 10 years. Systemic-constructivist couple therapy (SCCT) is the clinical intervention that accompanies the approach. SCCT guides the therapist to work with both the intrapersonal and the interpersonal aspects of marriage while also integrating the social-environmental context of the couple. The theory that underlies SCCT is explained, including concepts such as we-ness and interpersonal processing. The primary components of the therapy are described. Findings described previously in an inaugural monograph containing extensive research demonstrating the long-term utility of SCCT are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Understanding students' concepts through guided inquiry learning and free modified inquiry on static fluid material

    OpenAIRE

    Sularso Sularso; Widha Sunarno; Sarwanto Sarwanto

    2017-01-01

    This study provides information on understanding students' concepts in guided inquiry learning groups and in free modified inquiry learning groups. Understanding of student concept is reviewed on the concept of static fluid case. The number of samples tested were 67 students. The sample is divided into 2 groups of students: the group is given guided inquiry learning and the group given the modified free inquiry learning. Understanding the concept of students is measured through 23 tests of it...

  8. Orchestrating Inquiry Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littleton, Karen, Ed.; Scanlon, Eileen, Ed.; Sharples, Mike, Ed.

    2011-01-01

    There is currently a rapidly growing interest in inquiry learning and an emerging consensus among researchers that, particularly when supported by technology, it can be a significant vehicle for developing higher order thinking skills. Inquiry learning methods also offer learners meaningful and productive approaches to the development of their…

  9. Preservice teachers working with narrative inquiry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Daugbjerg, Peer

    Application of inquiry in teacher education is gaining momentum. Inquiry is used to build connections with the local community (Nicholas, Baker-Sennett, McClanahan, & Harwood, 2012), student-centered inquiry is used as a curricular model (Oliver et al., 2015), inquiry is used to accentuate......’-module is a 6 week full-time study including a 2 weeks stay at a youth folk high school, where the teacher students are to focus on a self-determined element of the praxis. The students are to study this focus through narrative inquiry based on the North-American tradition within narrative inquiry (Clandinin....... Aarhus; Kbh.: Klim; i samarbejde med Folkehøjskolernes Forening. Salerno, A. S., & Kibler, A. K. (2015). Questions they ask: Considering teacher-inquiry questions posed by pre-service english teachers. Educational Action Research, 23(3), 399-415....

  10. Teachers' Assessments of Elements of Multimedia and Constructivist Didactics in School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matijevic, Milan; Topolovcan, Tomislav; Lapat, Goran

    2015-01-01

    Despite the understandings that constructivist and multimedia didactics, as well as curricular theory and multiple intelligences theory, have been providing for years, what happens in the classroom and in the teaching process is still mostly teacher-centred. The didactic and methodological scenarios that prevail in our classes are more suitable to…

  11. Using constructivist teaching strategies in high school science classrooms to cultivate positive attitudes toward science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heron, Lory Elen

    This study investigated the premise that the use of constructivist teaching strategies (independent variable) in high school science classrooms can cultivate positive attitudes toward science (dependent variable) in high school students. Data regarding the relationship between the use of constructivist strategies and change in student attitude toward science were collected using the Science Attitude Assessment Tool (SAAT) (Heron & Beauchamp, 1996). The format of this study used the pre-test, post-test, control group-experimental group design. The subjects in the study were high school students enrolled in biology, chemistry, or environmental science courses in two high schools in the western United States. Ten teachers and twenty-eight classes, involving a total of 249 students participated in the study. Six experimental group teachers and four control group teachers were each observed an average of six times using the Science Observation Guide (Chapman, 1995) to measure the frequency of observed constructivist behaviors. The mean for the control group teachers was 12.89 and the mean for experimental group teachers was 20.67; F(1, 8) = 16.2, p =.004, revealing teaching behaviors differed significantly between the two groups. After a four month experimental period, the pre-test and post-test SAAT scores were analyzed. Students received a score for their difference in positive attitude toward science. The null hypothesis stating there would be no change in attitude toward science as a subject, between students exposed to constructivist strategies, and students not exposed to constructivist strategies was rejected F(1, 247) = 8.04, p =.005. The control group had a generally higher reported grade in their last science class than the experimental group, yet the control group attitude toward science became more negative (-1.18) while attitude toward science in the experimental group became more positive (+1.34) after the four-month period. An analysis of positive

  12. Sizewell B: the anatomy of an inquiry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Riordan, T.; Kemp, R.; Purdue, M.

    1987-01-01

    The Economic and Social Research Council has studied four major environmental public inquiries, including Sizewell-B. This report summarizes some of the observations of the Sizewell Inquiry Review Project which has been analyzing the context, content and conduct of the Sizewell-B Inquiry. Although public inquiries in Britain have an important function in building public trust in planning decisions where opinions are divided and independent advice is needed, one outcome of the Sizewell-B Inquiry may be a streamlining of the inquiry process, eg by prior examination of policy matters, leaving the Inquiry to consider specifically site-related matters only. (UK)

  13. Inquiry Practices in Malaysian Secondary Classroom and Model of Inquiry Teaching Based on Verbal Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Winnie Sim Siew; Arshad, Mohammad Yusof

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Inquiry teaching has been suggested as one of the important approaches in teaching chemistry. This study investigates the inquiry practices among chemistry teachers. Method: A combination of quantitative and qualitative study was applied in this study to provide detailed information about inquiry teaching practices. Questionnaires,…

  14. Aspects of School Violence Affecting Coexistence Among Socio-Educational Actors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Margarita Sáenz Rojo

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The research was conducted at the Industrial Technical School Robinsoniana “Laudelino Mejia” Municipio Trujillo, Trujillo State Parroquia Cristobal Mendoza. Venezuela. Nonviolence, both in theory and in practice, it is for UNESCO rejection of violence and seeks the resolution of conflicts and the realization of common objectives from a constructivist perspective. Throughout 2001, it said Agency launched the initiative of a collection of examples of “good practices” for conflict resolution in the school world, both formal and non-formal level. The purpose of the study was to reveal aspects of school violence affecting coexistence among socio-educational actors. Study was oriented from ethnography, which is interested in the systematic approach to a social situation, considered globally in their natural context. Information collected, transcribed and arranged to develop the different categories of analysis, so that school life as subjective category, subcategories emerged: coexist harmoniously rights responsibly, assertive communication. As relates to school violence emerged: indiscipline, damage to the institution, physical and psychological violence, teaching practice assertiveness. Ending with reflections.

  15. Influence of the Constructivist Learning Approach on Students' Levels of Learning Trigonometry and on Their Attitudes towards Mathematics

    OpenAIRE

    İNAN, CEMİL

    2014-01-01

    In this experimental study, the influence of the constructivist learning approach on students’ levels of learning trigonometry and on their attitudes towards mathematics was examined in comparison with the traditional methods of instruction. The constructivist learning approach was the independent variable, while mathematics achievement, the lessons of trigonometry and the attitudes towards mathematics constituted the dependent variables. The study was designed as the pretest-posttest control...

  16. Students' perceptions on IWB through the lens of the community of inquiry framework

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Molly Patricia van Niekerk

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Interactive whiteboards (IWBs are being utilised at a rapidly increasing rate, especially in distance education (DE. As a medium of instruction they allow the presenter to simultaneously interact with numerous students at different centres across the country. This study is unique in the sense that a collaborative learning community is created between two groups separated by distance. If utilised correctly and efficiently, IWBs have the potential to enhance the teaching and learning experience for the student. This article focuses on the perceptions of students (adult learners from various school management teams (SMT, pertaining to their experiences with several IWB sessions. Open-ended questionnaires were completed by 45 students enrolled for the Advanced Certificate in Education (School Management and Leadership (ACE SL. Participants' perceptions with regard to their IWB learning experience were determined according to the Community of Inquiry (CoI framework, creating a collaborative constructivist educational experience. This article will indicate how important it is to focus on keeping the balance between the three presences in the CoI and also highlight the crucial role that presenters play to ensure an effective teaching and learning experience through the use of IWBs.

  17. Health behavior change models and their socio-cultural relevance for breast cancer screening in African American women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashing-Giwa, K

    1999-01-01

    Models of health behavior provide the conceptual bases for most of the breast cancer screening intervention studies. These models were not designed for and have not been adequately tested with African American women. The models discussed in this paper are: The Health Belief Model, the Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Transtheoretical Model. This paper will examine the socio-cultural relevance of these health behavior models, and discuss specific socio-cultural dimensions that are not accounted for by these paradigms. It is critical that researchers include socio-cultural dimensions, such as interconnectedness, health socialization, ecological factors and health care system factors into their intervention models with African American women. Comprehensive and socio-culturally based investigations are necessary to guide the scientific and policy challenge for reducing breast cancer mortality in African American women.

  18. Impactful Practitioner Inquiry: The Ripple Effect on Classrooms, Schools, and Teacher Professionalism. Practitioner Inquiry Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, Sue; Cormack, Phil

    2016-01-01

    How does practitioner inquiry impact education? Examining the experiences of practitioners who have participated in inquiry projects, the authors present ways in which this work has enabled educators to be positive change agents. They reveal the difference that practitioner inquiry has made in their professional practice, their understanding of…

  19. Rhythmic Instruction from Square One: A Constructivist Teacher and Her Metronome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Beth Ann

    2012-01-01

    Adhering to a constructivist approach, this teacher focused on problem solving and group discussion as she initiated a study of traditional notation. She began with the metronome to make the steady beat less abstract for those students who still learn best through concrete operations. The students were challenged to match magnets of various…

  20. Consistency between Constructivist Profiles and Instructional Practices of Prospective Physics Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ates, Ozlem; Unal Coban, Gul; Kaya Sengoren, Serap

    2018-01-01

    This study aims to explain the extent to which prospective physics teachers' views and practices are consistent with the constructivist framework. A case study design was employed as the research approach. The study was conducted with 11 prospective physics teachers attending a state university in Turkey. Data was collected through semi-structured…

  1. Mobile Inquiry Based Learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Specht, Marcus

    2012-01-01

    Specht, M. (2012, 8 November). Mobile Inquiry Based Learning. Presentation given at the Workshop "Mobile inquiry-based learning" at the Mobile Learning Day 2012 at the Fernuniversität Hagen, Hagen, Germany.

  2. TSA Public Inquiry Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Homeland Security — All non-media public inquiries and complaints and responses to inquiries received by telephone, e-mail and fax, and handles contacts in English and Spanish. The data...

  3. Primary Sources and Inquiry Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Marjorie L.

    2006-01-01

    In this article, the author discusses inquiry learning and primary sources. Inquiry learning puts students in the active role of investigators. Questioning, authentic and active learning, and interactivity are a few of the characteristics of inquiry learning that put the teacher and library media specialist in the role of coaches while students…

  4. TUAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY: EFFECT OF CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeynep TATLI

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The lab applications, which were started to be applied through mid 19th century, not only provide a new point of view but also bring about a new dimension to the lessons. At early times they were used to prove theoretical knowledge but lately they turned into environments where students freely discover knowledge as an individual or in groups. The activities that have come up with the recent form of labs substantially contributed to training ideal students for constructivist approach, who research, inquire, test, seek solutions, wear scientist shoes and deeply reason about the concept of concern. However, on the present stage of our educational system, these activities cannot be included in science lessons for several reasons. At that point virtual labs emerged as an alternative solution for the problems of the instruction in science courses. Thanks to virtual labs presenting different disciplines in a flexible manner, the interaction between the teacher and the learner become 7/24 independent from time and place. This article presents a study that provides insight in the appropriateness of Virtual and real laboratory applications on constructivist learning environment using interactive virtual chemistry laboratory (VCL development was used in academic year of 2009-2010 for a six week period. The sample of this quasi-experimental study was 90 students from three different 9th grade classrooms of an Anatolian Secondary school in the center of Trabzon city. The student groups were randomly attained as one experimental and two control groups. The data collection tools of the study were; questionnaire of teaching philosophy (QTP, Semi-structured interviews and unstructured observations. The results showed that virtual chemistry laboratory software was just as effective as real chemistry laboratory and it positively affected the facilitating of constructivist learning environment. It was determined that the students in experimental group conducted the

  5. ANALYZE THE KNOWLEDGE INQUIRY SCIENCE PHYSICS TEACHER CANDIDATES WITH ESSENCE INQUIRY SCIENCE TEST INSTRUMENT OPTIKA GEOMETRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wawan Bunawan

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective in this research to explore the relationship between ability of the knowledge essential features inquiry science and their reasons underlying sense of scientific inquiry for physics teacher candidates on content geometrical optics. The essential features of inquiry science are components that should arise during the learning process subject matter of geometrical optics reflectance of light on a flat mirror, the reflection of light on curved mirrors and refraction of light at the lens. Five of essential features inquiry science adopted from assessment system developed by the National Research Council. Content geometrical optics developed from an analysis of a college syllabus material. Based on the study of the essential features of inquiry and content develop the multiple choice diagnostic test three tier. Data were taken from the students who are taking courses in optics and wave from one the LPTK in North Sumatra totaled 38 students. Instruments showed Cronbach alpha reliability of 0.67 to test the essential features of inquiry science and 0.61 to there as on geometrical optics science inquiry.

  6. Conceptualizing Mind and Consciousness: Using Constructivist Ideas to Transcend the Physical Bind

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, Joe

    2008-01-01

    Philosophers and scientists seeking to conceptualize consciousness, and subjective experience in particular, have focused on sensation and perception, and have emphasized binding--how a percept holds together. Building on a constructivist approach to conception centered on separistic-holistic complexes incorporating multiple levels of abstraction,…

  7. Socio-economic applications of finite state mean field games

    KAUST Repository

    Gomes, Diogo A.

    2014-10-06

    In this paper, we present different applications of finite state mean field games to socio-economic sciences. Examples include paradigm shifts in the scientific community or consumer choice behaviour in the free market. The corresponding finite state mean field game models are hyperbolic systems of partial differential equations, for which we present and validate different numerical methods. We illustrate the behaviour of solutions with various numerical experiments,which show interesting phenomena such as shock formation. Hence, we conclude with an investigation of the shock structure in the case of two-state problems.

  8. The POL Model: Using a Social Constructivist Framework to Develop Blended and Online Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalsgaard, Christian; Godsk, Mikkel

    2007-01-01

    The paper presents a model for developing blended and online learning based on a given curriculum and typical learning objectives for university courses. The model consists of a three-step-process in which the instructor formulates product-oriented tasks, develops and structures the learning...... materials and tools, outlines a schedule, and supports the students' learning activity in developing a product. The model is based on our experiences with transforming traditional lecture-based lessons into problem-based blended and online learning using a social constructivist approach and a standard...... virtual learning environment (VLE). Our initial experiments indicate that our model is useful to develop blended and online modules and, furthermore, it seems fruitful to use a social constructivist framework and orienting learning activities towards the development of products....

  9. Content-based VLE designs improve learning efficiency in constructivist statistics education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wessa, Patrick; De Rycker, Antoon; Holliday, Ian Edward

    2011-01-01

    We introduced a series of computer-supported workshops in our undergraduate statistics courses, in the hope that it would help students to gain a deeper understanding of statistical concepts. This raised questions about the appropriate design of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in which such an approach had to be implemented. Therefore, we investigated two competing software design models for VLEs. In the first system, all learning features were a function of the classical VLE. The second system was designed from the perspective that learning features should be a function of the course's core content (statistical analyses), which required us to develop a specific-purpose Statistical Learning Environment (SLE) based on Reproducible Computing and newly developed Peer Review (PR) technology. The main research question is whether the second VLE design improved learning efficiency as compared to the standard type of VLE design that is commonly used in education. As a secondary objective we provide empirical evidence about the usefulness of PR as a constructivist learning activity which supports non-rote learning. Finally, this paper illustrates that it is possible to introduce a constructivist learning approach in large student populations, based on adequately designed educational technology, without subsuming educational content to technological convenience. Both VLE systems were tested within a two-year quasi-experiment based on a Reliable Nonequivalent Group Design. This approach allowed us to draw valid conclusions about the treatment effect of the changed VLE design, even though the systems were implemented in successive years. The methodological aspects about the experiment's internal validity are explained extensively. The effect of the design change is shown to have substantially increased the efficiency of constructivist, computer-assisted learning activities for all cohorts of the student population under investigation. The findings demonstrate that a

  10. Content-based VLE designs improve learning efficiency in constructivist statistics education.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrick Wessa

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: We introduced a series of computer-supported workshops in our undergraduate statistics courses, in the hope that it would help students to gain a deeper understanding of statistical concepts. This raised questions about the appropriate design of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE in which such an approach had to be implemented. Therefore, we investigated two competing software design models for VLEs. In the first system, all learning features were a function of the classical VLE. The second system was designed from the perspective that learning features should be a function of the course's core content (statistical analyses, which required us to develop a specific-purpose Statistical Learning Environment (SLE based on Reproducible Computing and newly developed Peer Review (PR technology. OBJECTIVES: The main research question is whether the second VLE design improved learning efficiency as compared to the standard type of VLE design that is commonly used in education. As a secondary objective we provide empirical evidence about the usefulness of PR as a constructivist learning activity which supports non-rote learning. Finally, this paper illustrates that it is possible to introduce a constructivist learning approach in large student populations, based on adequately designed educational technology, without subsuming educational content to technological convenience. METHODS: Both VLE systems were tested within a two-year quasi-experiment based on a Reliable Nonequivalent Group Design. This approach allowed us to draw valid conclusions about the treatment effect of the changed VLE design, even though the systems were implemented in successive years. The methodological aspects about the experiment's internal validity are explained extensively. RESULTS: The effect of the design change is shown to have substantially increased the efficiency of constructivist, computer-assisted learning activities for all cohorts of the student

  11. Content-Based VLE Designs Improve Learning Efficiency in Constructivist Statistics Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wessa, Patrick; De Rycker, Antoon; Holliday, Ian Edward

    2011-01-01

    Background We introduced a series of computer-supported workshops in our undergraduate statistics courses, in the hope that it would help students to gain a deeper understanding of statistical concepts. This raised questions about the appropriate design of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in which such an approach had to be implemented. Therefore, we investigated two competing software design models for VLEs. In the first system, all learning features were a function of the classical VLE. The second system was designed from the perspective that learning features should be a function of the course's core content (statistical analyses), which required us to develop a specific–purpose Statistical Learning Environment (SLE) based on Reproducible Computing and newly developed Peer Review (PR) technology. Objectives The main research question is whether the second VLE design improved learning efficiency as compared to the standard type of VLE design that is commonly used in education. As a secondary objective we provide empirical evidence about the usefulness of PR as a constructivist learning activity which supports non-rote learning. Finally, this paper illustrates that it is possible to introduce a constructivist learning approach in large student populations, based on adequately designed educational technology, without subsuming educational content to technological convenience. Methods Both VLE systems were tested within a two-year quasi-experiment based on a Reliable Nonequivalent Group Design. This approach allowed us to draw valid conclusions about the treatment effect of the changed VLE design, even though the systems were implemented in successive years. The methodological aspects about the experiment's internal validity are explained extensively. Results The effect of the design change is shown to have substantially increased the efficiency of constructivist, computer-assisted learning activities for all cohorts of the student population under

  12. Designing and Experimenting of English Instructional Material for Facilitating Constructivist Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Ritu

    2011-01-01

    Background: Constructivism has emerged as one of the greatest influences on the practice of education in the last twenty-five years. Teachers have embraced constructivist-based pedagogy with an enthusiasm that is rare in these days of quick fixes and a shopping mall approach to school improvement. For many teachers, the focus on constructing…

  13. Can the Green Economy deliver it all? Experiences of renewable energy policies with socio-economic objectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pahle, Michael; Pachauri, Shonali; Steinbacher, Karoline

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Open question if renewables achieve both environmental and socioeconomic objectives. • Two policies each assessed looking at energy access and employment respectively. • Important role of governments and need for monitoring capacity is confirmed. • Short-term socioeconomic benefits realized in two cases, but they may not sustain. • Cases underline need for methodologies to better assess multiple-objective policies. - Abstract: The Green Economy (GE) paradigm aims to reconcile environmental and socio-economic objectives. Policies to deploy renewable energy (RE) are widely perceived as a way to tap the potential synergies of these objectives. It is, however, still largely unclear whether the potential of simultaneously achieving both environmental and socio-economic objectives can be fully realized, and whether and how multiple objectives influence policy design, implementation, and evaluation. We aim to contribute to this aspect of GE research by looking at selected country experiences of renewable energy deployment with respect to the socio-economic goals of job creation or energy access. Across the cases examined, we find the following implications of relevance for the GE framework: First, we confirm the important role of governmental action for GE, with the specific need to state objectives clearly and build monitoring capacity. Second, consistent with the “strong” green growth variant of GE, some of the cases suggest that while renewable deployment may indeed lead to short-term socio-economic benefits, these benefits may not last. Third, we underline the urgent need for new methodologies to analyze and better understand multiple-objective policies, which are at the heart of the GE paradigm.

  14. Romanian spa tourism: a communist paradigm in a post communist era

    OpenAIRE

    George Erdeli; Ana Irina Dincă; Aurel Gheorghilas; Camelia Surugiu

    2011-01-01

    Spa tourism is one of the oldest forms of tourism which continuously evolved in time as the leisure industry paradigm and the consumers’ behavior changed. Similar to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, spa tourism is an old phenomenon in Romania which expanded to the dimensions of a well defined tourism industry during the mass tourism period which also corresponded to the communism epoch. Although severely affected by the major political and socio-economic changes which occurred a...

  15. Constructivist-Visual Mind Map Teaching Approach and the Quality of Students' Cognitive Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhindsa, Harkirat S.; Makarimi-Kasim; Roger Anderson, O.

    2011-04-01

    This study compared the effects of a constructivist-visual mind map teaching approach (CMA) and of a traditional teaching approach (TTA) on (a) the quality and richness of students' knowledge structures and (b) TTA and CMA students' perceptions of the extent that a constructivist learning environment (CLE) was created in their classes. The sample of the study consisted of six classes (140 Form 3 students of 13-15 years old) selected from a typical coeducational school in Brunei. Three classes (40 boys and 30 girls) were taught using the TTA while three other classes (41 boys and 29 girls) used the CMA, enriched with PowerPoint presentations. After the interventions (lessons on magnetism), the students in both groups were asked to describe in writing their understanding of magnetism accrued from the lessons. Their written descriptions were analyzed using flow map analyses to assess their content knowledge and its organisation in memory as evidence of cognitive structure. The extent of CLE was measured using a published CLE survey. The results showed that the cognitive structures of the CMA students were more extensive, thematically organised and richer in interconnectedness of thoughts than those of TTA students. Moreover, CMA students also perceived their classroom learning environment to be more constructivist than their counterparts. It is, therefore, recommended that teachers consider using the CMA teaching technique to help students enrich their understanding, especially for more complex or abstract scientific content.

  16. Examining The Beliefs Of Prospective Elementary And Science Teachers Regarding Reformed Science Teaching And Learning

    OpenAIRE

    KARAMAN, Ayhan; KARAMAN, Pınar

    2014-01-01

    Turkey following the footsteps of western education system is nowadays struggling to implement constructivist paradigm in its schools. The success of the integration of constructivist elements into the schools is heavily contingent upon the support of teachers. This necessitates that the ideas advocated in constructivist reform movements should be promoted adequately in the preparation of teacher candidates. Therefore, investigating the beliefs of prospective teachers regarding reformed scien...

  17. Infusing Authentic Inquiry into Biotechnology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanegan, Nikki L.; Bigler, Amber

    2009-10-01

    Societal benefit depends on the general public's understandings of biotechnology (Betsch in World J Microbiol Biotechnol 12:439-443, 1996; Dawson and Cowan in Int J Sci Educ 25(1):57-69, 2003; Schiller in Business Review: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (Fourth Quarter), 2002; Smith and Emmeluth in Am Biol Teach 64(2):93-99, 2002). A National Science Foundation funded survey of high school biology teachers reported that hands-on biotechnology education exists in advanced high school biology in the United States, but is non-existent in mainstream biology coursework (Micklos et al. in Biotechnology labs in American high schools, 1998). The majority of pre-service teacher content preparation courses do not teach students appropriate content knowledge through the process of inquiry. A broad continuum exists when discussing inquiry-oriented student investigations (Hanegan et al. in School Sci Math J 109(2):110-134, 2009). Depending on the amount of structure in teacher lessons, inquiries can often be categorized as guided or open. The lesson can be further categorized as simple or authentic (Chinn and Malhotra in Sci Educ 86(2):175-218, 2002). Although authentic inquiries provide the best opportunities for cognitive development and scientific reasoning, guided and simple inquiries are more often employed in the classroom (Crawford in J Res Sci Teach 37(9):916-937, 2000; NRC in Inquiry and the national science education standards: a guide for teaching and learning, 2000). For the purposes of this study we defined inquiry as "authentic" if original research problems were resolved (Hanegan et al. in School Sci Math J 109(2):110-134, 2009; Chinn and Malhotra in Sci Educ 86(2):175-218, 2002; Roth in Authentic school science: knowing and learning in open-inquiry science laboratories, 1995). The research question to guide this study through naturalistic inquiry research methods was: How will participants express whether or not an authentic inquiry experience enhanced

  18. Ark of Inquiry: Responsible Research and Innovation through Computer-Based Inquiry Learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Margus Pedaste; Leo Siiman; Bregje de Vries; Mirjam Burget; Tomi Jaakkola; Emanuele Bardone; Meelis Brikker; Mario Mäeots; Marianne Lind; Koen Veermans

    2015-01-01

    Ark of Inquiry is a learning platform that uses a computer-based inquiry learning approach to raise youth awareness to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). It is developed in the context of a large-scale European project (http://www.arkofinquiry.eu) and provides young European citizens

  19. Perceptions of Constructivist Pedagogy in Project Lead the Way

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capers, Gesa Maria

    In 2016, six of six American Nobel Prize winners in science were immigrants. The numbers of U.S. educated graduates who enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields have been on the decline, and policymakers and educators have continually sought new policies and programs to try resolve this problem with long-term solutions. In recent years, several Alabama schools have implemented Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a program that is aimed toward promoting students' interest in STEM. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how Alabama's educators perceived the use of constructivist pedagogy in PLTW on student learning behaviors and student interests in science and mathematics. Piaget's developmental theory and Vygotsky's social developmental theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. The data collection procedure for this multiple case study included one-on-one interviews with 23 educators in four Alabama PLTW schools. Themes that emerged from the study included motivation and enthusiasm, critical thinking and problem solving, career awareness, student interest in science and math, collaboration, hands-on learning, confidence and engagement, perceived problems, and satisfaction with PLTW. All interviewees perceived that with PLTW's emphasis on constructivist pedagogy, students were excited, engaged, practiced critical thinking and problem solving skills, and that participation in PLTW had a positive effect on the students' learning behaviors and interests in science and mathematics.

  20. Design processes of a citizen inquiry community

    OpenAIRE

    Aristeidou, Maria; Scanlon, Eileen; Sharples, Mike

    2017-01-01

    As with other online communities, it is important to design elements of citizen inquiry projects that will attract and engage members. This chapter describes the process of designing an online community for citizen inquiry. It builds on design principles of inquiry learning, citizen inquiry and other online communities. The ‘Weather-it’ citizen inquiry community is intended to engage and support people in initiating and joining sustainable citizen-led investigations. The findings indicate som...

  1. 10 CFR 1022.6 - Public inquiries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Public inquiries. 1022.6 Section 1022.6 Energy DEPARTMENT... REQUIREMENTS General § 1022.6 Public inquiries. Inquiries regarding DOE's floodplain and wetland environmental... at 1-800-472-2756, toll free. ...

  2. Collaboration Modality, Cognitive Load, and Science Inquiry Learning in Virtual Inquiry Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erlandson, Benjamin E.; Nelson, Brian C.; Savenye, Wilhelmina C.

    2010-01-01

    Educational multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have been shown to be effective platforms for situated science inquiry curricula. While researchers find MUVEs to be supportive of collaborative scientific inquiry processes, the complex mix of multi-modal messages present in MUVEs can lead to cognitive overload, with learners unable to…

  3. Moving alcohol prevention research forward-Part I: introducing a complex systems paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apostolopoulos, Yorghos; Lemke, Michael K; Barry, Adam E; Lich, Kristen Hassmiller

    2018-02-01

    The drinking environment is a complex system consisting of a number of heterogeneous, evolving and interacting components, which exhibit circular causality and emergent properties. These characteristics reduce the efficacy of commonly used research approaches, which typically do not account for the underlying dynamic complexity of alcohol consumption and the interdependent nature of diverse factors influencing misuse over time. We use alcohol misuse among college students in the United States as an example for framing our argument for a complex systems paradigm. A complex systems paradigm, grounded in socio-ecological and complex systems theories and computational modeling and simulation, is introduced. Theoretical, conceptual, methodological and analytical underpinnings of this paradigm are described in the context of college drinking prevention research. The proposed complex systems paradigm can transcend limitations of traditional approaches, thereby fostering new directions in alcohol prevention research. By conceptualizing student alcohol misuse as a complex adaptive system, computational modeling and simulation methodologies and analytical techniques can be used. Moreover, use of participatory model-building approaches to generate simulation models can further increase stakeholder buy-in, understanding and policymaking. A complex systems paradigm for research into alcohol misuse can provide a holistic understanding of the underlying drinking environment and its long-term trajectory, which can elucidate high-leverage preventive interventions. © 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  4. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa - a psychotherapeutic cognitive-constructivist approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abreu, Cristiano Nabuco de; Cangelli Filho, Raphael

    2017-06-01

    Of the eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the ones that have made adolescent patients-often females and aged younger and younger-seek for help. This help is provided through a multidisciplinary treatment involving psychiatrists, psychologists and dietists. Psychotherapy has shown to be an efficient component for these patients' improvement. The present article aims at presenting a proposal of psychotherapeutic treatment based on a cognitive-constructivist approach.

  5. A Semantic Basis for Meaning Construction in Constructivist Interactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    2015-01-01

    . In this research I will analyse 'meaning construction' within constructivism. I will focus on a semantic loop that the learner and mentor as intentional participants move through and organise their personal constructed conceptions in order to construct meanings and produce their individual meaningful...... comprehensions. Subsequently, I will provide a semantic framework for analysing the meaning construction based on personal knowings and personal conceptions within constructivist interactions. This research could propose a new scheme for interpretation based on semantics and on interaction....

  6. Windscale inquiry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambert, C.M.

    1981-01-01

    The nuclear debate, far from being concluded by the Windscale decision, was in fact opened up and its scope widened to take into account the political, international, environmental and social issues involved. This debate continues and the selection of literature presented here aims to illustrate all aspects of the Inquiry and its implications. The material is presented in two main sections. Section A is concerned with the Inquiry itself: the proceedings, the report and the government's decision. Section B presents a selection of the literature and debate that resulted. (author)

  7. Parents’ concerns regarding the growth characteristics of their adolescents: a qualitative inquiry in Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vedadhir, AbouAli; Taghizadeh, Ziba; Samadanifard, Seyyed Hossein

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT In recent times, parents have become increasingly concerned, both subjectively and objectively, about their adolescents' body height/weight growth. Parent-adolescent interactions about this issue and the potential socio-psychological consequences of such interactions should be considered as an important influencing factor on the future of adolescents' sexual and reproductive health. To achieve a greater understanding of such concerns, it is necessary to further elucidate parents' experiences on this topic, so as to expand the existing literature. This study aimed to explain the perceptions of parents' concerns regarding their adolescents' growth characteristics in the socio-cultural context of Iran as a transitional society. This paper is part of a larger qualitative study designed using the Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology (CGTM). We conducted open-ended intensive interviews with eleven parents individually and recruited them through purposeful and theoretical sampling from a teaching hospital, community, and a primary school in Tehran with theoretical sampling variation in terms of teenagers' age, sex, and birth order, place of residence, parents' occupation and education, and the self-reported socio-economic status. Using the analytical procedures of the CGTM, we performed analyses. In the findings, the concept of 'living with constant sense of uncertainty' emerged from the subcategories including 'feeling existing and potential concern about expected minimum and maximum bio-positions of growth,' 'feeling potential concern about biological health consequences,' 'feeling potential concern about the emergence of early/late maturity signs,' 'feeling potential concern about adolescent's emotional threat,' 'feeling concerned about future employment, education, marriage, and fertility,' and 'feeling potential concern about the society's view'. These findings suggest that parents are living with a constant sense of uncertainty about their teens

  8. Socio-Cultural and Ideological Preconditions of Gender Equality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sviytlana Storozhuk

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The article examines the factors that have led to the contradiction between a legislated principle of gender equality and, broadcast from pre-modern by a number of social institutions a social differentiation by gender and discrimination generated by it, existing in modern outlook and socio-cultural life. The article shows that the concepts of natural equality of people and social consensus together with the process of secularization and desecration, developed during the modern period, transformed a social reality, but they usually do not apply to a person who is still viewed through the prism of axiological and ideological premodern paradigm. Thus, the concept of natural equality has extrapolated only to men who were considered carriers of social activity in premodern culture. It is emphasized that despite the radical changes of socio-cultural and political life of European society that occurred as a result of implementation of social modern program, a family, remaining a decentralized nucleus, was living by premodern values that gained social significance at a time when a woman acquired her social activity.

  9. How Select Groups of Preservice Science Teachers with Inquiry Orientations View Teaching and Learning Science through Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Peggy

    Although hailed as a powerful form of instruction, in most teaching and learning contexts, inquiry-based instruction is fraught with ambiguous and conflicting definitions and descriptions. Yet little has been written about the experiences preservice science teacher have regarding their learning to teach science through inquiry. This project sought to understand how select preservice secondary science teachers enrolled in three UTeach programs in Arkansas conceptualize inquiry instruction and how they rationalize its value in a teaching and learning context. The three teacher education programs investigated in this study are adoption sites aligned with the UTeach Program in Austin, TX that distinguishes itself in part by its inquiry emphasis. Using a mixed method investigation design, this study utilized two sources of data to explore the preservice science teachers' thinking. In the first phase, a modified version of the Pedagogy of Science teaching Tests (POSTT) was used to identify select program participants who indicated preferences for inquiry instruction over other instructional strategies. Secondly, the study used an open-ended questionnaire to explore the selected subjects' beliefs and conceptions of teaching and learning science in an inquiry context. The study also focused on identifying particular junctures in the prospective science teachers' education preparation that might impact their understanding about inquiry. Using a constant comparative approach, this study explored 19 preservice science teachers' conceptions about inquiry. The results indicate that across all levels of instruction, the prospective teachers tended to have strong student-centered teaching orientations. Except subjects in for the earliest courses, subjects' definitions and descriptions of inquiry tended toward a few of the science practices. More advanced subjects, however, expressed more in-depth descriptions. Excluding the subjects who have completed the program, multiple

  10. Nuclear energy inquiries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robertson, J.A.L.

    1993-02-01

    Our choice of energy sources has important consequences for the economy and the environment. Nuclear energy is a controversial energy source, subject to much public debate. Most individuals find it difficult to decide between conflicting claims and allegations in a variety of technical subjects. Under these circumstances, knowledge of various relevant inquiries can be helpful. This publication summarizes the composition and major findings of more than thirty nuclear energy inquiries. Most of the these are Canadian, but others are included where they have relevance. The survey shows that, contrary to some claims, virtually every aspect of nuclear energy has been subject to detailed scrutiny. The inquiries' reports include many recommendations on how nuclear energy can be exploited safely, but none rejects it as an acceptable energy source when needed. (Author) 38 refs

  11. THINK LIKE CONSTRUCTIVIST: DISCOVERING A POLYPHONIC WORLD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. A. Alexeyeva

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article covers the specific features an main ideas of the constructivist attitude to international relations studies. The article consists of two parts. In the first part the ontology, epistemology and main principles of constructivism is explained. In the second part, the author’s attention is directed towards the key concepts of the international relations theory (anarchical structure of the international system, power, national interest, identity, war and peace, etc.. The author’s conclusion is the following: principally constructivism managed «to build a “bridge” between neorealism and liberal instututionalism. The latest versions of constructivism have a propensity either for neorealism (realist constructivism, or for liberalism ( liberal constructivism.

  12. Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry. Third Edition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denzin, Norman K., Ed.; Lincoln, Yvonna S., Ed.

    2007-01-01

    "Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry, Third Edition," the second volume in the paperback version of "The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, 3rd Edition," consists of Part III of the handbook ("Strategies of Inquiry"). "Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry, Third Edition" presents the major tactics--historically, the research methods--that…

  13. Developing Constructivist Early Childhood Curriculum: Practical Principles and Activities. Early Childhood Education Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeVries, Rheta; Zan, Betty; Hildebrandt, Carolyn; Edmiaston, Rebecca; Sales, Christina

    This book provides a constructivist interpretation of developmentally appropriate preschool and kindergarten curriculum, incorporating descriptions of how activities are transformed over time and how children's reasoning is transformed, and placing the interpretation in the context of the play-oriented approach advocated by the National…

  14. The Wisdom of Sages: Nuclear Physics Education, Knowledge-Inquiry, and Wisdom-Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cottey, Alan

    2012-01-01

    This article addresses the difference between knowledge-inquiry and wisdom-inquiry in nuclear physics education. In the spirit of an earlier study of 57 senior-level textbooks for first-degree physics students, this work focuses here on a remarkable use of literary quotations in one such book. "Particles and Nuclei: an introduction to the physical…

  15. Paradigms and nursing management, analysis of the current organizational structure in a large hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, D

    1992-01-01

    Hospitals developed over the period of time when positivism become a predominant world view. Positivism was founded by four Western trends: preponderance of hierarchy and autocracy, popularization of bureaucracy, extensive application of a machine orientation to work and predominance of "scientific" inquiry. Organizational theory developed largely from quantitative research findings arising from a positivistic world view. A case study, analyzing a current nursing organizational structure at one large hospital, is presented. Nursing management was found to be based upon the positivistic paradigm. The predominance of a machine orientation, and an autocratic and bureaucratic structure are evidence of this. A change to shared governance had been attempted, indicating a shift to a more modern organizational structure based on a different paradigm. The article concludes by emphasizing that managers are largely responsible for facilitating change; change that will meet internal human resource needs and the cost-effectiveness crises of hospitals today through more effective use of human resources.

  16. Questions, Curiosity and the Inquiry Cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casey, Leo

    2014-01-01

    This article discusses the conceptual relationship between questions, curiosity and learning as inquiry elaborated in the work of Chip Bruce and others as the Inquiry Cycle. The Inquiry Cycle describes learning in terms of a continuous dynamic of ask, investigate, create, discuss and reflect. Of these elements "ask" has a privileged…

  17. Contextual inquiry for medical device design

    CERN Document Server

    Privitera, Mary Beth

    2015-01-01

    Contextual Inquiry for Medical Device Design helps users understand the everyday use of medical devices and the way their usage supports the development of better products and increased market acceptance. The text explains the concept of contextual inquiry using real-life examples to illustrate its application. Case studies provide a frame of reference on how contextual inquiry is successfully used during product design, ultimately producing safer, improved medical devices. Presents the ways contextual inquiry can be used to inform the evaluation and business case of technologyHelps users

  18. Re-Appropriating a Question/Answer System to Support Dialectical Constructivist Learning Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, John M.; Wu, Yu; Shih, Patrick C.; Zheng, Saijing

    2016-01-01

    Learning can be engaged by dialectic, that is, by identifying pros and cons that inhere in propositions, and more generally, by raising questions about the validity of claims. We report here on a classroom case study of dialectical constructivist pedagogy: Students created dialectical analyses of two lectures and four books as core activities in a…

  19. An Overview to Research on Education Technology Based on Constructivist Learning Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asiksoy, Gulsum; Ozdamli, Fezile

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this research is to determine the trends of education technology researches on Constructivist Learning Approach, which were published on database of ScienceDirect between 2010 and 2016. It also aims to guide researchers who will do studies in this field. After scanning the database, 81 articles published on ScienceDirect's data base…

  20. A Constructivist Approach to Teaching Web Development in Post-Secondary Vocational Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunch, John M.

    2009-01-01

    Vocational education by its nature has a need for delivery methods that place a strong focus on the relationship between school and work and seeks to deliver instruction in a manner that bridges the two as seamlessly as possible. This paper presents a curriculum and constructivist-based instructional delivery approach, designed to emphasize a…

  1. The Effect of Constructivist Instruction on Prospective Teachers' Attitudes toward Human Rights Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gundogdu, Kerim

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: This study investigates the effect of employing constructivist methods and materials on the attitudes of prospective teachers' (psychological counseling students) toward human rights education. Method: The research employed a quasi-experimental pre test-post test control group design. The experimental group, consisted of 23 male and…

  2. Changes in science classrooms resulting from collaborative action research initiatives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Phil Seok

    Collaborative action research was undertaken over two years between a Korean science teacher and science education researchers at the University of Iowa. For the purpose of realizing science learning as envisioned by constructivist principles, Group-Investigations were implemented three or five times per project year. In addition, the second year project enacted Peer Assessments among students. Student perceptions of their science classrooms, as measured by the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), provided evidence that the collaborative action research was successful in creating constructivist learning environments. Student attitudes toward science lessons, as examined by the Enjoyment of Science Lessons Scale (ESLS), indicated that the action research also contributed to developing more positive attitudes of students about science learning. Discourse analysis was conducted on video-recordings of in-class presentations and discussions. The results indicated that students in science classrooms which were moving toward constructivist learning environments engaged in such discursive practices as: (1) Communicating their inquiries to others, (2) Seeking and providing information through dialogues, and (3) Negotiating conflicts in their knowledge and beliefs. Based on these practices, science learning was viewed as the process of constructing knowledge and understanding of science as well as the process of engaging in scientific inquiry and discourse. The teacher's discursive practices included: (1) Wrapping up student presentations, (2) Addressing misconceptions, (3) Answering student queries, (4) Coaching, (5) Assessing and advising, (6) Guiding students discursively into new knowledge, and (7) Scaffolding. Science teaching was defined as situated acts of the teacher to facilitate the learning process. In particular, when the classrooms became more constructivist, the teacher intervened more frequently and carefully in student activities to fulfill a

  3. Moglichkeiten und Grenzen eines evolutionaren Paradigmas in der Erziehungswissenschaft (Possibilities and Limits of an Evolutionary Paradigm in Educational Science).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nipkow, Karl Ernst

    2002-01-01

    Describes a sectoral and paradigmatic approach to evolutionary research. Argues that an evolutionary paradigm does not exist. Examines the socio-biological approach and that of a system-theoretical oriented general evolutionary theory. Utilizes the topics of cooperation, delimitation, and indoctrination to explain more promising ways of adoption.…

  4. The Effect of Constructivist Learning Using Scientific Approach on Mathematical Power and Conceptual Understanding of Students Grade IV

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kusmaryono, Imam; Suyitno, Hardi

    2016-02-01

    This study used a model of Concurrent Embedded with the aim of: (1) determine the difference between the conceptual understanding and mathematical power of students grade fourth who take the constructivist learning using scientific approach and direct learning, (2) determine the interaction between learning approaches and initial competence on the mathematical power and conceptual of understanding, and (3) describe the mathematical power of students grade fourth. This research was conducted in the fourth grade elementary school early 2015. Data initial competence and mathematical power obtained through tests, and analyzed using statistical tests multivariate and univariate. Statistical analysis of the results showed that: (1) There are differences in the concept of understanding and mathematical power among the students who follow the scientifically-based constructivist learning than students who take the Direct Learning in terms of students initial competency (F = 5.550; p = 0.007 problem solving and contributes tremendous increase students' math skills. Researcher suggested that the learning of mathematics in schools using scientifically- based constructivist approach to improve the mathematical power of students and conceptual understanding.

  5. Effectiveness of Instruction Based on the Constructivist Approach on Understanding Chemical Equilibrium Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akkus, Huseyin; Kadayifci, Hakki; Atasoy, Basri; Geban, Omer

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify misconceptions concerning chemical equilibrium concepts and to investigate the effectiveness of instruction based on the constructivist approach over traditional instruction on 10th grade students' understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts. The subjects of this study consisted of 71 10th grade…

  6. Inquiry in Limnology Lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Variano, Evan; Taylor, Karen

    2006-01-01

    Inquiry can be implemented in various ways, ranging from simple classroom discussions to longterm research projects. In this article, the authors developed a project in which high school students were introduced to the nature and process of scientific discovery through a two-week guided inquiry unit on "limnology"--the study of fresh water, which…

  7. Science Camps for Introducing Nature of Scientific Inquiry Through Student Inquiries in Nature: Two Applications with Retention Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leblebicioglu, G.; Abik, N. M.; Capkinoglu, E.; Metin, D.; Dogan, E. Eroglu; Cetin, P. S.; Schwartz, R.

    2017-08-01

    Scientific inquiry is widely accepted as a method of science teaching. Understanding its characteristics, called Nature of Scientific Inquiry (NOSI), is also necessary for a whole conception of scientific inquiry. In this study NOSI aspects were taught explicitly through student inquiries in nature in two summer science camps. Students conducted four inquiries through their questions about surrounding soil, water, plants, and animals under the guidance of university science educators. At the end of each investigation, students presented their inquiry. NOSI aspects were made explicit by one of the science educators in the context of the investigations. Effectiveness of the science camp program and its retention were determined by applying Views of Scientific Inquiry (VOSI-S) (Schwartz et al. 2008) questionnaire as pre-, post-, and retention test after two months. The patterns in the data were similar. The science camp program was effective in developing three of six NOSI aspects which were questions guide scientific research, multiple methods of research, and difference between data and evidence. Students' learning of these aspects was retained. Discussion about these and the other three aspects is included in the paper. Implications of differences between school and out-of-school science experiences are also discussed.

  8. Will Mobile Learning Bring a Paradigm Shift in Higher Education?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lalita Rajasingham

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In the light of technology-driven social change that creates new challenges for universities, this paper considers the potential of mobile learning as a subset of e-learning to effect a paradigm shift in higher education. Universities face exponential growth in demand for higher education, significant decreases in government funding for education, a changing in understanding of the nature of knowledge, changing student demographics and expectations, and global competition. At the same time untethered mobile telephony is connecting large numbers of potential learners to communications networks. A review of some empirical literature on the current status of mobile learning that explores alternatives to help universities fulfil core functions of storage, processing, and disseminating knowledge that can be applied to real life problems, is followed by an examination of the strengths and weaknesses of increased connectivity to mobile communications networks to support constructivist, self-directed quality interactive learning for increasingly mobile learners. This paper also examines whether mobile learning can align the developing technology with changing student expectations and the implications of such an alignment for teaching and institutional strategies. Technologies considered include mobile computing and technology, wireless laptop, hand-held PDAs, and mobile telephony.

  9. Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Instruction Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasanah, N.; Prasetyo, A. P. B.; Rudyatmi, E.

    2017-04-01

    Inquiry-based instruction in biology has been the focus of educational research conducted by Unnes biology department students in collaboration with their university supervisors. This study aimed to describe the methodological aspects, inquiry teaching methods critically, and to analyse the results claims, of the selected four student research reports, grounded in inquiry, based on the database of Unnes biology department 2014. Four experimental quantitative research of 16 were selected as research objects by purposive sampling technique. Data collected through documentation study was qualitatively analysed regarding methods used, quality of inquiry syntax, and finding claims. Findings showed that the student research was still the lack of relevant aspects of research methodology, namely in appropriate sampling procedures, limited validity tests of all research instruments, and the limited parametric statistic (t-test) not supported previously by data normality tests. Their consistent inquiry syntax supported the four mini-thesis claims that inquiry-based teaching influenced their dependent variables significantly. In other words, the findings indicated that positive claims of the research results were not fully supported by good research methods, and well-defined inquiry procedures implementation.

  10. APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY AND PEDAGOGY

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duvander, Mille Themsen

    2017-01-01

    I blogindlægget gives en lille indblik i hvordan Appreciative Inquiry kan anvendes i undervisningen af pædagogstuderende på en Professionshøjskole i Danmark......I blogindlægget gives en lille indblik i hvordan Appreciative Inquiry kan anvendes i undervisningen af pædagogstuderende på en Professionshøjskole i Danmark...

  11. The Impact of a Practice-Teaching Professional Development Model on Teachers' Inquiry Instruction and Inquiry Efficacy Beliefs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotter, Christine R.; Thompson, Stephen; Dickenson, Tammiee S.; Smiley, Whitney F.; Blue, Genine; Rea, Mary

    2018-01-01

    This study examined changes in middle school teachers' beliefs about inquiry, implementation of inquiry practices, and self-efficacy to teach science through inquiry after participating in a year-long professional development program. The professional development model design was based on Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory of learning and…

  12. Addressing the Nets for Students through Constructivist Technology Use in K-12 Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niederhauser, Dale S.; Lindstrom, Denise L.

    2006-01-01

    The National Educational Technology Standards for Students promote constructivist technology use for K-12 students in U.S. schools. In this study, researchers reported on 716 cases in which teachers described technology-based activities they conducted with their students. Narrative analysis was used to examine case transcripts relative to the…

  13. Integrative Mental Health (IMH): paradigm, research, and clinical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lake, James; Helgason, Chanel; Sarris, Jerome

    2012-01-01

    This paper provides an overview of the rapidly evolving paradigm of "Integrative Mental Health (IMH)." The paradigm of contemporary biomedical psychiatry and its contrast to non-allopathic systems of medicine is initially reviewed, followed by an exploration of the emerging paradigm of IMH, which aims to reconcile the bio-psycho-socio-spiritual model with evidence-based methods from traditional healing practices. IMH is rapidly transforming conventional understandings of mental illness and has significant positive implications for the day-to-day practice of mental health care. IMH incorporates mainstream interventions such as pharmacologic treatments, psychotherapy, and psychosocial interventions, as well as alternative therapies such as acupuncture, herbal and nutritional medicine, dietary modification, meditation, etc. Two recent international conferences in Europe and the United States show that interest in integrative mental health care is growing rapidly. In response, the International Network of Integrative Mental Health (INIMH: www.INIMH.org) was established in 2010 with the objective of creating an international network of clinicians, researchers, and public health advocates to advance a global agenda for research, education, and clinical practice of evidence-based integrative mental health care. The paper concludes with a discussion of emerging opportunities for research in IMH, and an exploration of potential clinical applications of integrative mental health care. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Socio-economic applications of finite state mean field games.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomes, Diogo; Velho, Roberto M; Wolfram, Marie-Therese

    2014-11-13

    In this paper, we present different applications of finite state mean field games to socio-economic sciences. Examples include paradigm shifts in the scientific community or consumer choice behaviour in the free market. The corresponding finite state mean field game models are hyperbolic systems of partial differential equations, for which we present and validate different numerical methods. We illustrate the behaviour of solutions with various numerical experiments, which show interesting phenomena such as shock formation. Hence, we conclude with an investigation of the shock structure in the case of two-state problems. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  15. The Use of Facebook in an Introductory MIS Course: Social Constructivist Learning Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ractham, Peter; Kaewkitipong, Laddawan; Firpo, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    The major objective of this article is to evaluate via a Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) the implementation of a Social Constructivist learning framework for an introductory Management Information System (MIS) course. Facebook was used as a learning artifact to build and foster a learning environment, and a series of features and…

  16. Sociocultural Theory and Its Role in the Development of Language Pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panhwar, Abdul Hameed; Ansari, Sanaullah; Ansari, Komal

    2016-01-01

    This paper reviews the literature on Vygotskian theory of Socio-cultural learning and constructivist approach to teaching and learning and attempts to relate the socio-cultural theory to constructivism. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the ways socio-cultural theory helps to develop language pedagogies. Critical analysis of the…

  17. First-Year Teachers’ Uphill Struggle to Implement Inquiry Instruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanya Chichekian

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This longitudinal study of six first-year teachers focused on conceptualizations of inquiry-based pedagogy, self-efficacy for inquiry-based teaching, and its actual enactment. Data included a self-report survey of self-efficacy for inquiry-based instruction, individual interviews at the beginning and end of the year, and five distributed classroom observations. At year’s end, self-efficacy for inquiry teaching declined, as did frequencies of concepts teachers used to describe inquiry enactment. Inquiry descriptions reflected a set of interrelated procedures more than inquiry as conceptual knowledge. Novice teachers were observed least enacting pedagogical actions that required enabling students to communicate findings and the most in student engagement; however, over time frequencies of student engagement declined. Consistent patterns were observed between shifts in self-efficacy and inquiry enactment and shifts between self-efficacy and conceptualizations of inquiry enactment. We found beginning steps toward links between teacher’s conceptualizations and classroom practice.

  18. Social Regulation of Learning During Collaborative Inquiry Learning in Science: How does it emerge and what are its functions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ucan, Serkan; Webb, Mary

    2015-10-01

    Students' ability to regulate their learning is considered important for the quality of collaborative inquiry learning. However, there is still limited understanding about how students engage in social forms of regulation processes and what roles these regulatory processes may play during collaborative learning. The purpose of this study was to identify when and how co- and shared regulation of metacognitive, emotional and motivational processes emerge and function during collaborative inquiry learning in science. Two groups of three students (aged 12) from a private primary school in Turkey were videotaped during collaborative inquiry activities in a naturalistic classroom setting over a seven-week period, and the transcripts were analysed in order to identify their use of regulation processes. Moreover, this was combined with the analysis of stimulated-recall interviews with the student groups. Results indicated that co- and shared regulation processes were often initiated by particular events and played a crucial role in the success of students' collaborative inquiry learning. Co-regulation of metacognitive processes had the function of stimulating students to reflect upon and clarify their thinking, as well as facilitating the construction of new scientific understanding. Shared regulation of metacognitive processes helped students to build a shared understanding of the task, clarify and justify their shared perspective, and sustain the ongoing knowledge co-construction. Moreover, the use of shared emotional and motivational regulation was identified as important for sustaining reciprocal interactions and creating a positive socio-emotional atmosphere within the groups. In addition, the findings revealed links between the positive quality of group interactions and the emergence of co- and shared regulation of metacognitive processes. This study highlights the importance of fostering students' acquisition and use of regulation processes during collaborative

  19. Theoretical perspectives on narrative inquiry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emden, C

    1998-04-01

    Narrative inquiry is gaining momentum in the field of nursing. As a research approach it does not have any single heritage of methodology and its practitioners draw upon diverse sources of influence. Central to all narrative inquiry however, is attention to the potential of stories to give meaning to people's lives, and the treatment of data as stories. This is the first of two papers on the topic and addresses the theoretical influences upon a particular narrative inquiry into nursing scholars and scholarship. The second paper, Conducting a narrative analysis, describes the actual narrative analysis as it was conducted in this same study. Together, the papers provide sufficient detail for others wishing to pursue a similar approach to do so, or to develop the ideas and procedures according to their own way of thinking. Within this first theoretical paper, perspectives from Jerome Bruner (1987) and Wade Roof (1993) are outlined. These relate especially to the notion of stories as 'imaginative constructions' and as 'cultural narratives' and as such, highlight the profound importance of stories as being individually and culturally meaningful. As well, perspectives on narrative inquiry from nursing literature are highlighted. Narrative inquiry in this instance lies within the broader context of phenomenology.

  20. A Constructivist Approach to Studying the Bullwhip Effect by Simulating the Supply Chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Torre, Pilar L.; Adenso-Díaz, B.; Moreno, Plácido

    2015-01-01

    The Cider Game is a simulator for a supply chain-related learning environment. Its main feature is that it provides support to students in the constructivist discovery process when learning how to make logistics decisions, at the same time as noting the occurrence of the bullwhip phenomenon. This learning environment seeks a balance between direct…

  1. Prospective High School Physics Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching Practices: From Traditionalist to Constructivist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demirci, Neset

    2015-01-01

    The main aim of this study was to determine the teaching practices of prospective high school physics teachers with respect to their preference for teaching as a traditionalist or as a constructivist. To study the beliefs of prospective high school physics teachers on this subject, firstly, the Teacher Belief Survey was administered to 135…

  2. 49 CFR 211.61 - Informal safety inquiries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... information on selected topics relating to railroad safety. A notice of each such inquiry will be published in... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Informal safety inquiries. 211.61 Section 211.61..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RULES OF PRACTICE Miscellaneous Safety-Related Proceedings and Inquiries § 211...

  3. Multiple Modes of Inquiry in Earth Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kastens, Kim A.; Rivet, Ann

    2008-01-01

    To help teachers enrich their students' understanding of inquiry in Earth science, this article describes six modes of inquiry used by practicing geoscientists (Earth scientists). Each mode of inquiry is illustrated by using examples of seminal or pioneering research and provides pointers to investigations that enable students to experience these…

  4. Dealing with the Ambiguities of Science Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Caleon, Imelda Santos

    2016-01-01

    The current vision of science education in myriad educational contexts encourages students to learn through the process of science inquiry. Science inquiry has been used to promote conceptual learning and engage learners in an active process of meaning-making and investigation to understand the world around them. The science inquiry process…

  5. Constructivist developmental theory is needed in developmental neuroscience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arsalidou, Marie; Pascual-Leone, Juan

    2016-12-01

    Neuroscience techniques provide an open window previously unavailable to the origin of thoughts and actions in children. Developmental cognitive neuroscience is booming, and knowledge from human brain mapping is finding its way into education and pediatric practice. Promises of application in developmental cognitive neuroscience rests however on better theory-guided data interpretation. Massive amounts of neuroimaging data from children are being processed, yet published studies often do not frame their work within developmental models—in detriment, we believe, to progress in this field. Here we describe some core challenges in interpreting the data from developmental cognitive neuroscience, and advocate the use of constructivist developmental theories of human cognition with a neuroscience interpretation.

  6. The Relation of Theory and Analysis in Explanations of Belief Salience: Conditioning, Displacement, and Constructivist Accounts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delia, Jesse G.; O'Keefe, Daniel J.

    1977-01-01

    Advocates according a central role to context-relevant beliefs in the operation of attitudinal saliency through contrasting Delia et al's cognitive-constructivist analysis with Cronen and Conville's operant conditioning and aggression displacement accounts. (Author)

  7. Implementation of the knowledge economy paradigm in the strategy of national economy development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmytro Lukianenko

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies the knowledge economy paradigm and the factors of its influence on the development of national economies in the context of transformation of the global competitive environment. It has been methodologically identified the basic categories and concepts concerning the determination of key factors and parameters of modern economic systems. It has been proved through the example of South Korea that implementation of the knowledge economy paradigm in long-term strategies initiated and supported by the state provides new opportunities of socio-economic progress. The basic problems of innovation-driven development of Ukraine’s economy through an assessment of its readiness to transition to the knowledge economy, compared with South Korea. The latter’s experience, despite the objective limitations, is regarded as an example of strategic success in formation of a creative innovation system.

  8. Collaborative Inquiry Learning: Models, tools, and challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Thorsten; Urhahne, Detlef; Schanze, Sascha; Ploetzner, Rolf

    2010-02-01

    Collaborative inquiry learning is one of the most challenging and exciting ventures for today's schools. It aims at bringing a new and promising culture of teaching and learning into the classroom where students in groups engage in self-regulated learning activities supported by the teacher. It is expected that this way of learning fosters students' motivation and interest in science, that they learn to perform steps of inquiry similar to scientists and that they gain knowledge on scientific processes. Starting from general pedagogical reflections and science standards, the article reviews some prominent models of inquiry learning. This comparison results in a set of inquiry processes being the basis for cooperation in the scientific network NetCoIL. Inquiry learning is conceived in several ways with emphasis on different processes. For an illustration of the spectrum, some main conceptions of inquiry and their focuses are described. In the next step, the article describes exemplary computer tools and environments from within and outside the NetCoIL network that were designed to support processes of collaborative inquiry learning. These tools are analysed by describing their functionalities as well as effects on student learning known from the literature. The article closes with challenges for further developments elaborated by the NetCoIL network.

  9. Talking Science: Developing a Discourse of Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hackling, Mark; Smith, Pru; Murcia, Karen

    2010-01-01

    A key principle of inquiry-based science education is that the process of inquiry must include opportunities for the exploration of questions and ideas, as well as reasoning with ideas and evidence. Teaching and learning Science therefore involves teachers managing a discourse that supports inquiry and students engaging in talk that facilitates…

  10. The Inquiry Matrix: A Tool for Assessing and Planning Inquiry in Biology and Beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grady, Julie

    2010-01-01

    One way to advance inquiry in the classroom is to establish a systematic strategy for reflecting on our practice and our students' readiness to engage in increasingly complex scientific reasoning. The Matrix for Assessing and Planning Scientific Inquiry (MAPSI) is a tool that promotes this valuable reflection so that we, as teachers, are better…

  11. Dynamic Open Inquiry Performances of High-School Biology Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zion, Michal; Sadeh, Irit

    2010-01-01

    In examining open inquiry projects among high-school biology students, we found dynamic inquiry performances expressed in two criteria: "changes occurring during inquiry" and "procedural understanding". Characterizing performances in a dynamic open inquiry project can shed light on both the procedural and epistemological…

  12. Inquiry and Digital Learning Centers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Marjorie L.

    2005-01-01

    "Inquiry is an investigative process that engages students in answering questions, solving real world problems, confronting issues, or exploring personal interests" (Pappas and Tepe 2002, 27). Students who engage in inquiry learning need tools and resources that enable them to independently gather and use information. Scaffolding is important for…

  13. Science Inquiry as Knowledge Transformation: Investigating Metacognitive and Self-regulation Strategies to Assist Students in Writing about Scientific Inquiry Tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Timothy A.

    2011-12-01

    Science inquiry is central to the science education reform efforts that began in the early 1990's. It is both a topic of instruction and a process to be experienced. Student engagement in the process of scientific inquiry was the focus of this study. The process of scientific inquiry can be conceived as a two-part task. In the initial part of the task, students identify a question or problem to study and then carry out an investigation to address the issue. In the second part of the task, students analyze their data to propose explanations and then report their findings. Knowing that students struggle with science inquiry tasks, this study sought to investigate ways to help students become more successful with the communication demands of science inquiry tasks. The study took place in a high school chemistry class. Students in this study completed a total of three inquiry tasks over the course of one school year. Students were split into four experimental groups in order to determine the effect of goal setting, metacognitive prompts, and sentence stems on student inquiry tasks. The quality of the student written work was assessed using a scoring rubric familiar to the students. In addition, students were asked at four different times in the school year to respond to a self-efficacy survey that measured student self-efficacy for chemistry content and science inquiry processes. Student self-efficacy for the process of scientific inquiry was positive and did not change over the course of the study while student scores on the science inquiry tasks rose significantly. The metacognitive prompts and instruction in goal setting did not have any effect on student inquiry scores. Results related to the effect of the sentence stems were mixed. An analysis of student work indicated that students who received high marks on their initial inquiry task in this study were the ones that adopted the use of the sentence stems. Students who received low marks on their initial inquiry

  14. Little AI: Playing a constructivist robot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgeon, Olivier L.

    Little AI is a pedagogical game aimed at presenting the founding concepts of constructivist learning and developmental Artificial Intelligence. It primarily targets students in computer science and cognitive science but it can also interest the general public curious about these topics. It requires no particular scientific background; even children can find it entertaining. Professors can use it as a pedagogical resource in class or in online courses. The player presses buttons to control a simulated "baby robot". The player cannot see the robot and its environment, and initially ignores the effects of the commands. The only information received by the player is feedback from the player's commands. The player must learn, at the same time, the functioning of the robot's body and the structure of the environment from patterns in the stream of commands and feedback. We argue that this situation is analogous to how infants engage in early-stage developmental learning (e.g., Piaget (1937), [1]).

  15. Little AI: Playing a constructivist robot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olivier L. Georgeon

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Little AI is a pedagogical game aimed at presenting the founding concepts of constructivist learning and developmental Artificial Intelligence. It primarily targets students in computer science and cognitive science but it can also interest the general public curious about these topics. It requires no particular scientific background; even children can find it entertaining. Professors can use it as a pedagogical resource in class or in online courses. The player presses buttons to control a simulated “baby robot”. The player cannot see the robot and its environment, and initially ignores the effects of the commands. The only information received by the player is feedback from the player’s commands. The player must learn, at the same time, the functioning of the robot’s body and the structure of the environment from patterns in the stream of commands and feedback. We argue that this situation is analogous to how infants engage in early-stage developmental learning (e.g., Piaget (1937, [1].

  16. The impact of constructivist teaching strategies on the acquisition of higher order cognition and learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merrill, Alison Saricks

    The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative mixed design study was to compare the effectiveness of brain-based teaching strategies versus a traditional lecture format in the acquisition of higher order cognition as determined by test scores. A second purpose was to elicit student feedback about the two teaching approaches. The design was a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design study with repeated measures on the last factor. The independent variables were type of student, teaching method, and a within group change over time. Dependent variables were a between group comparison of pre-test, post-test gain scores and a within and between group comparison of course examination scores. A convenience sample of students enrolled in medical-surgical nursing was used. One group (n=36) was made up of traditional students and the other group (n=36) consisted of second-degree students. Four learning units were included in this study. Pre- and post-tests were given on the first two units. Course examinations scores from all four units were compared. In one cohort two of the units were taught via lecture format and two using constructivist activities. These methods were reversed for the other cohort. The conceptual basis for this study derives from neuroscience and cognitive psychology. Learning is defined as the growth of new dendrites. Cognitive psychologists view learning as a constructive activity in which new knowledge is built on an internal foundation of existing knowledge. Constructivist teaching strategies are designed to stimulate the brain's natural learning ability. There was a statistically significant difference based on type of teaching strategy (t = -2.078, df = 270, p = .039, d = .25)) with higher mean scores on the examinations covering brain-based learning units. There was no statistical significance based on type of student. Qualitative data collection was conducted in an on-line forum at the end of the semester. Students had overall positive responses about the

  17. Refining Inquiry with Multi-Form Assessment: Formative and Summative Assessment Functions for Flexible Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuiker, Steven; Whitaker, J. Reid

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the 5E+I/A inquiry model and reports a case study of one curricular enactment by a US fifth-grade classroom. A literature review establishes the model's conceptual adequacy with respect to longstanding research related to both the 5E inquiry model and multiple, incremental innovations of it. As a collective line of research,…

  18. The relationship between constructivist supervisory practices, school climate, and student proficiency in reading, mathematics, and science: Evidence from NELS:88

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molnar, John Alexander

    In an effort to improve instruction and student learning, school reform efforts have become prevalent. School reformers have examined many aspects of the school experience, including learning theories such as behaviorism and constructivism, the changing roles of teachers and supervisors, and even the concept of the school itself. The theoretical framework for this study centered around constructivist learning theory. The study itself focused on the application of constructivist learning theory to the supervisory process. The study examined five areas of interest: (a) teachers' perceptions of constructivist supervisory behavior; (b) teachers' perceptions of efficacy and control in the classroom; (c) teachers' perceptions of school climate; (d) teachers' perceptions of job satisfaction, and (e) the influences of each of the aforementioned on student proficiency in mathematics, reading, and science. Data for the study was drawn from the first follow-up survey of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88). NELS: 88 investigated a wide variety of factors that influence the educational process. The first follow-up focuses on environmental factors that affect teachers and students. Variables were selected from the NELS:88 data set that represented the areas to be examined. Factor analysis and correlational analysis were applied to ensure that the variables were measuring distinct constructs and to determine ways they could be grouped for analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to determine relationships among the individual and composite variables, controlling for student and teacher demographic factors. The results of the study suggest that varying relationships do exist between constructivist supervisory practices and the constructs measuring school climate and job satisfaction. The results also suggest that varying relationships exist between each of these factors and student proficiency in mathematics, reading, and science

  19. Historicizing as a feminist practice : The places of history in Judith Butler’s constructivist theories

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Honkanen, K.

    2004-01-01

    The dissertation explores feminist uses of history and historicity. It discusses the way historicity is used in feminist constructivist arguments and it uses Judith Butler’s work as an example. The dissertation elaborates on the predominant theoretical requirement to historicize. It is a

  20. Defining, Designing for, and Measuring "Social Constructivist Digital Literacy" Development in Learners: A Proposed Framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Rebecca

    2016-01-01

    This paper offers a newly conceptualized modular framework for digital literacy that defines this concept as a task-driven "social constructivist digital literacy," comprising 6 practice domains grounded in Constructionism and social constructivism: Create, Manage, Publish, Socialize, Research, Surf. The framework articulates possible…

  1. A design-based study of Citizen Inquiry for geology

    OpenAIRE

    Aristeidou, Maria; Scanlon, Eileen; Sharples, Mike

    2013-01-01

    Citizen Inquiry forms a new method of informal science learning and aims to enable the engagement of citizens in online scientific investigations. Citizen Inquiry combines aspects from Citizen Science and Inquiry-based learning and is implemented through a community of practice where people having a shared interest interact and exchange knowledge and methods supported and guided by online systems and tools within a web-based inquiry environment. To explore the potential of Citizen Inquiry, a ...

  2. Using technology to support science inquiry learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P John Williams

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a case study of a teacher’s experience in implementing an inquiry approach to his teaching over a period of two years with two different classes. His focus was on using a range of information technologies to support student inquiry learning. The study demonstrates the need to consider the characteristics of students when implementing an inquiry approach, and also the influence of the teachers level of understanding and related confidence in such an approach. The case also indicated that a range of technologies can be effective in supporting student inquiry learning.

  3. Factors Influencing Pre-Service Teachers' Perception of Teaching Games for Understanding: A Constructivist Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lijuan; Ha, Amy S.

    2012-01-01

    This study aims to examine the factors influencing pre-service Physical Education (PE) teachers' perception of a specific constructivist approach--Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) in Hong Kong. By adopting a qualitative approach, 20 pre-service PE teachers were recruited for individual semi-structured interviews. Deductive data analysis was…

  4. Wolff-Michael Roth's passibility: at the limits of the constructivist metaphor: a book review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brendel, Michelle

    2014-12-01

    Wolff-Michael Roth deconstructs the preeminent role conceded to constructivism in Science Education and demonstrates how we learn and know through pain, suffering, love or passion. This review explores his book "Passibility: At the Limits of the Constructivist Metaphor" through the eyes of an outsider to the world of science education.

  5. Computational Inquiry in Introductory Statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toews, Carl

    2017-01-01

    Inquiry-based pedagogies have a strong presence in proof-based undergraduate mathematics courses, but can be difficult to implement in courses that are large, procedural, or highly computational. An introductory course in statistics would thus seem an unlikely candidate for an inquiry-based approach, as these courses typically steer well clear of…

  6. Japan's Public Health Paradigm: Governmentality and the Containment of Harmful Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borovoy, Amy

    2017-01-01

    In this essay, I revisit the politics of social control in the context of contemporary public health discussions, touching on the management of obesity and chronic illness. Foucault's cautionary observations regarding the infiltration of normative social values into the terrain of healing offer a productive framework for considering the politics of public health in the industrialized world. I explore Japan's public health paradigm and its key features of bureaucratic reform and health interventions through screening, socialization, education, and aggressive lifestyle training, and I consider the close proximity between health and socio-cultural values in the management of chronic conditions in Japan.

  7. Introducing the Cycle of Inquiry System: A Reflective Inquiry Practice for Early Childhood Teacher Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broderick, Jane Tingle; Hong, Seong Bock

    2011-01-01

    The Cycle of Inquiry (COI) is a tool for emergent curriculum planning and for professional development of early childhood teachers and teacher education students. The COI includes a sequence of five organizational forms connecting analysis of documentation data with intentional planning for long-term emergent inquiry inspired by the Reggio Emilia…

  8. A Constructivist Case Study Examining the Leadership Development of Undergraduate Students in Campus Recreational Sports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Stacey L.; Forrester, Scott; Borsz, Melissa

    2008-01-01

    This constructivist case study examined undergraduate student leadership development. Twenty-one student leaders, 13 females and 8 males, in a campus recreational sports department were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Seven broad themes: organizing, planning, and delegating; balancing academic, personal and professional…

  9. Conceptualising inquiry based education in mathematics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blomhøj, Morten; Artigue, Michéle

    2013-01-01

    of inquiry as a pedagogical concept in the work of Dewey (e.g. 1916, 1938) to analyse and discuss its migration to science and mathematics education. For conceptualizing inquiry-based mathematics education (IBME) it is important to analyse how this concept resonates with already well-established theoretical...... frameworks in mathematics education. Six such frameworks are analysed from the perspective of inquiry: the problem-solving tradition, the Theory of Didactical Situations, the Realistic Mathematics Education programme, the mathematical modelling perspective, the Anthropological Theory of Didactics...

  10. The Perceptions of Prospective Teachers on the Democratic Aspects of the Constructivist Learning Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bay, Erdal; Gundogdu, Kerim; Kaya, Halil Ibrahim

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: The nations which have the aim to create democratic societies should also realize the same ideals in educational practices. Related literature declare that learning environments based on constructivist approach is assumed to be democratic. In line with this frame, the aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of prospective…

  11. Analyse de la nature constructiviste d'une activité d'apprentissage collaboratif médié par les TIC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nancy Brousseau

    2003-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. In this article we examine an example of collaborative learning with ICT in secondary school science, in order to analyse its characteristics and determine if they answer criteria for an activity of constructivist nature. We retain that constructivism places the student at the centre of her learning; opposes the notion of learning as transmission of knowledge; requires an active participation of the learner who must build and reconstruct, individually and collectively, her knowledge in order to solve a problem or realise a project. In light of these criteria, we conclude that an activity such as the TACTICS project one, can be considered of a constructivist nature.

  12. Integrating Bioethics in Sciences’ curricula using values in science and socio-scientific issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Sousa

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The  The main objective of the present work is selection of ethical issues that should be addressed with first year undergraduate and K-12 students. Since K-12 Sciences’ curriculum, in Portugal, does not include bioethics content in any discipline explicitly, teachers need to make an effort to include it. Some online materials are available to use in high school classes and will be discussed. My proposal combines inquiry learning-teaching methods with the aim of promoting the discussion of bioethics issues in accordance to UNESCO Bioethics Core Curriculum already adopted by twenty universities throughout the world (Darwish 2015. Some of the issues that are addressed are: ecology and environment ethics, infectious diseases and vaccination, water for all, intellectual property, genomes and patents, biotechnological advances (genetic modified organisms and synthesis of genomes, future generations, climate hanges and natural resources, biomedical advances and human rights, authorship and contributions in scientific publications, and biobanks. In conclusion, this study may constitute an example to facilitate the implementation, by K-12 teachers, of active inquiry strategies, using features of science such as values and socio-scientific issues, and focused on the discussion of concrete ethical issues facing humanity. It also constitutes a proposal of integrating Bioethics in undergraduate sciences’ curricula.

  13. Pragmatic inquiry and creativity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gimmler, Antje

    ’Don’t block the road of inquiry” was the motto of Peirce and also Dewey situated inquiry in its ideal version in a democratic and cooperative community. Abduction became the key concept for the pragmatic and creative research process where the lonely engineer is substituted with intelligent...... collaborations of the many. Thus, inquiry is from a pragmatic understanding rather a social than a purely cognitive task. The paper will firstly give a sketch of this understanding of inquiry and creativity on the background of the theories of Peirce and Dewey and will draw some parallels to recent...... of Thevenot’s critical pragmatism this understanding might be naïve – not because this is an idealistic rather than a real-life scenario but because the idea of collaborative creativity and self-realization has actually become the driving force in a marked dominated organization of science and production...

  14. HASIL BELAJAR ASPEK KETERAMPILAN IPA PADA PEMBELAJARAN LEVEL OF INQUIRY TINGKAT INQUIRY LESSON DI SMP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeni Hariningsih

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Learning science in junior high school in general is focused on mastery of concepts and basic science has not yet developed abilities, such as the ability berinkuiri. Therefore, it is necessary to find the appropriate steps to improve the process of learning science. The purpose of the study iniuntuk improve learning outcomes by using the skill aspect of inquiry learning model level. The method used in this research is mixed method. The instrument used is the syllabus, lesson plans, and the observation sheet keterampilan.Teknik data collection using observation. Aspects of data analysis skills using data reduction method, coding and interpretation. Results of research conducted on 36 students showed the ability berinkuiri learners increased by using the model level of inquiry. Results of learners aspect of overall skill increases with the good category. The conclusion from this study that the use of models level of inquiry to improve the ability berinkuiri learners and improve learning outcomes aspects of science skills of learners. Pembelajaran IPA di SMP pada umumnya masih menekankan pada penguasaan konsep dan belum mengembangkan kemampuan dasar sains, seperti kemampuan berinkuiri.Oleh karena itu perlu ditemukan langkah yang tepat untuk memperbaiki proses pembelajaran IPA. Tujuan dari penelitian iniuntuk meningkatkan hasil belajar aspek keterampilan dengan menggunakan model pembelajaran level of inquiry. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu mixed methode. Instrumen yang digunakan yaitu Silabus, RPP dan lembar observasi keterampilan. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan observasi. Analisis data aspek keterampilan dengan menggunakan cara mereduksi data, pengkodean dan interpretasi. Hasil penelitian yang dilakukan pada 36 peserta didik menunjukkan kemampuan berinkuiri peserta didik mengalami peningkatan dengan menggunakan model level of inquiry. Hasil belajar peserta didik aspek keterampilan secara keseluruhan meningkat dengan dengan

  15. Teaching molecular diffusion using an inquiry approach : diffusion activities in a secondary school inquiry-learning community

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Rens, L.; van der Schee, J.; Pilot, A.

    2009-01-01

    The Dutch chemistry curriculum for upper secondary schools has prescribed inquiry-based student learning since 1997. For some decades inquiry tasks have been a feature of school science in various countries (1). As in other countries, some of our chemistry teachers are used to recipe-geared

  16. 48 CFR 32.909 - Contractor inquiries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contractor inquiries. 32.909 Section 32.909 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION GENERAL CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS CONTRACT FINANCING Prompt Payment 32.909 Contractor inquiries. (a) Direct questions...

  17. Theories to be combined and contrasted

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindenskov, Lena; Tonnesen, Pia Beck; Weng, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The constructivist paradigm is the primary underpinning of the Mathematics Recovery Programme (MRP) in Australia, the UK, the USA and Canada. The critical mathematics education paradigm is the primary underpinning of the Early Mathematics Intervention Programme for Marginal Groups in Denmark (TMTM...

  18. Learning end-of-life care within a constructivist model: Undergraduate nursing students’ experiences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna E. van der Wath

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Although nursing education aims to equip nursing students to provide care to dying patients and their families, nurses often feel ill-prepared to cope with the emotional labour involved in end-of-life care. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore and describe nursing students’ experiences of end-of-life care through experiential learning within a constructivist educational model. Method: A qualitative, descriptive design was used. As part of introducing experiential learning, innovative educational practices were initiated during a second year level undergraduate nursing module on end-of-life care. Qualitative data on second-year nursing students’ experiences were collected through written reflections and analysed using open coding. Results: The themes that emerged revealed participants’ sensory and emotional experiences during the learning opportunities. Participants reflected on what they learnt and clarified their values related to death and dying. They indicated how they would apply the new meanings constructed in clinical practice. Conclusion: A constructivist educational model of experiential learning holds potential to enhance value clarification and nursing students’ sensory and emotional awareness of death and dying. Experiential learning is recommended to develop nursing students’ competency inproviding end-of-life care.

  19. PARADIGMS IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabrina Oktoria Sihombing

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available A paradigm influences what we see and conceive about certain facts. Paradigm can also influence what we accept as a truth. Yet, the debate over which paradigm and methodology is best suit for marketing and consumer behavior has begun since 1980s. Many researchers criticized the domination of logical empiricism paradigm and offered alternative paradigm to understand marketing and consumer behavior. This article discusses several paradigms and methodology, which are part of qualitative paradigm, and compares them with positivism paradigm. This article will also point to the importance of reconciliation between qualitative and quantitative paradigm in order to improve marketing and consumer behavior studies.

  20. “They came there as workers”: Voice, dialogicality and identity ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Drawing on a social constructivist view of language and discourse, this research critically investigates how social actors are represented in two contrasting text types; namely Lonmin Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports and transcripts of verbal testimonies given at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry.

  1. Understanding group design behaviour in engineering design education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morgan, Thea; McMahon, Christopher Alan

    2017-01-01

    of constructivist inquiry akin to case study research. Five core activity themes emerged; collecting data, analyzing and interpreting data, identifying themes, theory-building and testing, and telling the story. Students engaged spontaneously in these core activities. Findings were sense-checked from an ontological...

  2. Towards an Ecological Inquiry in Child-Computer Interaction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Smith, Rachel Charlotte; Iversen, Ole Sejer; Hjermitslev, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    The paper introduces an Ecological Inquiry as a methodological approach for designing technology with children. The inquiry is based on the ‘ecological turn’ in HCI, Ubiquitous Computing and Participatory Design that shift the emphasis of design from technological artifacts to entire use ecologies...... into which technologies are integrated. Our Ecological Inquiry extends Cooperative Inquiry in three directions: from understanding to emergence of social practices and meanings, from design of artifacts to hybrid environments, and from a focus on technology to appropriations through design and use. We...... exemplify our approach in a case study in which we designed social technologies for hybrid learning environments with children in two schools, and discuss how an Ecological Inquiry can inform existing approaches in CCI....

  3. The Institutional Paradigm of Human Capital Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kolomiiets Viktoriia М.

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The formation of the modern conception of human capital is connected with the development of post-industrial information society, knowledge economy and digital economy. The main role in analyzing of the content and role of human capital can play a new institutional economic theory. It is determined that the methodology of research of paradigm change in economic science remains the subject of discussion. The conception of institutional paradigm of human capital development can be attributed to the new economy, the development of which is carried out on the condition that the employee is not always alienated from the relationships of ownership: he himself becomes the owner of the «new» economic resources. The factors of education along with the factors of health care which are determining in the development of human capital are researched. Special attention is paid to education, as it acts as an intellectual capital of the new economy, where knowledge and skills become the «intellectual 5D printer», producing the modern human capital. The transition to a new, post-industrial economy is characterized by a major long-term tendency: the progress of knowledge and the increasing complexity of the socio-economic life; created by powerful factors of information and computer technologies and leading to expansion of global economic space.

  4. Target Inquiry: Changing Chemistry High School Teachers' Classroom Practices and Knowledge and Beliefs about Inquiry Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrington, Deborah G.; Yezierski, Ellen J.; Luxford, Karen M.; Luxford, Cynthia J.

    2011-01-01

    Inquiry-based instruction requires a deep, conceptual understanding of the process of science combined with a sophisticated knowledge of teaching and learning. This study examines the changes in classroom instructional practices and corresponding changes to knowledge and beliefs about inquiry instruction for eight high school chemistry teachers.…

  5. PARADIGMS IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

    OpenAIRE

    Sabrina Oktoria Sihombing

    2011-01-01

    A paradigm influences what we see and conceive about certain facts. Paradigm can also influence what we accept as a truth. Yet, the debate over which paradigm and methodology is best suit for marketing and consumer behavior has begun since 1980s. Many researchers criticized the domination of logical empiricism paradigm and offered alternative paradigm to understand marketing and consumer behavior. This article discusses several paradigms and methodology, which are part of qualitative paradigm...

  6. Analyzing students' attitudes towards science during inquiry-based lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostenbader, Tracy C.

    Due to the logistics of guided-inquiry lesson, students learn to problem solve and develop critical thinking skills. This mixed-methods study analyzed the students' attitudes towards science during inquiry lessons. My quantitative results from a repeated measures survey showed no significant difference between student attitudes when taught with either structured-inquiry or guided-inquiry lessons. The qualitative results analyzed through a constant-comparative method did show that students generate positive interest, critical thinking and low level stress during guided-inquiry lessons. The qualitative research also gave insight into a teacher's transition to guided-inquiry. This study showed that with my students, their attitudes did not change during this transition according to the qualitative data however, the qualitative data did how high levels of excitement. The results imply that students like guided-inquiry laboratories, even though they require more work, just as much as they like traditional laboratories with less work and less opportunity for creativity.

  7. Flipped Science Inquiry@Crescent Girls' School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peishi Goh

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This study shares the findings of a school-based Action Research project to explore how inquiry-based science practical lessons designed using the Flipped Science Inquiry@CGS classroom pedagogical model influence the way students learn scientific knowledge and also students' development of 21st century competencies, in particular, in the area of Knowledge Construction. Taking on a broader definition of the flipped classroom pedagogical model, the Flipped Science Inquiry@CGS framework adopts a structure that inverted the traditional science learning experience. Scientific knowledge is constructed through discussions with their peers, making use of their prior knowledge and their experiences while engaging in hands-on activities. Through the study, it is found that with the use of the Flipped Science Inquiry@CGS framework, learning experiences that are better aligned to the epistemology of science while developing 21st century competencies in students are created.

  8. Artful inquiry as a leadership skill

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Darsø, Lotte

    Artful Inquiry as a Leadership Skill Lotte Darsø Abstract for 8th AMO 2016: Open Stream How do leaders develop their own leadership? How do leaders get inspiration and energy for leading and how do they make decisions in complex situations with scarce information? In this paper I will argue...... that artful inquiry is an important leadership skill, both in relation for leaders to rekindle themselves and their employees. I’ll define Artful Inquiry as the skill of inquiring into something of importance through body, mind, heart and spirit. Artful Inquiry taps into the leader’s tacit knowledge...... of materials such as paper, clay, LEGO pieces, photos, cloth, materials from nature, or a combinations of these); embodying (e.g. exploring positions, developing empathy, or focused sensing into what the body knows); listening (e.g. to different music pieces or live music); or presencing (e.g. through...

  9. Teacher enactment of an inquiry-based science curriculum and its relationship to student interest and achievement in science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dimichino, Daniela C.

    This mixed-methods case study, influenced by aspects of grounded theory, aims to explore the relationships among a teacher's attitude toward inquiry-based middle school reform, their enactment of such a curriculum, and student interest and achievement in science. A solid theoretical basis was constructed from the literature on the benefits of inquiry-based science over traditional science education, the benefits of using constructivist learning techniques in the classroom, the importance of motivating teachers to change their teaching practices to be more constructive, and the importance of motivating and exciting students in order to boost achievement in science. Data was collected using qualitative documents such as teacher and student interviews, classroom observations, and curriculum development meetings, in addition to quantitative documents such as student science interest surveys and science skills tests. The qualitative analysis focused on examining teacher attitudes toward curricular reform efforts, and the enactments of three science teachers during the initial year of an inquiry-based middle school curriculum adoption using a fidelity of implementation tool constructed from themes that emerged from the data documents utilized in this study. In addition, both qualitative and quantitative tools were used to measure an increase or decrease in student interest and student achievement over the study year, and their resulting relationships to their teachers' attitudes and enactments of the curriculum. Results from data analysis revealed a positive relationship between the teachers' attitude toward curricular change and their fidelity of implementation to the developers' intentions, or curricular enactment. In addition, strong positive relationships were also discovered among teacher attitude, student interest, and student achievement. Variations in teacher enactment also related to variations in student interest and achievement, with considerable positive

  10. MADUREZ PARA LA LECTOESCRITURA EN NIÑOS/AS DE INSTITUCIONES CON DIFERENTES ESTRATOS SOCIOECONÓMICOS - LITERACY MATURITY IN CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUSES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PRISCILA SIERRA

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Due to the importance of initial schooling in the later reading and writing learning development, in this descriptive research, it is identified the maturity level of children literacy who attend the grade transition in three educational institutions in different socio-economic statuses of Barranquilla. The evaluation was conducted to 62 children (the entire population of the study. This was based, in one hand, on the maturity model in the application of ABC Filho L. Test, which assesses the maturity by means of 8 subtests that reference the necessary components for the acquisition of reading and writing. On the other hand, and from a constructivist perspective, it was appreciated the approach and recognition that children show while they face literacy through the application of a technique called “Hypothesis Testing” based on Teberosky and Ferreiro’s theoretical assumptions. The results indicate that half of the study population is at a medium level of literacy maturity and, between the third and fourth level of alphabetic writing system acquisition. In these results, children of institutions of middle and high socio-economic status predominated (45%.

  11. Inquiry-based Learning in Mathematics Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dreyøe, Jonas; Larsen, Dorte Moeskær; Hjelmborg, Mette Dreier

    From a grading list of 28 of the highest ranked mathematics education journals, the six highest ranked journals were chosen, and a systematic search for inquiry-based mathematics education and related keywords was conducted. This led to five important theme/issues for inquiry-based learning...

  12. Reliability and Validity of Qualitative and Operational Research Paradigm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Bashir

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Both qualitative and quantitative paradigms try to find the same result; the truth. Qualitative studies are tools used in understanding and describing the world of human experience. Since we maintain our humanity throughout the research process, it is largely impossible to escape the subjective experience, even for the most experienced of researchers. Reliability and Validity are the issue that has been described in great deal by advocates of quantitative researchers. The validity and the norms of rigor that are applied to quantitative research are not entirely applicable to qualitative research. Validity in qualitative research means the extent to which the data is plausible, credible and trustworthy; and thus can be defended when challenged. Reliability and validity remain appropriate concepts for attaining rigor in qualitative research. Qualitative researchers have to salvage responsibility for reliability and validity by implementing verification strategies integral and self-correcting during the conduct of inquiry itself. This ensures the attainment of rigor using strategies inherent within each qualitative design, and moves the responsibility for incorporating and maintaining reliability and validity from external reviewers’ judgments to the investigators themselves. There have different opinions on validity with some suggesting that the concepts of validity is incompatible with qualitative research and should be abandoned while others argue efforts should be made to ensure validity so as to lend credibility to the results. This paper is an attempt to clarify the meaning and use of reliability and validity in the qualitative research paradigm.

  13. Trained Inquiry Skills on Heat and Temperature Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasanah, U.; Hamidah, I.; Utari, S.

    2017-09-01

    Inquiry skills are skills that aperson needs in developing concepts, but the results of the study suggest that these skills haven’t yet been trained along with the development of concepts in science feeding, found the difficulties of students in building the concept scientifically. Therefore, this study aims to find ways that are effective in training inquiry skills trough Levels of Inquiry (LoI) learning. Experimental research with one group pretest-postest design, using non-random sampling samples in one of vocational high school in Cimahi obtained purposively 33 students of X class. The research using the inquiry skills test instrument in the form of 15questions multiple choice with reliability in very high category. The result of data processing by using the normalized gain value obtained an illustration that the ways developed in the LoI are considered effective trained inquiry skills in the middle category. Some of the ways LoI learning are considered effective in communicating aspects through discovery learning, predicting trough interactive demonstration, hypotheses through inquiry lesson, and interpreting data through inquiry lab, but the implementation of LoI learning in this study hasn’t found a way that is seen as effective for trespassing aspects of designing an experiment.

  14. The Knowledge Economy: the Socio-Humanitarian Development Factors and Regional Aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Turskyy Ihor V.

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the socio-humanitarian factors in the development of small and medium-sized businesses at the current stage, in terms of the origins of the knowledge economy phenomenon. The conception of unconditional basic income was considered as a factor. Other concepts of the knowledge economy were analyzed: the paradigm of the economy of abundance, the «End of History» by F. Fukuyama – as the most perfect form of social organization, and the Toffler's wave theory; as well as the information civilization and the information society. On the basis of today’s most popular concepts of knowledge economy, a comprehensive model for the interaction of socio-humanitarian factors in the knowledge economy has been proposed. The excessive massing factor has been recognized as a major negative sociocultural factor in the regional and business development of our State. It has been concluded that the basic criterion for development of the knowledge economy, which is common to most modern theories, is a creative person working in an environment where most of its needs are satisfied.

  15. Inquiry-Based Science and Technology Enrichment Program: Green Earth Enhanced with Inquiry and Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hanna

    2011-12-01

    This study investigated the effectiveness of a guided inquiry integrated with technology, in terms of female middle-school students' attitudes toward science/scientists and content knowledge regarding selective science concepts (e.g., Greenhouse Effect, Air/Water Quality, Alternative Energy, and Human Health). Thirty-five female students who were entering eighth grade attended an intensive, 1-week Inquiry-Based Science and Technology Enrichment Program which used a main theme, "Green Earth Enhanced with Inquiry and Technology." We used pre- and post-attitude surveys, pre- and post-science content knowledge tests, and selective interviews to collect data and measure changes in students' attitudes and content knowledge. The study results indicated that at the post-intervention measures, participants significantly improved their attitudes toward science and science-related careers and increased their content knowledge of selected science concepts ( p < .05).

  16. Lessons from the Sizewell B inquiry: how to make major public inquiries into energy projects fair and efficient. Address to the parliamentary group for energy studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O' Riordan, T.; Purdue, M.; Kemp, R.

    1986-07-01

    The paper is an address to the Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies, and concerns an appraisal of the Sizewell B Inquiry. The unique nature of the Inquiry is described, and an assessment of the Inquiry is given. Based on the main criticisms of the Inquiry, proposals for the reform of future major public inquiries are put forward.

  17. The Effects of the Constructivist Learning Approach on Student's Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayaz, Mehmet Fatih; Sekerci, Hanifi

    2015-01-01

    In this research, a meta-analysis study was conducted in order to determine the effects of constructivist learning approach on students' academic achievement. Master's thesis, doctoral dissertation and articles in national and international databases, which are realized between the years of 2003-2014, appropriate to the problem and which can be…

  18. Applying Constructivist Instructional Strategies to E-Learning: A Case Study of a Web Development Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ye Diana

    2014-01-01

    As the practice of e-learning continues to proliferate, online educators, especially in the computing disciplines, are facing special challenges, due to the lack of relevant literature, the technical nature of the courses, and the perceived need for direct student support mechanisms. This paper presents a constructivist instructional approach to…

  19. A CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH TO THE DESIGN AND DELIVERY OF AN ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE: A CASE OF THE iEARN ONLINE COURSE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lockias Chitanana

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the International Education and Resource Network Science Technology and Math (iEARN-STM online professional development course. The study used the constructivist framework as the conceptual model to examine the way in which the constructivist theory has shaped the design and implementation of the course, as reflected by the interactions of a cohort of participants in the course. The participants were 28 educators enrolled in the course, who were either teacher educators or teachers, working in different educational institutions in different countries throughout the world. The purpose of the study was to understand how the iEARN online professional development course supported teachers’ learning through effective discourse in an online environment and to identify the constructivist learning principles that were behind the success of the course. The design of the course appeared to have a positive impact on participants’ collaboration with peers. Results of the study confirms earlier research findings that the constructivist approach to course design and delivery provides a powerful structure for creating learning environments conducive to the development of professional skills among educators. Results of this study can be used to assist professional development coordinators and administrators to plan effective professional development. The results of the study are also expected to contribute to improvements in the design of professional development course content, instruction, delivery and administration, focusing on factors such as program model, delivery, contextual factors or best practices.

  20. Constructing Media Artifacts in a Social Constructivist Environment to Enhance Students' Environmental Awareness and Activism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karahan, Engin; Roehrig, Gillian

    2015-01-01

    Current science education reforms and policy documents highlight the importance of environmental awareness and perceived need for activism. As "environmental problems are socially constructed in terms of their conceptualized effects on individuals, groups, other living things and systems research based on constructivist principles provides…

  1. Eliciting User Requirements Using Appreciative Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzales, Carol Kernitzki

    2010-01-01

    Many software development projects fail because they do not meet the needs of users, are over-budget, and abandoned. To address this problem, the user requirements elicitation process was modified based on principles of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry, commonly used in organizational development, aims to build organizations, processes,…

  2. A Template for Open Inquiry: Using Questions to Encourage and Support Inquiry in Earth and Space Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermann, Ronald S.; Miranda, Rommel J.

    2010-01-01

    This article provides an instructional approach to helping students generate open-inquiry research questions, which the authors call the "open-inquiry question template." This template was created based on their experience teaching high school science and preservice university methods courses. To help teachers implement this template, they…

  3. The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Predicting Pre-Service Teachers' Teaching Behaviour towards a Constructivist Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Carrie Lijuan; Ha, Amy S.

    2013-01-01

    The two-pronged purpose of this study is to examine factors determining the teaching behaviour of pre-service physical education (PE) teachers towards a constructivist approach, likewise referred to as teaching games for understanding (TGfU). Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was applied to guide the formulation of research purpose and design. Six…

  4. Professional Learning in Initial Teacher Education: Vision in the Constructivist Conception of Teaching and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Sylvia Y. F.; Wong, Angel K. Y.; Cheng, May M. H.

    2012-01-01

    With the constructivist view of learning as a conceptual lens, this paper examines student teachers' professional learning in initial teacher education (ITE). A mixed-method study was conducted with student teachers of a Bachelor of Education Programme in Hong Kong. The quantitative element of the study reveals that student teachers held a…

  5. How to Support Primary Teachers' Implementation of Inquiry: Teachers' Reflections on Teaching Cooperative Inquiry-Based Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillies, Robyn M.; Nichols, Kim

    2015-01-01

    Many primary teachers face challenges in teaching inquiry science, often because they believe that they do not have the content knowledge or pedagogical skills to do so. This is a concern given the emphasis attached to teaching science through inquiry where students do not simply learn about science but also do science. This study reports on the…

  6. An Inquiry-Based Linear Algebra Class

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haohao; Posey, Lisa

    2011-01-01

    Linear algebra is a standard undergraduate mathematics course. This paper presents an overview of the design and implementation of an inquiry-based teaching material for the linear algebra course which emphasizes discovery learning, analytical thinking and individual creativity. The inquiry-based teaching material is designed to fit the needs of a…

  7. 22 CFR 217.14 - Preemployment inquiries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Preemployment inquiries. 217.14 Section 217.14 Foreign Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAP IN... inquiries. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a recipient may not conduct a...

  8. Setting Objectives of Value Education in Constructivist Approach in the Light of Revised Blooms Taxonomy (RBT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paleeri, Sankaranarayanan

    2015-01-01

    Transaction methods and approaches of value education have to change from lecturing to process based methods according to the development of constructivist approach. The process based methods provide creative interpretation and active participation from student side. Teachers have to organize suitable activities to transact values through process…

  9. Potentials in Udeskole: Inquiry-Based Teaching Outside the Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karen S. Barfod

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Most research on outdoor education, including the Scandinavian concept udeskole (regular curriculum-based teaching outside the classroom, has focused on pupils' outcomes, whereas less has focused on teachers' practices. In this article, we described the occurrence of inquiry-based teaching in udeskole. To analyze practice, we extended the notion of inquiry-based education. Within science and mathematics education, a strong stepwise teaching approach formerly was established, called Inquiry Based Science and Mathematics Education (IBSME, emphasizing pupils' hypothesis testing, data validation and systematic experimentation. In this study, we broadened the IBSME-concept of inquiry in order to include a more holistic, non-linear teaching approach, but excluding teacher-instructed inquiry. Using this idea, we observed and documented by field notes how five experienced teachers practiced mathematics and science teaching in udeskole at primary level in Denmark. Twenty-eight outdoor days were observed. Each day was divided into separate teaching incidents with a distinct start and end. The level of teacher interference and possible choices in each teaching incidents formed the analytic background. We analyzed each of the 71 teaching incidents, and categorized each of them into one of five categories numbered 4–0. The categories designated numbers 4–2 contained the inquiry-based teaching incidents, and the categories designated 1 and 0 were categorized as “non-inquiry-based.” They contained teaching incidents where the teacher was instructing the pupils (category 1, and outdoor teaching activities with no sign of inquiry, called training activities (category 0. Our results showed that about half of the analyzed outdoor teaching practice seemed to be inquiry-based, emphasizing pupils' choice and presenting cognitive challenge. This indicates that the analyzed udeskole had the potential to support an explorative and multifaceted inquiry

  10. Potential socio-economic consequences of mine closure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marietjie Ackermann

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Mine closures generally reveal negligence on the part of mining houses, not only in terms of the environment, but also the surrounding mining communities. Aim: This article reflects on the findings of research into the socio-economic consequences of mine closure. The research specifically explored how mineworkers’ dependency on their employment at a mine affects their ability to sustain their livelihood. Setting: The research was conducted at the Orkney Mine and the Grootvlei Mine (Springs. Methods: The research was conducted within a naturalistic domain, guided by a relativist orientation, a constructivist ontology and an interpretivist epistemology. Data were collected by means of document analysis, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and unstructured observation. Results: From the research findings, it is evident that mine closures, in general, have a devastating effect on the surrounding mining communities as well as on the employees. Mine closures in the case studies gradually depleted the mining communities’ livelihood assets and resulted in the collapse of their coping strategies and livelihood outcomes. It generally affected the communities’ nutrition, health, education, food security, water, shelter, levels of community participation and personal safety. Conclusion: If not managed efficiently and effectively, mine closures may pose significant challenges to the mining industry, government, the environment, national and local economic prosperity and communities in the peripheral areas of mines. This truly amplifies that mine closure, whether temporary or permanent, is an issue that needs to be addressed with responsibility towards all stakeholders, including the mining community and the labour force.

  11. Fostering Critical Thinking Practices at Primary Science Classrooms in Nepal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acharya, Kamal Prasad

    2016-01-01

    This article examines the socio-cultural activities that have direct and indirect impacts on critical thinking practices in primary science classrooms and what kinds of teachers' activities help to foster the development of critical thinking practices in children. Meanwhile, the constructivist and the socio-cultural theoretical dimensions have…

  12. Constructivism Goes Quantum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana A. Alekseeva

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the evolution of constructivist paradigm of international relations. The issue is of utmost importance in terms of the search for theoretical alternatives in the IR thinking. First, we are giving basic introduction of constructivism on the basis of historical and hermeneutical approaches. There is no doubt that the paradigm has faced different theoretical challenges and a lot of critics which has to be addressed. The authors reconsider some constructivist theories and notions in Alexander Wendt's works and the way Wendt tried to reinforce and reassure the constructivist paradigm. This allows us to claim that quantum turn in recent Wendt's work was almost inevitable. Second, the article attempts to answer a question whether the fundamentals of quantum physics are relevant when speaking about social and political processes. At first glance, quantum physics approach has nothing in common with the theory of politics and the theory of international relations. However, there are some grounds to believe that certain problem issues of the political science and IR theory are not deadlocks. In the second part of the article we use the unleashed and underestimated potential of analytical philosophy. To conclude, we believe that today there are more questions than answers but the quantum paradigm is expected to be the important part of the political studies and IR theory as well.

  13. Using Activity Theory to Design Constructivist Online Learning Environments for Higher Order Thinking: A Retrospective Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dirk Morrison

    2003-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. This paper examined a particular online learning activity, embedded within a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL environment incorporated as part of the larger context of participation in a unique national agricultural leadership development program. Process outcomes such as a high level of collaboration and active peer facilitation as well as demonstration by participants of a variety of holistic thinking skills were observed via a transcript analysis of online interactions. This led to speculations that the particular design features embedded within the context of the online collaborative issues analysis project (IAP, were thought to clearly reflect a constructivist approach. Methods to confirm this included evaluating the learning activity in light of nine characteristics of an authentic task in CSCL environments, and using activity theory as a conceptual framework with which to further examine the extent to which the IAP reflected the values and principles of a constructivist online learning environment.

  14. Sociocultural Theory and its Role in the Development of Language Pedagogy

    OpenAIRE

    Abdul Hameed Panhwar; Sanaullah Ansari; Komal Ansari

    2016-01-01

    This paper reviews the literature on Vygotskian theory of Socio-cultural learning and constructivist approach to teaching and learning and attempts to relate the socio-cultural theory to constructivism. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the ways socio-cultural theory helps to develop language pedagogies. Critical analysis of the literature on the socio-cultural theory suggests that the theory has potential for forming new context-oriented language teaching-learning pedagogies which c...

  15. Scientists' conceptions of scientific inquiry: Revealing a private side of science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiff, Rebecca R.

    Science educators, philosophers, and pre-service teachers have contributed to conceptualizing inquiry but missing from the inquiry forum is an in-depth research study concerning science faculty conceptions of scientific inquiry. The science education literature has tended to focus on certain aspects of doing, teaching, and understanding scientific inquiry without linking these concepts. As a result, conceptions of scientific inquiry have been disjointed and are seemingly unrelated. Furthermore, confusion surrounding the meaning of inquiry has been identified as a reason teachers are not using inquiry in instruction (Welch et al., 1981). Part of the confusion surrounding scientific inquiry is it has been defined differently depending on the context (Colburn, 2000; Lederman, 1998; Shymansky & Yore, 1980; Wilson & Koran, 1976). This lack of a common conception of scientific inquiry is the reason for the timely nature of this research. The result of scientific journeys is not to arrive at a stopping point or the final destination, but to refuel with questions to drive the pursuit of knowledge. A three-member research team conducted Interviews with science faculty members using a semi-structured interview protocol designed to probe the subject's conceptions of scientific inquiry. The participants represented a total of 52 science faculty members from nine science departments (anthropology, biology, chemistry, geology, geography, school of health, physical education and recreation (HPER), medical sciences, physics, and school of environmental science) at a large mid-western research university. The method of analysis used by the team was grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990; Glaser & Strauss, 1967), in which case the frequency of concepts, patterns, and themes were coded to categorize scientists' conceptions of scientific inquiry. The results from this study address the following components: understanding and doing scientific inquiry, attributes of scientists engaged

  16. Design of the Model of Constructivist Learning Theory for Moral Education in Physical Education Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chenyu

    2011-01-01

    In order to achieve better effect of moral education in physical education teaching, this article employed constructivist learning theory to design the model of moral education according to the characteristics of physical education teaching, in order that the majority of P.E. teachers draw lessons from it in their teaching practice, and service to…

  17. The Relationship between a Business Simulator, Constructivist Practices, and Motivation toward Developing Business Intelligence Skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ju Long

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Developing Business Intelligence (BI has been a top priority for enterprise executives in recent years. To meet these demands, universities need to prepare students to work with BI in enterprise settings. In this study, we considered a business simulator that offers students opportunities to apply BI and make top-management decisions in a system used by real-world professionals. The simulation-based instruction can be effective only if students are not discouraged by the difficulty of using the BI computer system and comprehending the complex BI subjects. Constructivist practices embedded in the business simulation are investigated to understand their potentials for helping the students to overcome the perceived difficulty. Consequently, it would enable instructors to more efficiently use the simulator by providing insights on its pedagogical practices. Our findings showed that the constructivist practices such as collaboration and subject integration positively influence active learning and meaningful learning respectively. In turn, both active learning and meaningful learning positively influence business intelligence motivational behavior. These findings can be further used to develop a robust learning environment in BI classes.

  18. The Benefits of Using Authentic Inquiry within Biotechnology Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanegan, Nikki; Bigler, Amber

    2010-01-01

    A broad continuum exists to describe the structure of inquiry lessons (Hanegan, Friden, & Nelson, 2009). Most teachers have heard inquiry described from a range of simple questioning to completely student-designed scientific studies (Chinn & Malhotra, 2002). Biotechnology education often uses a variety of inquiries from cookbook laboratory…

  19. Writing for Immediacy: Narrative Writing as a Teaching Technique in Undergraduate Cultural Geography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Summerby-Murray, Robert

    2010-01-01

    Narrative inquiry is an innovative means of encouraging students to internalize concepts, reflect on experiences or create applications for theoretical ideas. The use of first-person creative writing in a second-year cultural geography course prompted initial scepticism from students but eventually highlighted their constructivist engagement with…

  20. 4-H Science Inquiry Video Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Jeremy W.; Black, Lynette; Willis, Patrick

    2013-01-01

    Studies support science inquiry as a positive method and approach for 4-H professionals and volunteers to use for teaching science-based practices to youth. The development of a science inquiry video series has yielded positive results as it relates to youth development education and science. The video series highlights how to conduct science-rich…

  1. Learning Analytics for Communities of Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovanovic, Vitomir; Gaševic, Dragan; Hatala, Marek

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes doctoral research that focuses on the development of a learning analytics framework for inquiry-based digital learning. Building on the Community of Inquiry model (CoI)--a foundation commonly used in the research and practice of digital learning and teaching--this research builds on the existing body of knowledge in two…

  2. Evaluating the Fabreville Heart Health Program in Laval, Canada: a dialogue between two paradigms, positivism and constructivism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Minh Nguyet; Otis, Joanne

    2003-06-01

    As part of the Canadian Federal-Provincial Initiative in Heart Health, the goal of the Fabreville Heart Health Program was to sensitize a district of Laval, Quebec's second most populous city, to heart-healthy behaviours. The program was planned and implemented by a committee composed of Fabreville community leaders and professionals from the Public Health Department. Between 1992 and 1994, intervention objectives were defined by the department in terms of changing individual behaviours associated with cardiovascular risk factors, namely diet, sedentariness and smoking, as well as adapting physical and social environments to facilitate these changes. However, from 1994 to its conclusion in 1997, the program was re-oriented to engage the population in mobilizing their own community and taking charge of interventions themselves. Actions then became dependent on the interests and motivation of Fabreville residents to transform their lifestyles and aspects of their physical environment. The initial evaluation process, based on the positivist paradigm, was designed to measure changes in individual behaviours and certain physical environments, such as an increase in designated non-smoking areas. However, following the re-orientation towards community mobilization, it was decided that evaluation should go beyond the professional production of data to include a process of the collective construction of knowledge. Evaluation methodology then became based on the constructivist paradigm. Yet field constraints such as lack of community involvement in both leadership and process evaluation, and the need to ensure evaluation standards and fulfil sponsor obligations, compelled the Public Health Department to return to using a certain number of positivist methods. The ensuing inter-paradigm dialogue helped broaden the scope of evaluation and contributed to gaining a more in-depth understanding of the processes and outcomes of community mobilization.

  3. Pedagogy of Notation: Learning Styles Using a Constructivist, Second-Language Acquisition Approach to Dance Notation Pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heiland, Teresa L.

    2015-01-01

    Four undergraduate dance majors learned Motif Notation and Labanotation using a second-language acquisition, playful, constructivist approach to learning notation literacy in order to learn and dance the "Parsons Etude." Qualitative outcomes were gathered from student journals and pre- and post-tests that assessed for levels of improved…

  4. The problem of innovation in the context of intellectual property research: from the economic-juridical into the sociocultural paradigm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. V. Stovpets

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The problem of innovation in the context of Intellectual Property becomes actual as the society’s development moves from the economic, technical and juridical paradigms towards the sociocultural paradigm. The reflection on abovementioned issues is performed within the monographic social­philosophic research for Intellectual Property Institution as one of the most significant social institutions of postindustrial postmodern society in the era of information. Therefore the article is devoted to the social­philosophic study of the innovation concept’s genesis, the process of innovative problematic consolidation in the context of intellectual property, as well as the justification of innovation as a social­cultural phenomenon. In particular, it was performed a sociophilosophical and semantic analysis for the concept of «innovation» in its correlation with the concepts of «discovery», «invention», «new modification», «novelty», in order to identify the essence of innovation itself. It was emphasized the importance of innovation’s research in the socio­cultural context, taking into account the specific ontological status for innovation in its integrity with Intellectual Property institution. In the studying of innovation (as the very important substantial aspect of intellectual property it was explicated that interpretations of this phenomenon are frequently concentrated within technical, economic and juridical paradigms. However, today the innovation is primarily a social and cultural phenomenon caused by the specifics of appropriate sociocultural environment. It is logical that changes’ vector related to the information and technological novelties, now shifts from technical, economic and legal fields to the socio­cultural dimension. Following the producing sectors, other areas of life became the objects of conscious and deliberate innovative activities, that allow us to fix the transition towards an innovative model of social

  5. Physics Learning using Inquiry-Student Team Achievement Division (ISTAD and Guided Inquiry Models Viewed by Students Achievement Motivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. H. Sulistijo

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to determine the differences in learning outcomes of between students that are given the Physics learning models of Inquiry-Student Team Achievement Division (ISTAD and guided inquiry, between students who have high achievement motivation and low achievement motivation. This study was an experimental study with a 2x2x2 factorial design. The study population was the students of class X of SMAN 1 Toroh Grobogan of academic year 2016/2017. Samples were obtained by cluster random sampling technique consists of two classes, class X IPA 3 is used as an experimental class using ISTAD model and class X IPA 4 as the control class using guided inquiry model. Data collection techniques using test techniques for learning outcomes, and technical questionnaire to obtain the data of students' achievement motivation. Analysis of data using two-way ANOVA. The results showed that: (1 there is a difference between the learning outcomes of students with the ISTAD Physics models and with the physics model of guided inquiry. (2 There are differences in learning outcomes between students who have high achievement motivation and low achievement motivation. (3 There is no interaction between ISTAD and guided inquiry Physics models learning and achievement motivation of students.

  6. Inquiry-based science education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Lars Domino; Sillasen, Martin Krabbe; Hagelskjær, Jens

    2010-01-01

    Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) er en internationalt afprøvet naturfagsdidaktisk metode der har til formål at øge elevernes interesse for og udbytte af naturfag. I artiklen redegøres der for metoden, der kan betegnes som en elevstyret problem- og undersøgelsesbaseret naturfagsundervisnings......Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) er en internationalt afprøvet naturfagsdidaktisk metode der har til formål at øge elevernes interesse for og udbytte af naturfag. I artiklen redegøres der for metoden, der kan betegnes som en elevstyret problem- og undersøgelsesbaseret...

  7. Experimental Comparison of Inquiry and Direct Instruction in Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobern, William W.; Schuster, David; Adams, Betty; Applegate, Brooks; Skjold, Brandy; Undreiu, Adriana; Loving, Cathleen C.; Gobert, Janice D.

    2010-01-01

    There are continuing educational and political debates about "inquiry" versus "direct" teaching of science. Traditional science instruction has been largely direct but in the US, recent national and state science education standards advocate inquiry throughout K-12 education. While inquiry-based instruction has the advantage of modelling aspects…

  8. The Next Paradigm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernardo Kastrup

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available In order to perceive the world, we need more than just raw sensory input: a subliminal paradigm of thought is required to interpret raw sensory data and, thereby, create the objects and events we perceive around ourselves. As such, the world we see reflects our own unexamined, culture-bound assumptions and expectations, which explains why every generation in history has believed that it more or less understood the world. Today, we perceive a world of objects and events outside and independent of mind, which merely reflects our current paradigm of thought. Anomalies that contradict this paradigm have been accumulated by physicists over the past couple of decades, which will eventually force our culture to move to a new paradigm. Under this new paradigm, a form of universal mind will be viewed as nature’s sole fundamental entity. In this paper, I offer a sketch of what the new paradigm may look like.

  9. Incorporation of Socio-scientific Content into Active Learning Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, D. B.; Lewis, J. E.; Anderson, K.; Latch, D.; Sutheimer, S.; Webster, G.; Moog, R.

    2014-12-01

    Active learning has gained increasing support as an effective pedagogical technique to improve student learning. One way to promote active learning in the classroom is the use of in-class activities in place of lecturing. As part of an NSF-funded project, a set of in-class activities have been created that use climate change topics to teach chemistry content. These activities use the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) methodology. In this pedagogical approach a set of models and a series of critical thinking questions are used to guide students through the introduction to or application of course content. Students complete the activities in their groups, with the faculty member as a facilitator of learning. Through assigned group roles and intentionally designed activity structure, process skills, such as teamwork, communication, and information processing, are developed during completion of the activity. Each of these climate change activities contains a socio-scientific component, e.g., social, ethical and economic data. In one activity, greenhouse gases are used to explain the concept of dipole moment. Data about natural and anthropogenic production rates, global warming potential and atmospheric lifetimes for a list of greenhouse gases are presented. The students are asked to identify which greenhouse gas they would regulate, with a corresponding explanation for their choice. They are also asked to identify the disadvantages of regulating the gas they chose in the previous question. In another activity, where carbon sequestration is used to demonstrate the utility of a phase diagram, students use economic and environmental data to choose the best location for sequestration. Too often discussions about climate change (both in and outside the classroom) consist of purely emotional responses. These activities force students to use data to support their arguments and hypothesize about what other data could be used in the corresponding discussion to

  10. Resilience paradigm's contributions to socio educational work. The case of the center Zabaloetxe for unaccompanied migrant children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Miguel Martín de Castro

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In this article it has been carried out an approach to resilience and affectivity as key elements to socio-educational intervention. Its theoretical and qualitative research are based on the intervention of the educator and his ability as a resilience tutor within a center for unaccompanied migrant children. From a qualitative perspective, participant observation and 9 interviews held with 3 female and 6 male educators had been used. The analysis and interpretation of the results show some evidences linked to the detection of risk factors and protection, characteristics of the educational intervention in the reception phase, and the environment as key issues in the period of representation and relation, and finally on the socio-educative bases of the resilience teaching action. Some of the conclusions take in account the results of this investigation are the following: resilience shares with education a key factor such as the importance of the quality of the human environment and the interactions manifested within this last one, and as an educational bond is created, there is a space for its own stimulation. It is also set out the necessity of continuing with the research within this field linked to the resilience and the social education.

  11. Exploring the inquiry experience: A focus on Kentucky teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nolte, Beth

    2007-12-01

    Inquiry-based instruction is driven by active participation by the learner. Through the learning process, critical thinking skills are practiced. While inquiry methods are often discussed in the realm of science education, the methods are not subject specific. In fact, the Kentucky Program of Studies calls for the incorporation of inquiry strategies into all areas of the curriculum. This call for more inquiry-based education occurs in the midst of a national testing debate in which accountability is tied to student test scores. This study takes a narrative approach to explore teachers' experiences with using inquiry methods. Interviews were conducted with teachers who, at least 1 year prior to participating in this study, had attended a weeklong intensive professional development workshop on using inquiry methods for instruction. A method is described for analyzing interview data direct in its digital audio form---without transcription. Eight teachers' experiences are presented here in the narrative form and their narratives are compared for an overall analysis. Themes of conflict previously reported in the literature are explored in participants' stories. This research concludes with a discussion of the results, a reflection on the method, and suggestions for the future based on teachers' experiences with using inquiry-based learning strategies.

  12. Reconsidering 'ethics' and 'quality' in healthcare research: the case for an iterative ethical paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevenson, Fiona A; Gibson, William; Pelletier, Caroline; Chrysikou, Vasiliki; Park, Sophie

    2015-05-08

    UK-based research conducted within a healthcare setting generally requires approval from the National Research Ethics Service. Research ethics committees are required to assess a vast range of proposals, differing in both their topic and methodology. We argue the methodological benchmarks with which research ethics committees are generally familiar and which form the basis of assessments of quality do not fit with the aims and objectives of many forms of qualitative inquiry and their more iterative goals of describing social processes/mechanisms and making visible the complexities of social practices. We review current debates in the literature related to ethical review and social research, and illustrate the importance of re-visiting the notion of ethics in healthcare research. We present an analysis of two contrasting paradigms of ethics. We argue that the first of these is characteristic of the ways that NHS ethics boards currently tend to operate, and the second is an alternative paradigm, that we have labelled the 'iterative' paradigm, which draws explicitly on methodological issues in qualitative research to produce an alternative vision of ethics. We suggest that there is an urgent need to re-think the ways that ethical issues are conceptualised in NHS ethical procedures. In particular, we argue that embedded in the current paradigm is a restricted notion of 'quality', which frames how ethics are developed and worked through. Specific, pre-defined outcome measures are generally seen as the traditional marker of quality, which means that research questions that focus on processes rather than on 'outcomes' may be regarded as problematic. We show that the alternative 'iterative' paradigm offers a useful starting point for moving beyond these limited views. We conclude that a 'one size fits all' standardisation of ethical procedures and approach to ethical review acts against the production of knowledge about healthcare and dramatically restricts what can be

  13. A Return to Methodological Commitment: Reflections on Narrative Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caine, Vera; Estefan, Andrew; Clandinin, D. Jean

    2013-01-01

    In the 25 years since narrative inquiry emerged as a social science research methodology, it has been rapidly taken up in the social sciences. In what is sometimes called a "narrative revolution," researchers with diverse understandings have co-opted the concept of narrative inquiry and used narrative inquiry or narrative research to…

  14. Evaluation Inquiry in Donor Funded Programmes in Northern Ghana ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An evaluation inquiry has been noted to have a significant influence on whether the evaluation outcomes are used or not. However, only limited studies have examined evaluation inquiry and its implication on the use of evaluation in Ghana. This study therefore seeks to contribute to knowledge on evaluation inquiry and the ...

  15. Identifying Effective Design Features of Technology-Infused Inquiry Learning Modules: A Two-Year Study of Students' Inquiry Abilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Ying-Shao; Fang, Su-Chi; Zhang, Wen-Xin; Hsin-Kai, Wu; Wu, Pai-Hsing; Hwang, Fu-Kwun

    2016-01-01

    The two-year study aimed to explore how students' development of different inquiry abilities actually benefited from the design of technology-infused learning modules. Three learning modules on the topics of seasons, environmental issues and air pollution were developed to facilitate students' inquiry abilities: questioning, planning, analyzing,…

  16. Economics through Inquiry: Creating Social Businesses in Fifth Grade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitlock, Annie McMahon

    2015-01-01

    The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework from the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) features an inquiry approach to teaching K-12 social studies in which social studies standards are organized into an "inquiry arc." Inquiry in elementary economics is often underused in practice (Laney 2001). This study describes how a…

  17. Teaching science as inquiry in US and in Japan: A cross-cultural comparison of science teachers' understanding of, and attitudes toward inquiry-based teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tosa, Sachiko

    Since the publication of the National Science Education Standards in 1996, learning science through inquiry has been regarded as the heart of science education. However, the TIMSS 1999 Video Study showed that inquiry-based teaching has been taking place less in the United States than in Japan. This study examined similarities and differences in how Japanese and American middle-school science teachers think and feel about inquiry-based teaching. Teachers' attitudes toward the use of inquiry in science teaching were measured through a survey instrument (N=191). Teachers' understanding of inquiry-based teaching was examined through interviews and classroom observations in the United States (N=9) and Japan (N=15). The results show that in spite of the variations in teachers' definitions of inquiry-based teaching, teachers in both countries strongly agree with the idea of inquiry-based teaching. However, little inquiry-based teaching was observed in either of the countries for different reasons. The data indicate that Japanese teachers did not generally help students construct their own understanding of scientific concepts in spite of well-planned lesson structures and activity set-ups. On the other hand, the observational data indicate that American teachers often lacked meaningful science content in spite of their high level of pedagogical knowledge. The need for addressing the importance of scientific concepts in teacher preparation programs in higher education institutions in the US is advocated. To the Japanese science education community, the need for teachers' acquisition of instructional strategies for inquiry-based teaching is strongly addressed.

  18. Influence of Participation, Facilitator Styles, and Metacognitive Reflection on Knowledge Building in Online University Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacciamani, Stefano; Cesareni, Donatella; Martini, Francesca; Ferrini, Tiziana; Fujita, Nobuko

    2012-01-01

    Understanding how to foster knowledge building in online and blended learning environments is a key for computer-supported collaborative learning research. Knowledge building is a deeply constructivist pedagogy and kind of inquiry learning focused on theory building. A strong indicator of engagement in knowledge building activity is the…

  19. The Inquiry Approach in Dental Hygiene Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Ruth Lois; And Others

    1985-01-01

    A study to assess the impact of an inquiry-oriented curriculum in a dental hygiene program is described. Two instruments, designed to measure student perception of personal and faculty inquiry and disinquiry behavior, were administered. The implications of the findings are discussed. (Author/MLW)

  20. Engaging Nature of Science to Preservice Teachers through Inquiry-Based Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuangchalerm, Prasart

    2013-01-01

    Inquiry-based classroom is widely distributed in the school science based on its useful and effective instruction. Science teachers are key elements allowing students to have scientific inquiry. If teachers understand and imply inquiry-based learning into science classroom, students will learn science as scientific inquiry and understand nature of…

  1. Preservice Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about Nature of Science and Constructivist Teaching in the Content-Specific Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Kim, Byoung Sug

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore how Korean preservice elementary teachers' beliefs about nature of science (NOS) and their beliefs about constructivist teaching were structured and related and if any relation was prevalent in the content-specific contexts. As the same format, three versions of questionnaires were developed in three…

  2. Assessing the sociology of sport

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

    2015-01-01

    of football as a male social field. Women’s football gained hold in scholarly inquiry with comparative studies of participation, experiences, and policies in diverse national settings. Challenges in the area of women’s participation and legitimacy in football are rooted in persistent stereotyping...... in football. Constructivist understandings of gender are combined with notions of ‘leaky hegemony’, socialization, habitus, taste and social fields. The trajectory of inquiry on women and football necessarily builds from recognition of ‘leaks’ in hegemonic masculinity and the entrenched naturalization...

  3. Pedagogical Practices to Support Classroom Cultures of Scientific Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrenkohl, Leslie Rupert; Tasker, Tammy; White, Barbara

    2011-01-01

    This article examines the pedagogical practices of two science inquiry teachers and their students using a Web-based system called Web of Inquiry (WOI). There is a need to build a collective repertoire of pedagogical practices that can assist elementary and middle school teachers as they support students to develop a complex model of inquiry based…

  4. Inquiry-Based Learning in China: Lesson Learned for School Science Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuangchalerm, Prasart

    2014-01-01

    Inquiry-based learning is widely considered for science education in this era. This study aims to explore inquiry-based learning in teacher preparation program and the findings will help us to understanding what inquiry-based classroom is and how inquiry-based learning are. Data were collected by qualitative methods; classroom observation,…

  5. [Socio-hydrology: A review].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Jing-yi; Zhao, Wen-wu; Fang, Xue-ning

    2015-04-01

    Socio-hydrology is an interdiscipline of hydrology, nature, society and humanity. It mainly explores the two-way feedbacks of coupled human-water system and its dynamic mechanism of co-evolution, and makes efforts to solve the issues that human faces today such as sustainable utilization of water resources. Starting from the background, formation process, and fundamental concept of socio-hydrology, this paper summarized the features of socio-hydrology. The main research content of socio-hydrology was reduced to three aspects: The tradeoff in coupled human-water system, interests in water resources management and virtual water research in coupled human-water system. And its differences as well as relations with traditional hydrology, eco-hydrology and hydro-sociology were dwelled on. Finally, with hope to promote the development of socio-hydrology researches in China, the paper made prospects for the development of the subject from following aspects: Completing academic content and deepening quantitative research, focusing on scale studies of socio-hydrology, fusing socio-hydrology and eco-hydrology.

  6. New energy paradigm?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldoni, Giovanni

    2007-01-01

    The rise of oil prices, the difficulties in markets liberalization, and the poor results of competition have convinced many that a new energy paradigm is necessary. Taking the original definition of scientific paradigm, it doesn't seem that a practical solution could be found outside the present paradigm of energy policy, made of privatisation, liberalisation and competition [it

  7. Bringing Inquiry Science to K-5 Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schachtel, Paula L.; Messina, D. L.; McDermott, L. C.

    2006-12-01

    As a science coach in the Seattle School District, I am responsible for helping other elementary teachers teach science. For several years, I have been participating in a program that consists of intensive NSF Summer Institutes and an ongoing academic-year Continuation Course. Teachers in this program work through modules in Physics by Inquiry, a research-based curriculum developed by the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington.1 I will discuss how this type of professional development has deepened my understanding of topics in physical science, helped me to teach science by inquiry to my own students, and enabled me to assist my colleagues in implementing inquiry science in their K-5 classrooms. Sponsored by Lillian C. McDermott. 1. A research-based curriculum developed by L.C. McDermott and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington, Physics by Inquiry, New York, NY, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1996.)

  8. Student Development in Higher Education: A Constructivist Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibrahim, Rania; Sarirete, Akila

    Sustainable education requires a new approach to knowledge acquisition and learning. This approach is manifested in merging student experience inside and outside the classroom, which eventually results in shaping the 21 st century lifelong learner. This paper presents an innovative student development model based on the constructivist approach; showing the collaboration between student affairs and academics. Furthermore, it illustrates a unique experience implemented at Effat University for developing the student as a whole person. This is done to complement the student's academic experience with the necessary skills and abilities derived from Effat University mission that focuses on creating women leaders. The student finds herself in a journey of self development and growth throughout the course of her study until graduation. At the time of graduation, she is equipped with all what it takes to be a successful career woman and a leader of change in her society.

  9. Paradigm shifts and the interplay between state, business and civil sectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Encarnação, Sara; Santos, Fernando P.; Santos, Francisco C.; Blass, Vered; Pacheco, Jorge M.; Portugali, Juval

    2016-12-01

    The recent rise of the civil sector as a main player of socio-political actions, next to public and private sectors, has largely increased the complexity underlying the interplay between different sectors of our society. From urban planning to global governance, analysis of these complex interactions requires new mathematical and computational approaches. Here, we develop a novel framework, grounded on evolutionary game theory, to envisage situations in which each of these sectors is confronted with the dilemma of deciding between maintaining a status quo scenario or shifting towards a new paradigm. We consider multisector conflicts regarding environmentally friendly policies as an example of application, but the framework developed here has a considerably broader scope. We show that the public sector is crucial in initiating the shift, and determine explicitly under which conditions the civil sector-reflecting the emergent reality of civil society organizations playing an active role in modern societies-may influence the decision-making processes accruing to other sectors, while fostering new routes towards a paradigm shift of the society as a whole. Our results are shown to be robust to a wide variety of assumptions and model parametrizations.

  10. Investigating the impact of a LEGO(TM)-based, engineering-oriented curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marulcu, Ismail

    This mixed method study examined the impact of a LEGO-based, engineering-oriented curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines. This study takes a social constructivist theoretical stance that science learning involves learning scientific concepts and their relations to each other. From this perspective, students are active participants, and they construct their conceptual understanding through the guidance of their teacher. With the goal of better understanding the use of engineering education materials in classrooms the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council in the book "Engineering in K-12 Education" conducted an in-depth review of the potential benefits of including engineering in K--12 schools as (a) improved learning and achievement in science and mathematics, (b) increased awareness of engineering and the work of engineers, (c) understanding of and the ability to engage in engineering design, (d) interest in pursuing engineering as a career, and (e) increased technological literacy (Katehi, Pearson, & Feder, 2009). However, they also noted a lack of reliable data and rigorous research to support these assertions. Data sources included identical written tests and interviews, classroom observations and videos, teacher interviews, and classroom artifacts. To investigate the impact of the design-based simple machines curriculum compared to the scientific inquiry-based simple machines curriculum on student learning outcomes, I compared the control and the experimental groups' scores on the tests and interviews by using ANCOVA. To analyze and characterize the classroom observation videotapes, I used Jordan and Henderson's (1995) method and divide them into episodes. My analyses revealed that the design-based Design a People Mover: Simple Machines unit was, if not better, as successful as the inquiry-based FOSS Levers and Pulleys unit in terms of students' content learning. I also

  11. Intelligent Tutoring Systems for Scientific Inquiry Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shute, Valerie; Bonar, Jeffrey

    Described are the initial prototypes of several intelligent tutoring systems designed to build students' scientific inquiry skills. These inquiry skills are taught in the context of acquiring knowledge of principles from a microworld that models a specific domain. This paper discusses microworlds that have been implemented for microeconomics,…

  12. Ethno-Experiments: Creating Robust Inquiry and Futures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramsey, Caroline

    2007-01-01

    This article introduces a practice-centred inquiry method called an "ethno-experiment". The method is built on a social constructionist understanding of practice as a social performance rather than as an individual's act. Additionally, it draws on Garfinkel's early ethnomethodological work and Marshall's self-reflective inquiry to construct a…

  13. Connecting Mathematics in Primary Science Inquiry Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    So, Winnie Wing-mui

    2013-01-01

    Science as inquiry and mathematics as problem solving are conjoined fraternal twins attached by their similarities but with distinct differences. Inquiry and problem solving are promoted in contemporary science and mathematics education reforms as a critical attribute of the nature of disciplines, teaching methods, and learning outcomes involving…

  14. Validity of Management Control Topoi ? Towards Constructivist Pragmatism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørreklit, Lennart; Nørreklit, Hanne; Israelsen, Poul

    2006-01-01

    For decades, management accounting research paradigms have been in competition without reaching any apparent closure, and struggles to bridge the gap between knowledge and doing have not been successful either. This paper argues that this state of affairs is due to an insufficient understanding...... of reality, which is rooted in the management accounting paradigms. The paper establishes a concept of reality as an integrated set of conditions for actions and argues that, without such a concept, the issue of validity cannot be addressed: management accounting and control only provide valid results...... in practice if they incorporate the four aspects of the world of human life-facts, logic, values and communication. On the basis of these aspects, some predominant research paradigms are subsequently analysed and, using a case study, the paper shows how the four dimensions are integrated in the practice...

  15. Inquiry-Based Instruction and High Stakes Testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cothern, Rebecca L.

    Science education is a key to economic success for a country in terms of promoting advances in national industry and technology and maximizing competitive advantage in a global marketplace. The December 2010 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranked the United States 23rd of 65 countries in science. That dismal standing in science proficiency impedes the ability of American school graduates to compete in the global market place. Furthermore, the implementation of high stakes testing in science mandated by the 2007 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has created an additional need for educators to find effective science pedagogy. Research has shown that inquiry-based science instruction is one of the predominant science instructional methods. Inquiry-based instruction is a multifaceted teaching method with its theoretical foundation in constructivism. A correlational survey research design was used to determine the relationship between levels of inquiry-based science instruction and student performance on a standardized state science test. A self-report survey, using a Likert-type scale, was completed by 26 fifth grade teachers. Participants' responses were analyzed and grouped as high, medium, or low level inquiry instruction. The unit of analysis for the achievement variable was the student scale score average from the state science test. Spearman's Rho correlation data showed a positive relationship between the level of inquiry-based instruction and student achievement on the state assessment. The findings can assist teachers and administrators by providing additional research on the benefits of the inquiry-based instructional method. Implications for positive social change include increases in student proficiency and decision-making skills related to science policy issues which can help make them more competitive in the global marketplace.

  16. Inquiry based learning in physical education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Lars Domino

    2014-01-01

    The present project is a case study founded on the decreasing motivation and engagement in physical education. The project suggests inquiry based learning (IBL) as an educational methodology. This may help to turn the trend as IBL has shown to engage and motivate students at different educational...... levels and within different subjects. In this pilot research project performed at a physical education teacher education program, qualitative methods were chosen to investigate students’ motivation and engagement within an IBL-unit in physical education and to accentuate challenges, advantages...... and disadvantages within the IBL-methodology in relation to students’ motivation. Instructed in guided inquiry, 32 students of physical education in a teacher training college worked with inquiry based learning in physical education over a four week period. During the IBL-unit, qualitative data such as the students...

  17. The perceptions of inquiry held by greater Houston area science supervisors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aoki, Jon Michael

    The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of inquiry held by responding greater Houston area science supervisors. Leading science organizations proposed that students might be better served if students are mentally and physically engaged in the process of finding out about natural phenomena rather than by didactic modes of teaching and learning. During the past fifty years, inquiry-based instruction has become a significant theme of new science programs. Students are more likely to make connections between classroom exercises and their personal lives through the use of inquiry-based instruction. Learning becomes relevant to students. Conversely, traditional science instruction often has little or no connection to students' everyday lives (Papert, 1980). In short, inquiry-based instruction empowers students to become independent thinkers. The utilization of inquiry-based instruction is essential to a successful reform in science education. However, a reform's success is partly determined by the extent to which science supervisors know and understand inquiry and consequently promote its integration in the district's science curricula. Science supervisors have the role of providing curriculum and instructional support to science teachers and for implementing science programs. There is a fundamental need to assess the perceptions of inquiry held by greater Houston area science supervisors. Science supervisor refers to a class of job titles that include department chairperson, science specialist, science consultant, and science coordinator. The target population was greater Houston area science supervisors in Texas. This study suggests that there are three major implications for educational practice. First, there is the implication that responding greater Houston area science supervisors need an inclusive perception of inquiry. Second, responding greater Houston area science supervisors' perception of inquiry may affect the perceptions and understandings

  18. Effects of collaboration and inquiry on reasoning and achievement in biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Jamie Lee

    The primary purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two collaborative grouping strategies and two instructional methods in terms of gains in reasoning ability and achievement in college biology. In order to do so, a quasi-experimental study was performed in which students were placed in one of four treatment conditions: heterogeneous grouping within inquiry instruction, homogeneous grouping within inquiry instruction, heterogeneous grouping within non-inquiry instruction, and homogeneous grouping within non-inquiry instruction. Students were placed in groups based on initial reasoning level. Reasoning levels and achievement gains were assessed at the end of the study. Results showed that within non-inquiry instruction, heterogeneous mean group scores were higher in both reasoning and achievement than homogeneous groups. In contrast, within inquiry instruction, homogeneous mean group scores were higher in both reasoning and achievement. Inquiry instruction, as a whole, significantly outperformed non-inquiry instruction in the development of reasoning ability. Within inquiry instruction, low-ability students had significantly greater reasoning gains when grouped homogeneously. These results support Piaget's developmental theory and contradict Vygotsky's developmental theory. These results also suggest that the success of one grouping strategy over another is highly dependent upon the nature of instruction, which may be a cause for such conflicting views on grouping strategies within the educational literature. In addition, inquiry instruction led to students having greater confidence in their reasoning ability as well as a more positive attitude toward collaboration. Instructional implications are discussed.

  19. On comparative inquiry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moutsios, Stavros

    of self‐reflexivity and self-questioning in the Greek polis gave also rise to the genuine interest in the institutions of the cultural ‘other’. Impartiality in the study of the others’ institutions started in Greece and it was closely associated with the signification that physis (nature) should......The paper explores the origins of comparative studies, which as it argues are located in Ancient Greece. Greece is not only the place where the school was born, but it is also there where the interest in and inquiry of the institutions of other societies, including education, emerged. The rise...... to know better their own society through comparison. Cross-cultural examination in this regard informed further the Greeks’ self-reflexivity. By going through a set of historical sources and contemporary literature, the paper will elaborate on the emergence of cross-cultural and comparative inquiry...

  20. Improvement of Inquiry in a Complex Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pedaste, Margus; Kori, Külli; Maeots, Mario; de Jong, Anthonius J.M.; Riopel, Martin; Smyrnaiou, Zacharoula

    2016-01-01

    Inquiry learning is an effective approach in science education. Complex technology-enhanced learning environments are needed to apply inquiry worldwide to support knowledge gain and improvement of inquiry skills. In our study, we applied an ecology mission in the SCY-Lab learning environment and

  1. Implementing e-network-supported inquiry learning in science

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Williams, John; Cowie, Bronwen; Khoo, Elaine

    2013-01-01

    The successful implementation of electronically networked (e-networked) tools to support an inquiry-learning approach in secondary science classrooms is dependent on a range of factors spread between teachers, schools, and students. The teacher must have a clear understanding of the nature......-construct knowledge using a wide range of resources for meaning making and expression of ideas. These outcomes were, however, contingent on the interplay of teacher understanding of the nature of science inquiry and school provision of an effective technological infrastructure and support for flexible curriculum...... of inquiry, the school must provide effective technological infrastructure and sympathetic curriculum parameters, and the students need to be carefully scaffolded to the point of engaging with the inquiry process. Within this study, e-networks supported students to exercise agency, collaborate, and co...

  2. Recommendations to enhance constructivist-based learning in Interprofessional Education using video-based self-assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dahmen, Uta

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Interprofessional collaboration is crucial to the optimization of patient care.Aim: This paper aims to provide recommendations for implementing an innovative constructivist educational concept with the core element of video-based self-assessment.Methodology: A course for students in medicine, physiotherapy, and nursing was developed through interprofessional, cross-institutional collaboration. The course consisted of We evaluated the preparation and implementation of the three courses conducted thus far. Concrete recommendations for implementation were made based on evaluation sheets (students, open discussions (tutors, instructors, institutions and recorded meeting minutes (project managers, project participants.Results: Basic recommendations for implementation include: selecting appropriate criteria for self-assessment and a simulated situation that offers members of each professional group an equal opportunity to act in the role play. In terms of administrative implementation we recommend early coordination among the professions and educational institutions regarding the target groups, scheduling and attendance policy to ensure participant recruitment across all professions. Procedural planning should include developing teaching materials, such as the case vignette and treatment scenario, and providing technical equipment that can be operated intuitively in order to ensure efficient recording.Conclusion: These recommendations serve as an aid for implementing an innovative constructivist educational concept with video-based self-assessment at its core.

  3. Teaching population health and community-based care across diverse clinical experiences: integration of conceptual pillars and constructivist learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valentine-Maher, Sarah K; Van Dyk, Elizabeth J; Aktan, Nadine M; Bliss, Julie Beshore

    2014-03-01

    Nursing programs are challenged to prepare future nurses to provide care and affect determinants of health for individuals and populations. This article advances a pedagogical model for clinical education that builds concepts related to both population-level care and direct care in the community through a contextual learning approach. Because the conceptual pillars and hybrid constructivist approach allow for conceptual learning consistency across experiences, the model expands programmatic capacity to use diverse community clinical sites that accept only small numbers of students. The concept-based and hybrid constructivist learning approach is expected to contribute to the development of broad intellectual skills and lifelong learning. The pillar concepts include determinants of health and nursing care of population aggregates; direct care, based on evidence and best practices; appreciation of lived experience of health and illness; public health nursing roles and relationship to ethical and professional formation; and multidisciplinary collaboration. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

  4. Co-decision in the European Parliament: Comparing Rationalist and Constructivist Explanations of the Returns Directive

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariadna Ripoll Servent

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available This study uses rationalist and constructivist explanations of co-decision in the European Parliament (EP. It seeks to understand the change in the policy preferences of the EP during negotiations on the ‘Returns’ directive – dealing with the voluntary or compulsory return of irregular immigrants. This article shows that the introduction of co-decision contributed considerably to the EP’s change of stance on immigration policies. A long-standing advocate of civil liberties in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ, the EP was expected to raise the standards of protection for third-country nationals. In view of the inability of the EP to construct a more liberal policy, the study uses two institutionalist approaches to understand why the EP was unsuccessful in raising the standards. Therefore, the approaches aim at identifying the logics and layers of change. The empirical application of the models highlights the necessity to integrate rationalist and constructivist understandings of co-decision in order to understand motivations for policy change. Synergies in the direction of change also point to the importance of institutional motivations, in order to understand major changes in the policy preferences of the EP.

  5. From Mystery Seed to Mangrove Island

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frissell, Virginia

    2010-01-01

    Introducing a mystery object is an easy strategy to implement and allows teachers to pre-assess students' knowledge about local natural resources. Misconceptions can be noted as teachers record initial inquiries and wonderings on charts. Using the constructivist approach, students can explore and construct their learning as they continue to use…

  6. Contesting “Iraq”: a social constructivist explanation | Bailie ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Using social constructivism as a theoretical lens of inquiry, sense is made of this migration. The empirical evidence that accompanies this theoretical work is drawn from the debate over the conflict in Iraq. This debate is used as a means by which to bring the contestation over the notion of “civil war” to the fore and reveal the ...

  7. Genuine Inquiry: Widely Espoused Yet Rarely Enacted

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Fevre, Deidre M.; Robinson, Viviane M. J.; Sinnema, Claire E. L.

    2015-01-01

    The concept of inquiry is central to contemporary discussions of teacher and leader professional learning and problem solving in interpersonal contexts. However, while few would debate its value, there has been little discussion of the significant challenges inherent in engaging in genuine inquiry. In this article, we distinguish between genuine…

  8. Which Type of Inquiry Project Do High School Biology Students Prefer: Open or Guided?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadeh, Irit; Zion, Michal

    2012-10-01

    In teaching inquiry to high school students, educators differ on which method of teaching inquiry is more effective: Guided or open inquiry? This paper examines the influence of these two different inquiry learning approaches on the attitudes of Israeli high school biology students toward their inquiry project. The results showed significant differences between the two groups: Open inquiry students were more satisfied and felt they gained benefits from implementing the project to a greater extent than guided inquiry students. On the other hand, regarding documentation throughout the project, guided inquiry students believed that they conducted more documentation, as compared to their open inquiry peers. No significant differences were found regarding `the investment of time', but significant differences were found in the time invested and difficulties which arose concerning the different stages of the inquiry process: Open inquiry students believed they spent more time in the first stages of the project, while guided inquiry students believed they spent more time in writing the final paper. In addition, other differences were found: Open inquiry students felt more involved in their project, and felt a greater sense of cooperation with others, in comparison to guided inquiry students. These findings may help teachers who hesitate to teach open inquiry to implement this method of inquiry; or at least provide their students with the opportunity to be more involved in inquiry projects, and ultimately provide their students with more autonomy, high-order thinking, and a deeper understanding in performing science.

  9. Is Asia a 'Post-Religional' Society? The Post-Religional Paradigm and its Others

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Franklin Estepa Pilario

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses the relevance and applicability of the 'post-religional paradigm' as proposed by EATWOT (Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians in the Asian contexts. It also inquires on how the Asian phenomenon and its interpretations relate to the crisis of religions in Western societies. It attempts to answer this problematic through four steps: a summary of the theological proposal and its relationship with the Western sociologies of religion; a search for a viable framework with which to understand religions in post-secular societies; discussion on the "discourses of Asia" and the corresponding view on religion; an elaboration of my preferred framework with some examples from the Asian situation. I argue that a viable theological proposal on post-religional paradigm should start from the analysis of how religious discourses and practices navigate with concrete socio-historical forces on the ground. Consequent to this view is the assertion that there is no universal sociology/theology of religion's development but multiple and complex religious discourses in specific contexts.

  10. KEEFEKTIFAN METODE SCHOOLYARD INQUIRY TERHADAP PENINGKATAN PEMAHAMAN SCIENCE VOCABULARY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.D. Pamelasari

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Tantangan yang harus dihadapi dalam mengajar Bahasa Inggris di pada mahasiswa selain jurusan Bahasa Inggris adalah tingkat pemahaman kosakata yang rendah. Hal tersebut berpengaruh pada pemahaman materi mereka, berdasarkan permasalahan tersebut metode schoolyard inquiry digagas untuk membantu meningkatkan pemahaman mereka dalam memahami science vocabulary sebagai metode alternative untuk membantu mereka belajar. Schoolyard inquiry adalah metode belajar kosakata secara mandiri di luar kelas. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa pemahaman science vocabulary mahasiswa Pendidikan IPA FMIPA Unnes mengingkat secara signifikan dan mencapai tingkat tinggi pada level pemahamannya. Melalui metode ini mahasiswa juga dapat mengintegrasikan pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris dengan metode saintifik. Mahasiswa juga memberikan respon positif terhadap metode schoolyard inquiry  ini. The challenge that should be faced of teaching English for non English department students is the low level of students’ vocabulary mastery. It affects their comprehension of material, therefore to help students to master the science vocabulary schoolyard inquiry method was proposed to be used as alternative method to improve students’ vocabulary mastery. Schoolyard inquiry is a method of independent learning that is conducted outside the class. The result showed that the students’ science vocabulary mastery improved significantly most of students reached high level of science vocabulary mastery. Through Schoolyard Inquiry method Students were be able to learn English by applying the scientific skill. The students also gave positive responses of learning vocabulary by using alternatif method of schoolyard inquiry.

  11. Inquiry-Based Instruction in the Social Studies: Successes and Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beshears, Crystal M.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions, understanding, and use of inquiry-based instruction in the social studies, to assess the impact of inquiry-based units on instruction, to detail implementation successes and challenges reported by teachers when implementing inquiry-based instruction, and to provide…

  12. Socio-Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, James David

    The focus of this work is the introduction and description of a quasi-new concept called socio-communication. In chapter 1 the term "socio communication" is defined as "human interaction, among and between different classes of people, by means of verbal and nonverbal expression in day-to-day social situations." In chapter 2 social communication…

  13. Impeding Phenomena Emerging from Students' Constructivist Online Game-Based Learning Process: Implications for the Importance of Teacher Facilitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jong, Morris Siu-yung; Shang, Junjie

    2015-01-01

    "Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Learning Environment" ("VISOLE") is a pedagogical approach to integrating constructivist online game-based learning (COGBLe) into formal teaching in school education. This paper reports a qualitative case study on the implementation of VISOLE (in secondary Geography education) in which we…

  14. Sustaining inquiry-based teaching methods in the middle school science classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Amy Fowler

    This dissertation used a combination of case study and phenomenological research methods to investigate how individual teachers of middle school science in the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) program sustain their use of inquiry-based methods of teaching and learning. While the overall context for the cases was the AMSTI program, each of the four teacher participants in this study had a unique, individual context as well. The researcher collected data through a series of interviews, multiple-day observations, and curricular materials. The interview data was analyzed to develop a textural, structural, and composite description of the phenomenon. The Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) was used along with the Assesing Inquiry Potential (AIP) questionnaire to determine the level of inquiry-based instruction occuring in the participants classrooms. Analysis of the RTOP data and AIP data indicated all of the participants utilized inquiry-based methods in their classrooms during their observed lessons. The AIP data also indicated the level of inquiry in the AMSTI curricular materials utilized by the participants during the observations was structured inquiry. The findings from the interview data suggested the ability of the participants to sustain their use of structured inquiry was influenced by their experiences with, beliefs about, and understandings of inquiry. This study contributed to the literature by supporting existing studies regarding the influence of teachers' experiences, beliefs, and understandings of inquiry on their classroom practices. The inquiry approach stressed in current reforms in science education targets content knowledge, skills, and processes needed in a future scientifically literate citizenry.

  15. The influence of democratic racism in nursing inquiry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilario, Carla T; Browne, Annette J; McFadden, Alysha

    2018-01-01

    Neoliberal ideology and exclusionary policies based on racialized identities characterize the current contexts in North America and Western Europe. Nursing knowledge cannot be abstracted from social, political and historical contexts; the task of examining the influence of race and racial ideologies on disciplinary knowledge and inquiry therefore remains an important task. Contemporary analyses of the role and responsibility of the discipline in addressing race-based health and social inequities as a focus of nursing inquiry remain underdeveloped. In this article, we examine nursing's engagement with ideas about race and racism and explore the ways in which nursing knowledge and inquiry have been influenced by race-based ideological discourses. Drawing on Henry and Tator's framework of democratic racism, we consider how strategic discursive responses-the discourses of individualism, multiculturalism, colour-blindness, political correctness and denial-have been deployed within nursing knowledge and inquiry to reinforce the belief in an essentially fair and just society while avoiding the need to acknowledge the persistence of racist discourses and ideologies. Greater theoretical, conceptual and methodological clarity regarding race, racialization and related concepts in nursing inquiry is needed to address health and social inequities. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Using Peer Feedback to Improve Students' Scientific Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tasker, Tammy Q.; Herrenkohl, Leslie Rupert

    2016-02-01

    This article examines a 7th grade teacher's pedagogical practices to support her students to provide peer feedback to one another using technology during scientific inquiry. This research is part of a larger study in which teachers in California and Washington and their classes engaged in inquiry projects using a Web-based system called Web of Inquiry. Videotapes of classroom lessons and artifacts such as student work were collected as part of the corpus of data. In the case examined, Ms. E supports her students to collectively define "meaningful feedback," thereby improving the quality of feedback that was provided in the future. This is especially timely, given the attention in Next Generation Science Standards to cross-cutting concepts and practices that require students discuss and debate ideas with each other in order to improve their understanding and their written inquiry reports (NGSS, 2013).

  17. Pre-Service Science Teachers in Xinjiang "Scientific Inquiry" - Pedagogical Content Knowledge Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yufeng; Xiong, Jianwen

    2012-01-01

    Scientific inquiry is one of the science curriculum content, "Scientific inquiry" - Pedagogical Content Knowledge is the face of scientific inquiry and teachers - of course pedagogical content knowledge and scientific inquiry a teaching practice with more direct expertise. Pre-service teacher training phase of acquisition of knowledge is…

  18. Students Learn How Nonprofits Utilize Volunteers through Inquiry-Based Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolton, Elizabeth B.; Brennan, M. A.; Terry, Bryan D.

    2009-01-01

    This article highlights how undergraduate students implemented inquiry-based learning strategies to learn how nonprofit organizations utilize volunteers. In inquiry-based learning, students begin with a problem or question with some degree of focus or structure provided by the professor. The student inquiry showcased in this article was based on a…

  19. The WebQuest: constructing creative learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanford, Julie; Townsend-Rocchiccioli, Judith; Trimm, Donna; Jacobs, Mike

    2010-10-01

    An exciting expansion of online educational opportunities is occurring in nursing. The use of a WebQuest as an inquiry-based learning activity can offer considerable opportunity for nurses to learn how to analyze and synthesize critical information. A WebQuest, as a constructivist, inquiry-oriented strategy, requires learners to use higher levels of thinking as a means to analyze and apply complex information, providing an exciting online teaching and learning strategy. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all of the information learners work with comes from the web. This article provides an overview of the WebQuest as a teaching strategy and provides examples of its use. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  20. Kindergarten Teachers' Understanding of the Elements of Implementing Inquiry-Based Science Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blevins, Kathryn

    The purpose of this basic qualitative research study was to identify the extent to which kindergarten teachers understand and implement inquiry-based instruction in their science classrooms. This study was conducted in response to the indication that traditional didactic teaching methods were not enough to adequately prepare American students to compete in the global economy. Inquiry is a teaching method that could prepare students for the critical thinking skills needed to enter society in the 21st century. It is vital that teachers be sufficiently trained in teaching using the necessary components of inquiry-based instruction. This study could be used to inform leaders in educational administration of the gaps in teachers' understanding as it pertains to inquiry, thus allowing for the delivery of professional development that will address teachers' needs. Existing literature on inquiry-based instruction provides minimal information on kindergarten teachers' understanding and usage of inquiry to teach science content, and this information would be necessary to inform administrators in their response to supporting teachers in the implementation of inquiry. The primary research question for this study was "To what extent do kindergarten teachers understand the elements of implementing inquiry-based lessons in science instruction?" The 10 participants in this study were all kindergarten teachers in a midsized school district in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data were collected using face-to-face semistructured interviews, observations of the teachers implementing what they perceived to be inquiry-based instruction, and the analysis of lesson plans to indicate the components used to plan for inquiry-instruction. The findings of this study indicated that while teachers believed inquiry to be a beneficial method for teaching science, they did not understand the components of inquiry and tended to implement lesson plans created at the district level. By

  1. Inquiry and Groups: Student Interactions in Cooperative Inquiry-Based Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woods-McConney, Amanda; Wosnitza, Marold; Sturrock, Keryn L.

    2016-01-01

    Science education research has recommended cooperative inquiry based science in the primary science context for more than two decades but after more than 20 years, student achievement in science has not substantially improved. This study, through direct observation and analysis, investigated content-related student interactions in an authentic…

  2. An investigation of children's levels of inquiry in an informal science setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark-Thomas, Beth Anne

    Elementary school students' understanding of both science content and processes are enhanced by the higher level thinking associated with inquiry-based science investigations. Informal science setting personnel, elementary school teachers, and curriculum specialists charged with designing inquiry-based investigations would be well served by an understanding of the varying influence of certain present factors upon the students' willingness and ability to delve into such higher level inquiries. This study examined young children's use of inquiry-based materials and factors which may influence the level of inquiry they engaged in during informal science activities. An informal science setting was selected as the context for the examination of student inquiry behaviors because of the rich inquiry-based environment present at the site and the benefits previously noted in the research regarding the impact of informal science settings upon the construction of knowledge in science. The study revealed several patterns of behavior among children when they are engaged in inquiry-based activities at informal science exhibits. These repeated behaviors varied in the children's apparent purposeful use of the materials at the exhibits. These levels of inquiry behavior were taxonomically defined as high/medium/low within this study utilizing a researcher-developed tool. Furthermore, in this study adult interventions, questions, or prompting were found to impact the level of inquiry engaged in by the children. This study revealed that higher levels of inquiry were preceded by task directed and physical feature prompts. Moreover, the levels of inquiry behaviors were haltered, even lowered, when preceded by a prompt that focused on a science content or concept question. Results of this study have implications for the enhancement of inquiry-based science activities in elementary schools as well as in informal science settings. These findings have significance for all science educators

  3. Fictional Inquiry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dindler, Christian; Iversen, Ole Sejer

    At designe i en fortællemæssig ramme giver brugere og designere mulighed for i fællesskab at udforske fremtidens it-anvendelser. Metoden hedder Fictional Inquiry, og den motiverer brugerne til at tænke ud over dagligdagens begrænsninger og sætte ord på ting i hverdagen, som ellers er svære...

  4. Comparing Generativist and Constructivist Accounts of the Use of the Past Tense Form in Early Child Japanese

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatsumi, Tomoko; Pine, Julian M.

    2016-01-01

    The present study investigated children's early use of verb inflection in Japanese by comparing a generativist account, which predicts that the past tense will have a special default-like status for the child during the early stages, with a constructivist input-driven account, which assumes that children's acquisition and use of inflectional forms…

  5. Promoting Shared Decision Making through Descriptive Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seher, Rachel; Traugh, Cecelia; Cheng, Alan

    2018-01-01

    This article shows how City-As-School, a progressive public school in New York City, used descriptive inquiry to deepen shared decision making, which is a central value of the school and part of a democratic way of life. Descriptive inquiry is a democratic knowledge-making process that was developed at the Prospect School in North Bennington,…

  6. Active Science as a Contribution to the Trauma Recovery Process: Preliminary Indications with Orphans from the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perrier, Frederic; Nsengiyumva, Jean-Baptiste

    2003-01-01

    Constructivist, hands-on, inquiry-based, science activities may have a curative potential that could be valuable in a psychological assistance programme for child victims of violence and war. To investigate this idea, pilot sessions were performed in an orphanage located in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, with seven young adults and two groups of 11 children…

  7. Problem based learning: enhancing constructivist activities and engagement by fostering online knowledge sharing

    OpenAIRE

    Malik, Manish

    2009-01-01

    PBL was first introduced in medical education as a pure constructivist activity. This was popularly known as the McMaster approach [1]. Later, as can be seen in the literature [2], [4]-[10], there were several different implementations of PBL. There is no single definition of what is classed as a PBL activity. Similarly, there is no one approach reported to be the only successful approach. Sharing of knowledge and discussions based on this knowledge are the hall mark of any successful PBL bas...

  8. Developing a Dual-Level Capabilities Approach: Using Constructivist Grounded Theory and Feminist Ethnography to Enhance the Capabilities Approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Kia M. Q.

    2014-01-01

    In this study, a dual-level capabilities approach to development is introduced. This approach intends to improve upon individual-focused capabilities approaches developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Based upon seven months of ethnographic research in the Afro-descendant, autochthonous Garifuna community of Honduras, constructivist grounded…

  9. A Theoretical Model for Meaning Construction through Constructivist Concept Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badie, Farshad

    The central focus of this Ph.D. research is on ‘Logic and Cognition’ and, more specifically, this research covers the quintuple (Logic and Logical Philosophy, Philosophy of Education, Educational Psychology, Cognitive Science, Computer Science). The most significant contributions of this Ph.D. di...... of ‘learning’, ‘mentoring’, and ‘knowledge’ within learning and knowledge acquisition systems. Constructivism as an epistemology and as a model of knowing and, respectively as a theoretical model of learning builds up the central framework of this research........D. dissertation are conceptual, logical, terminological, and semantic analysis of Constructivist Concept Learning (specifically, in the context of humans’ interactions with their environment and with other agents). This dissertation is concerned with the specification of the conceptualisation of the phenomena...

  10. Refining Inquiry with Multi-Form Assessment: Formative and summative assessment functions for flexible inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuiker, Steven; Reid Whitaker, J.

    2014-04-01

    This paper describes the 5E+I/A inquiry model and reports a case study of one curricular enactment by a US fifth-grade classroom. A literature review establishes the model's conceptual adequacy with respect to longstanding research related to both the 5E inquiry model and multiple, incremental innovations of it. As a collective line of research, the review highlights a common emphasis on formative assessment, at times coupled either with differentiated instruction strategies or with activities that target the generalization of learning. The 5E+I/A model contributes a multi-level assessment strategy that balances formative and summative functions of multiple forms of assessment in order to support classroom participation while still attending to individual achievement. The case report documents the enactment of a weeklong 5E+I/A curricular design as a preliminary account of the model's empirical adequacy. A descriptive and analytical narrative illustrates variable ways that multi-level assessment makes student thinking visible and pedagogical decision-making more powerful. In light of both, it also documents productive adaptations to a flexible curricular design and considers future research to advance this collective line of inquiry.

  11. A socio-technical approach for improving a Brazilian shoe manufacturing system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renner, J S; de M Guimarães, L B; de Oliveira, P A B

    2012-01-01

    This article presents a macroergonomic intervention in a footwear company in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to improve both the quality of life of the employees and productivity by optimizing the traditional Taylor/Ford work organization. Multi-functionality and team working were implemented as means of making tasks more flexible and richer and the working hours were changed. The results showed a reduction in human and material resource costs and a consequent improvement in health and workers quality of life. Although middle managerial staff displayed strong resistance to the project and to breaking traditional production paradigms, the socio-technical system has been implemented throughout the plant and is expected to end up becoming the benchmark for other companies in the sector. Macro-ergonomics, footwear industry, organization work.

  12. The Sizewell inquiry - is there a better way

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenhalgh, G.

    1984-01-01

    The author sees the Inquiry as the latest in a line arising from government's wish to achieve greater public participation in controversial decisions. He believes that the Sizewell Inquiry is unlikely to shake the public out of its apathy, while a decision that goes against them will not satisfy the objectors. The concept of the Inquiry is based on the belief that the legal process will unearth objective truth, while most of the issues are matters of opinion and judgement. The wide-ranging terms of reference are leading to constitutional anomalies and attempts to take on Herculean tasks in the search for objective truth. However, while concluding that an Inquiry Commission adopting a legal approach and following courtroom procedures is not a satisfactory way of dealing with large-scale technological projects, the author finds it hard to suggest alternatives short of more direct parliamentary control. (author)

  13. Public Inquiry Data - Report on Incoming, Pending, and Completed Inquiries - FY 2015 Onward

    Data.gov (United States)

    Social Security Administration — This dataset provides data on the number of new incoming, pending, and completed inquiries by quarter. The data source is the Electronic Management of Assignments...

  14. 29 CFR 1604.7 - Pre-employment inquiries as to sex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Pre-employment inquiries as to sex. 1604.7 Section 1604.7... DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE OF SEX § 1604.7 Pre-employment inquiries as to sex. A pre-employment inquiry may ask “Male... directly or indirectly any limitation, specification, or discrimination as to sex shall be unlawful unless...

  15. The implementation of a social constructivist approach in primary science education in Confucian heritage culture: the case of Vietnam

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vu Thu Hang, N.; Meijer, M.R.; Bulte, A.M.W.; Pilot, A.

    2015-01-01

    Social constructivism has been increasingly studied and implemented in science school education. Nevertheless, there is a lack of holistic studies on the implementation of social constructivist approach in primary science education in Confucian heritage culture. This study aims to determine to what

  16. Dilemmas of Teaching Inquiry in Elementary Science Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, William J., Jr.; Abell, Sandra K.; Hubbard, Paula D.; McDonald, James; Otaala, Justine; Martini, Mariana

    2004-01-01

    Because various definitions of inquiry exist in the science education literature and in classroom practice, elementary science methods students and instructors face dilemmas during the study of inquiry. Using field notes, instructor anecdotal notes, student products, and course artifacts, science methods course instructors created fictional…

  17. Narrative inquiry: a relational research methodology for medical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clandinin, D Jean; Cave, Marie T; Berendonk, Charlotte

    2017-01-01

    Narrative research, an inclusive term for a range of methodologies, has rapidly become part of medical education scholarship. In this paper we identify narrative inquiry as a particular theoretical and methodological framework within narrative research and outline its characteristics. We briefly summarise how narrative research has been used in studying medical learners' identity making in medical education. We then turn to the uses of narrative inquiry in studying medical learners' professional identity making. With the turn to narrative inquiry, the shift is to thinking with stories instead of about stories. We highlight four challenges in engaging in narrative inquiry in medical education and point toward promising future research and practice possibilities. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

  18. Study of the Influence of Social Relationships among Students on Knowledge Building Using a Moderately Constructivist Learning Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Fernando; Manrique, Daniel; Martínez, Loïc; Viñes, José M.

    2015-01-01

    The main objective of higher education institutions is to educate students to high standards to proficiently perform their role in society. Elsewhere we presented empirical evidence illustrating that the use of a blended learning approach to the learning process that applies a moderate constructivist e-learning instructional model improves…

  19. Characteristics and trends of drug and dietary supplement inquiries by college athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambrose, Peter J; Tsourounis, Candy; Uryasz, Frank D; Patterson, Eric

    2013-01-01

    To characterize the types of drug and dietary supplement inquiries submitted to the National Center for Drug Free Sport through the Resource Exchange Center (REC). Cross-sectional study. United States, from July 2009 through June 2010. Athletes and athletic personnel associated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Tabulation and classification of drugs and dietary supplement inquiries. Characteristics and trends of drug and dietary supplement inquiries. Inquiries for prescription medications for albuterol inhalers, methylphenidate, amphetamines, and prednisone were the most common using a drug lookup function. The most common inquiries for over-the-counter medications included pseudoephedrine, loratadine, cetirizine, and caffeine. Among dietary supplements, inquiries for amino acids/metabolites, vitamins and minerals, and herbal products occurred most frequently. One dietary supplement, N.O.-Xplode (Bio-Engineered Supplements and Nutrition, Inc.), accounted for the majority of individual dietary supplement inquiries. Banned substances accounted for 30% of all inquiries submitted to the REC and 18% of medications searched in a drug lookup database. Almost 25,000 inquiries were submitted to the REC. Pharmacists can use this information to advise, counsel, and refer NCAA athletes regarding the use of banned and permitted substances. Education programs regarding stimulants, dietary supplements, and the risk of using substances such as animal byproducts are needed, and pharmacists can participate in these programs.

  20. The nuclear inquiry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clement, K.J.

    1987-01-01

    Opposition to nuclear energy facilities has increased considerably in Scotland and Germany within the past two decades. The statutory institutions which exist in each country to consider formal objections to such developments have important differences, as do the licensing or planning processes of which they form an integral part. In Britain, the initiation of judicial review following public inquiries is very rare, due to the limited grounds within which this would be possible. By contrast, there has been a very high referral of nuclear power station decisions to the administrative courts in Germany, but the number is now declining as cases are invariably found in favour of the developers. The comparative examination of case studies reveals that objectors' interests may best be served, in terms of achieving policy influence, by acting outside the restrictions of the statutory planning and legal systems. The Scottish public inquiry is revealed as the more flexible institution and one which allows a much greater degree of public participation. (author)

  1. The contribution of formative assessment and self-efficacy to inquiry learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dolin, Jens; Evans, Robert Harry

    2013-01-01

    This chapter suggests the use of formative assessment in inquiry lessons as a helpful source of positive personal capacity beliefs for both teachers and students. The challenge most commonly experienced when first using inquiry learning methods is that pupils and even teachers become uncertain...... of their abilities to use inquiry and ‘give-up’ on it. With the use of formative assessment combined with conscious efforts to increase self-efficacy among students, teachers can help provide students with the confidence and motivation to engage in inquiry methods. Such student engagement can in-turn affirm teachers......’ inquiry teaching efforts and raise the likelihood that they will continue to improve them. We see inquiry methods as the motor for changing teacher practice and formative assessment methods combined with capacity beliefs as the fuel that keeps the motor running. The central position of the chapter is how...

  2. A new call for quality. Shifting the paradigm for development policy in Greece through competitions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelos Psilopoulos

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper is following up on Kouzelis, Psilopoulou and Psilopoulos (2010, where it was partly suggested that skipping architectural competitions in favour of a quantitative (i.e., fiscal approach was a prevailing paradigm for the building procurement policy in Greece at the time. Here the aim is to trace a notable shift from that paradigm by reviewing three case studies: the case of the UpTo35 competition conducted as part of a private development scheme, the case of two ideas competitions organized by architecture review GreekArchitects.gr as part of an open discourse on politics and urban issues, and finally a general turn in policy by the ‘Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change including a new legislative framework aiming to establish a central role for architectural competitions in the development of public space. As these cases are studied in terms of narrative inquiry, the focus will be primarily on the incentives behind them and a proposal that they all find themselves on common ground by the narrative of simply ‘breaking with past practices’, in addition to introducing the notion of quality, not by prescribing it in qualificatory terms but rather by simply supporting and safeguarding it in both policy and will.

  3. Incorporation of constructivist assumptions into problem-based instruction: a literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kantar, Lina

    2014-05-01

    The purpose of this literature review was to explore the use of distinct assumptions of constructivism when studying the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) on learners in undergraduate nursing programs. Content analysis research technique. The literature review included information retrieved from sources selected via electronic databases, such as EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Sage Publications, SLACK Incorporation, Springhouse Corporation, and Digital Dissertations. The literature review was conducted utilizing key terms and phrases associated with problem-based learning in undergraduate nursing education. Out of the 100 reviewed abstracts, only 15 studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. Four constructivist assumptions based the review process allowing for analysis and evaluation of the findings, followed by identification of issues and recommendations for the discipline and its research practice in the field of PBL. This literature review provided evidence that the nursing discipline is employing PBL in its programs, yet with limited data supporting conceptions of the constructivist perspective underlying this pedagogical approach. Three major issues were assessed and formed the basis for subsequent recommendations: (a) limited use of a theoretical framework and absence of constructivism in most of the studies, (b) incompatibility between research measures and research outcomes, and (c) brief exposure to PBL during which the change was measured. Educators have made the right choice in employing PBL as a pedagogical practice, yet the need to base implementation on constructivism is mandatory if the aim is a better preparation of graduates for practice. Undeniably there is limited convincing evidence regarding integration of constructivism in nursing education. Research that assesses the impact of PBL on learners' problem-solving and communication skills, self-direction, and motivation is paramount. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. IMPLEMENTASI METODE INQUIRY UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR BIOLOGI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. H. Agustanti

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar biologi pada siswa kelas VIIE SMP N 2 Wonosobo semester 1 tahun pelajaran 2010/2011 pada mata pelajaran biologi melalui Implementasi Metode Inquiry. Dari hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa Implementasi Metode Inquiry dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa pada mata pelajaran Biologi. Dari penelitian ini disarankan agar guru-guru mencari inovasi-inovasi baru yang dapat merangsang sehingga proses pembelajaran lebih bermakna. The purpose of this research is to improve the learning result for first semester students of SMP N 2 Wonosobo VIIE class in the academic year 2010/2011 in the Biology subject using Inquiry method. From the research, it can be concluded that the implementation of Inquiry method can improve the learning result in the Biology subject. Base don the research result it can be suggested that the teacher can find the new innovation to stimulate students’ motivation in order to make the learning process to be more significant.

  5. Understanding Acid-Base Concepts: Evaluating the Efficacy of a Senior High School Student-Centred Instructional Program in Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahayu, Sri; Chandrasegaran, A. L.; Treagust, David F.; Kita, Masakazu; Ibnu, Suhadi

    2011-01-01

    This study was a mixed quantitative-qualitative research to evaluate the efficacy of a designed student-centred instructional (DSCI) program for teaching about acids and bases. The teaching innovation was designed based on constructivist, hands-on inquiry and context-based approaches and implemented in seven 45-min lessons with a class of 36 grade…

  6. Preservice science teachers' experiences with repeated, guided inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slack, Amy B.

    The purpose of this study was to examine preservice science teachers' experiences with repeated scientific inquiry (SI) activities. The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) stress students should understand and possess the abilities to do SI. For students to meet these standards, science teachers must understand and be able to perform SI; however, previous research demonstrated that many teachers have naive understandings in this area. Teacher preparation programs provide an opportunity to facilitate the development of inquiry understandings and abilities. In this study, preservice science teachers had experiences with two inquiry activities that were repeated three times each. The research questions for this study were (a) How do preservice science teachers' describe their experiences with repeated, guided inquiry activities? (b) What are preservice science teachers' understandings and abilities of SI? This study was conducted at a large, urban university in the southeastern United States. The 5 participants had bachelor's degrees in science and were enrolled in a graduate science education methods course. The researcher was one of the course instructors but did not lead the activities. Case study methodology was used. Data was collected from a demographic survey, an open-ended questionnaire with follow-up interviews, the researcher's observations, participants' lab notes, personal interviews, and participants' journals. Data were coded and analyzed through chronological data matrices to identify patterns in participants' experiences. The five domains identified in this study were understandings of SI, abilities to conduct SI, personal feelings about the experience, science content knowledge, and classroom implications. Through analysis of themes identified within each domain, the four conclusions made about these preservice teachers' experiences with SI were that the experience increased their abilities to conduct inquiry

  7. Hacia una visión constructivista del Duelo Going to a constructivist model of grief

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martín Rodríguez Alvaro

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Recientemente NANDA ha revisado su diagnóstico 00136 Duelo (antes Duelo anticipado. La nueva definición de este diagnóstico aprobado en 1980, incluye sutiles cambios que identifican al fenómeno como un proceso normal que incluye respuestas emocionales, físicas, espirituales, intelectuales y sociales. Esto supone un paso hacia la adopción desde la disciplina enfermera de una visión constructivista del duelo, desbancando las corrientes tradicionales que impregnan nuestro trabajo diario. En este artículo, pretendemos acercar al lector a una concepción de la muerte y el duelo desde una postura constructivista, estableciendo comparaciones entre esta tendencia y teorías tradicionales.Recently NANDA has modified his diagnosis 00136 Grief (previously titled "Aticipatory Grieving". The new definition of this diagnosis - dates back of 1980 - includes aspects like emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social answers to the grief; that identifies the grief as a normal response to loss. This supposes that nursing is going to a constructivist model (contemporary theory, not adopting traditional perspectives. In this article, we try to bring the reader over to a conception of the death, the grief and loss from a cognitive-constructivist model, doing a comparisons with traditional theories.

  8. Social - Ethical Commitment of Teaching Personnel from the Paradigm of Complexity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marilú del Valle Parra Rojas

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is ethically social compromise and teachers from the perspective of complexity in educational institutions. In principle, the researchers turn to the literature review framed in socio-critical theories that permeate teaching action from its social commitment with authors like Garcia and Martinez; also cites Rodrigo Morin and from an ethical perspective. Then perform the recognition of the scenario that allows them to contextual and geographical description where the "Hero Nigale" National Basic School, likewise made the approach to the context in which the investigation was carried out and subsequently socio-political aspects of the municipality Valmore Rodriguez described; then selected in the research process community is involved, which allows collecting information through conversations and interviews with key informants; thus generating awareness spaces for reflection and discussion with stakeholders. the qualitative paradigm is inserted under the participatory action research method IAP according Latorre (2010, applying the interview technique for teachers who work in the institution. The results of this research reveal in educational interest to overcome the weaknesses in the educational process, likewise strengthen oriented social transformation practices, which involves being responsible, equitable, fair, focused on building citizens capable of being, apprehend, live and coexist with others in the same society.

  9. Use of Technology-Assisted Techniques of Mind Mapping and Concept Mapping in Science Education: A Constructivist Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balim, Ali Günay

    2013-01-01

    The study aims to investigate the effects of using mind maps and concept maps on students' learning of concepts in science courses. A total of 51 students participated in this study which used a quasi-experimental research design with pre-test/post-test control groups. The constructivist-inspired study was carried out in the sixth-grade science…

  10. Comparing the perceptions of scientific inquiry between experts and practitioners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gooding, Julia Terese Chembars

    The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the perception of scientific inquiry between experts and practitioners, and, if a difference was shown to exist, to analyze those perceptions in order to better understand the extent of that difference or gap. A disconnect was found between how experts and practitioners perceived scientific inquiry. The practitioners differed from both the experts and the literature in three key areas. First, although the teachers indicated that students would be manipulating materials, there was no direct reference to this manipulation actually being performed for the purpose of investigating. Second, the practitioners implied active physical engagement with materials, but they did not tie this to active mental engagement or direct involvement in their own learning. Third, teachers omitted their role in laying the foundation for inquiry. Though classroom teachers lacked a complete understanding of true inquiry and its place in the K-12 classroom, most of them actually believed they were practicing the art of teaching via inquiry. Additionally, two other points of interest arose. First, an examination of the national standards for a number of curricular areas established that the process skills of scientific inquiry are mirrored in those standards, implying that inquiry is not limited to the sciences. Second, a definition of inquiry was formulated based upon interviews with experts in the field. Although the literature and the experts were in unison in their definition, there was a disparity between the accepted definition and that provided by the teachers. The struggle for a comprehensive understanding of inquiry continues to this day. It might very well be that the concept still remains elusive partly because the teacher behaviors associated with it run counter to more traditional methods of instruction...methods that most teachers have experienced throughout their own educational careers. The most pervasive

  11. Health care providers' use of a drug information service for pregnancy-related inquiries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Avinash S; Patil, Neelima P; Lewis, Ashley N; Swamy, Geeta K; Murtha, Amy P

    2014-01-01

    To characterize pregnancy and lactation-related medication inquiries to a drug information center to identify classes of medications of most concern to providers. A secondary objective was to identify any trends in provider inquiries over the study period. A retrospective descriptive study of pregnancy and lactation-related inquiries to the University of North Carolina Health Care System Drug Information Center database between January 2001 and December 2010. University of North Carolina Health Care System Drug Information Center. Provider inquiries and responses were extracted and characterized by indication for treatment and reason for inquiry. Comparison of the first and second 5-year periods was performed to delineate trends. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's Exact and χ2 tests were used for analysis. Inquiry origin, time, and subject. 433 inquiries were retrieved over the study period from physicians (50%), pharmacists (21%), and nurses (18%). Inquiries were most often made during the antepartum period (34%), followed by the postpartum (28%) and preconception (22%) periods. The most frequent indications for inquiry were psychiatry (15%) and infectious diseases (14%), which remained constant throughout the study period. Safety was the most common reason for inquiry (52%). The responses provided to callers were limited due to lack of information availability 37% of the time. Psychiatry and infectious disease-related indications are the most frequent subjects of provider inquiry regarding medication use in pregnancy. Rates of inquiry remained constant throughout the past decade in most therapeutic areas. These findings are consistent with previous observations in other developed countries and suggest high-yield areas for pharmacist education.

  12. "Martian Boneyards": Sustained Scientific Inquiry in a Social Digital Game

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asbell-Clarke, Jordis

    Social digital gaming is an explosive phenomenon where youth and adults are engaged in inquiry for the sake of fun. The complexity of learning evidenced in social digital games is attracting the attention of educators. Martian Boneyards is a proof-of-concept game designed to study how a community of voluntary gamers can be enticed to engage in sustained, high-quality scientific inquiry. Science educators and game designers worked together to create an educational game with the polish and intrigue of a professional-level game, striving to attract a new audience to scientific inquiry. Martian Boneyards took place in the high-definition, massively multiplayer online environment, Blue Mars, where players spent an average of 30 hours in the game over the 4-month implementation period, with some exceeding 200 hours. Most of the players' time was spent in scientific inquiry activities and about 30% of the players' in-game interactions were in the analysis and theory-building phases of inquiry. Female players conducted most of the inquiry, in particular analysis and theory building. The quality of scientific inquiry processes, which included extensive information gathering by players, and the resulting content were judged to be very good by a team of independent scientists. This research suggests that a compelling storyline, a highly aesthetic environment, and the emergent social bonds among players and between players and the characters played by designers were all responsible for sustaining high quality inquiry among gamers in this free-choice experience. The gaming environment developed for Martian Boneyards is seen as an evolving ecosystem with interactions among design, players' activity, and players' progress.

  13. Didaktiske paradigmer og refleksion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Torben Spanget

    2014-01-01

    analysis of subject didactics by Sigmund Ongstad. The two positions offer fundamentally different insights into didactics. Nielsen’s position establishes didactics as a knowledge domain and Ongstad’s position points to the dynamics of subject didactics by analyzing communication as a basic aspect. Krogh...... this article. A possible utilitarian didactical paradigm, already indicated by Krogh as a historical paradigm prominent in our time, is also discussed. It is suggested that reflection could be seen as a normative response to the utilitarian paradigm, and not as a paradigm in its own right. It is concluded...

  14. Nudging toward Inquiry: Strategies for Searching for and Finding Great Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fontichiaro, Kristin, Comp.

    2010-01-01

    Inquiry does not replace information literacy; rather, it encompasses it. Inquiry-based learning invites school librarians to step into all aspects of instructional planning, from activating prior knowledge straight through to reflection. Libraries pursuing inquiry-based instruction are building on the bedrock of information literacy, not starting…

  15. Which Type of Inquiry Project Do High School Biology Students Prefer: Open or Guided?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadeh, Irit; Zion, Michal

    2012-01-01

    In teaching inquiry to high school students, educators differ on which method of teaching inquiry is more effective: Guided or open inquiry? This paper examines the influence of these two different inquiry learning approaches on the attitudes of Israeli high school biology students toward their inquiry project. The results showed significant…

  16. Democracy and the Sizewell inquiry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armstrong, J.

    1987-01-01

    In this paper the brief summary of selected procedural aspects of the Sizewell Inquiry indicates that the way in which major and controversial planning proposals are subject to public debate is in need of urgent review. The Sizewell Inquiry fell short of public expectation, and indeed of Government promises, on two major counts; it did not provide a forum for the debate of certain questions which are clearly of utmost importance and concern to the nuclear issue, while its semi-judicial format and unbalanced funding effectively discouraged and often prevented the level of participation which many objecting parties sought. The Government's assurance of a 'full and fair' debate proved to be hollow and in some quarters this has served to increase scepticism of the stated desire for public involvement in nuclear decision-making. Of the major controversies which have been in the subject of public inquiries in recent years, nuclear power is clearly one of the most challenging. It brings together an extremely varied band of objectors which, in the light of recent radioactive leakages from Windscale, future plans for waste storage facilities and the proposed plutonium reprocessing plant at Dounreay, promises only to grow

  17. Integrating Appreciative Inquiry (AI into architectural pedagogy: An assessment experiment of three retrofitted buildings in the city of Glasgow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashraf M. Salama

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Recently there has been a growing trend to encourage learning outside the classrooms, so-called ‘universities without walls.’ To this end, mechanisms for learning beyond the boundaries of classroom settings can provide enhanced and challenging learning opportunities. This paper introduces Appreciative Inquiry (AI as a mechanism that integrates various forms of inquiry into learning. AI is operationalized as a Walking Tour assessment project which was introduced as part of the class Cultural and Behavioural Factors in Architecture and Urbanism delivered at the Department of Architecture, University of Strathclyde – Glasgow where thirty-two Master of Architecture students were enrolled. The Walking Tour assessment involved the exploration of 6 factors that delineate key design characteristics in three retrofitted buildings in Glasgow: Theatre Royal, Reid Building, and The Lighthouse. Working in groups, students assessed factors that included context, massing, interface, wayfinding, socio-spatial, and comfort. Findings reveal that students were able to focus on critical issues that go beyond those adopted in traditional teaching practices while accentuating the value of introducing AI and utilizing the built environment as an educational medium. Conclusions are drawn to emphasize the need for structured learning experiences that enable making judgments about building qualities while effectively interrogating various characteristics.

  18. Winnicott's paradigm outlined

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeljko Loparic

    Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to present a unified view of Winnicott’s contribution to psychoanalysis. Part I (Sections 1-4 starts off by recalling that, according to some important commentators, Winnicott introduced a change in paradigms in psychoanalysis. In order to show that this change can be viewed as an overall “switch in paradigms”, in the sense given by T. S. Kuhn, this paper presents an account of the Kuhn’s view of science and offers a reconstruction of Freud’s Oedipal, Triangular or “Toddler-in-the-Mother’s-Bed” Paradigm. Part II (Sections 5-13 shows that as early as the 1920’s Winnicott encountered insurmountable anomalies in the Oedipal paradigm and, for that reason, started what can be called revolutionary research for a new framework of psychoanalysis. This research led Winnicott, especially during the last period of his life, to produce an alternative dual or “Baby-on-the-Mother’s-Lap” Paradigm. This new paradigm is described in some detail, especially the paradigmatic dual mother-baby relation and Winnicott’s dominant theory of maturation. Final remarks are made regarding Winnicott’s heritage and the future of psychoanalysis.

  19. Data-Intensive Science Meets Inquiry-Driven Pedagogy: Interactive Big Data Exploration, Threshold Concepts, and Liminality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramachandran, R.; Nair, U. S.; Word, A.

    2014-12-01

    Threshold concepts in any discipline are the core concepts an individual must understand in order to master a discipline. By their very nature, these concepts are troublesome, irreversible, integrative, bounded, discursive, and reconstitutive. Although grasping threshold concepts can be extremely challenging for each learner as s/he moves through stages of cognitive development relative to a given discipline, the learner's grasp of these concepts determines the extent to which s/he is prepared to work competently and creatively within the field itself. The movement of individuals from a state of ignorance of these core concepts to one of mastery occurs not along a linear path but in iterative cycles of knowledge creation and adjustment in liminal spaces - conceptual spaces through which learners move from the vaguest awareness of concepts to mastery, accompanied by understanding of their relevance, connectivity, and usefulness relative to questions and constructs in a given discipline. With the explosive growth of data available in atmospheric science, driven largely by satellite Earth observations and high-resolution numerical simulations, paradigms such as that of data-intensive science have emerged. These paradigm shifts are based on the growing realization that current infrastructure, tools and processes will not allow us to analyze and fully utilize the complex and voluminous data that is being gathered. In this emerging paradigm, the scientific discovery process is driven by knowledge extracted from large volumes of data. In this presentation, we contend that this paradigm naturally lends to inquiry-driven pedagogy where knowledge is discovered through inductive engagement with large volumes of data rather than reached through traditional, deductive, hypothesis-driven analyses. In particular, data-intensive techniques married with an inductive methodology allow for exploration on a scale that is not possible in the traditional classroom with its typical

  20. Fast and Low-Complexity Simulations of the Inquiry Time in Bluetooth

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Figueiras, Joao; Schwefel, Hans-Peter

    2006-01-01

    The timing behavior of the Inquiry Procedure in Bluetooth is relevant for several important functionalities, in particular topology formation and localization. The detailed Inquiry procedure is rather complex and simulation models may become inefficient if they implement the full detailed...... specification. This paper presents an abstracted model to approximate the distribution of Bluetooth inquiry time for scenarios in which multiple Bluetooth nodes perform the inquiry procedure. The abstracted model leads to a simple algorithm which can be used in simulation models to generate samples from...

  1. Narratives of Inquiry Learning in Middle-School Geographic Inquiry Class

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuisma, Merja

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed at modifying a teaching and learning model for a geographic inquiry to enhance both the subject-related skills of geography and so-called twenty-first century skills in middle-school students (14-15 years old). The purpose of this research is to extend our understanding of the user experiences concerning certain tools for learning…

  2. Fostering early adolescents’ motivation : A longitudinal study into the effectiveness of social constructivist, traditional and combined schools for prevocational education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stroet, Kim; Opdenakker, Marie-Christine; Minnaert, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    Over the past decades, many schools have adapted towards social constructivism with the aim of enhancing students’ motivation. There are a variety of perspectives in educational theory, with social constructivist views standing in contrast to traditional views. Hence, we compared students’

  3. Mapping Science in Discourse-based Inquiry Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeneayhu, Demeke Gesesse

    Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate how discourse-based inquiry science lessons provided opportunities for students to develop a network of semantic relations among core ideas and concepts in science. It was a naturalistic inquiry classroom lessons observation study on three science teachers--- a middle school science teacher and two high school physics teachers in an urban school district located in the Western New York region. Discourse and thematic analysis drawn from the theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics were utilized as guiding framework and analysis tools. Analysis of the pre-observation and post-observation interviews of the participant teachers revealed that all of the three teachers participated in at least one inquiry-based science teaching teacher professional development program and they all thought their classroom teaching practice was inquiry-based. Analysis of their classroom lesson videos that each participant teacher taught on a specific science topic revealed that the middle school teacher was found to be a traditional teacher-dominated classroom whereas the two high school physics teachers' classroom teaching approach was found to be discourse-based inquiry. One of the physics teachers who taught on a topic of Magnetic Interaction used relatively structured and guided-inquiry classroom investigations. The other physics teacher who taught on a topic of Color Mixing utilized open-ended classroom investigations where the students planned and executed the series of classroom science investigations with minimal guidance from the teacher. The traditional teacher-based classroom communicative pattern was found to be dominated by Triadic Dialogue and most of the science thematics were jointly developed by the teacher and the students, but the students' role was limited to providing responses to the teacher's series questions. In the guided-inquiry classroom, the common communicative pattern was found to be True Dialogue and most

  4. Learning as change: Responding to socio-scientific issues through informal education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Lauren Brooks

    Informal learning is an important venue for educating the general public about complex socio-scientific issues: intersections of scientific understanding and society. My dissertation is a multi-tiered analysis of how informal education, and particularly informal educators, can leverage learning to respond to one particular socio-scientific issue: climate change. Life-long, life-wide, and life-deep learning not only about the science of climate change, but how communities and society as a whole can respond to it in ways that are commensurate with its scale are necessary. In my three-article dissertation, I investigated the changes in practice and learning that informal educators from a natural history museum underwent in the process of implementing a new type of field trip about climate change. This study focused on inquiry-based learning principles taken on by the museum educators, albeit in different ways: learner autonomy, conversation, and deep investigation. My second article, a short literature review, makes the argument that climate change education must have goals beyond simply increasing learners' knowledge of climate science, and proposes three research-based principles for such learning: participation, relevance, and interconnectedness. These principles are argued to promote learning to respond to climate change as well as increased collective efficacy, necessary for responding. Finally, my third article is an in-depth examination of a heterogeneous network of informal educators and environmental professionals who worked together to design and implement a city-wide platform for informal climate change learning. By conceptualizing climate change learning at the level of the learning ecology, educators and learners are able to see how it can be responded to at the community level, and understand how climate change is interconnected with other scientific, natural, and social systems. I briefly discuss a different socio-scientific issue to which these

  5. Students' attitude-related responses to inquiry learning in undergraduate kinesiology laboratory instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henige, Kimberly Ann

    The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the student attitudes are impacted when teaching methods in an undergraduate Kinesiology lab course shift from a traditional, cookbook-style, low inquiry-level to an investigative, high inquiry-level approach. Students participated in five weeks of Level 0-1 (low) inquiry activities, followed by five weeks of a Level 3 (high) inquiry project. The same Likert-scale survey was administered to students before and after each 5-week period. The attitudes measured by the survey included students' (a) attitude to scientific inquiry, (b) adoption of scientific attitudes, (c) enjoyment of science lessons, and (d) motivation in science. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed no significant change in any of the attitude measures when the survey results from the different time points were compared. An open-ended qualitative survey was given to the students at the end of the semester and provided more insight. When asked to compare the low and high-level inquiry experiences, most students reported enjoying the higher level of inquiry more. On the other hand, most students felt they learned more during the low inquiry-level activities. The reported level of motivation in lab was about the same for both levels. When asked what they liked most about the high-level inquiry project, students favored aspects such as the independence, responsibility, and personal relevance. When asked what they liked the least, most students said there was nothing they disliked. Of the minority of students who did not like the high-level of inquiry, most claimed to be uncomfortable with the lack of structure and guidance. Other findings were that many students expressed a new or increased respect and appreciation for what scientists do. Some students experienced a decrease in their reliance on science to be true and correct. While some students thought the high-level inquiry was harder, others perceived it as being easier. These findings illustrate

  6. Martian Boneyards: Scientific Inquiry in an MMO Game

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asbell-Clarke, Jodi; Edwards, Teon; Rowe, Elizabeth; Larsen, Jamie; Sylvan, Elisabeth; Hewitt, Jim

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on research of a game designed for scientific inquiry in a new and publicly available massively-multiplayer online environment (MMO). Educators and game designers worked together to create a highly immersive environment, a compelling storyline, and research-grounded tools for scientific inquiry within the game. The designers…

  7. Appreciative Inquiry and Implementation Science in Leadership Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleich, Michael R; Hessler, Christine

    2016-05-01

    Appreciative inquiry was developed to initiate and animate change. As implementation science gains a foothold in practice settings to bridge theory, evidence, and practice, appreciative inquiry takes on new meaning as a leadership intervention and training tool. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(5):207-209. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  8. Les enjeux socio-environnementaux du développement durable en Amérique du Sud. Considérations à partir du cas colombien

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oscar Navarro

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Parler du développement durable dans le contexte des pays émergents tels ceux de l’Amérique Latine et particulièrement la Colombie, implique d’aborder le caractère conflictuel lié à la possibilité d’y atteindre les buts de ce paradigme du développement. Il est donc nécessaire de connaitre les obstacles sociopolitiques et culturels que rencontrent ces sociétés (corruption et instabilité institutionnelle, conflit armé, pauvreté, etc.. Étudier la base et les dynamiques psychosociales des conflits socio-environnementaux permet de mieux comprendre ces obstacles, mais aussi de dégager des réponses afin de mieux gérer ces tensions. Le cas de la Colombie et plus particulièrement des conflits autour de l’eau dans la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta nous permettent d’illustrer nos propos.Talk about sustained development in emergent countries such as in Latin America and specifically Colombia, implies to tackle the conflicting character linked to the possibility to aim the objectives of this development paradigm. It is so necessary to know socio-political and cultural obstacles these societies meet (corruption and institutional instability, armed conflict, poverty, etc…. Study socio-environmental conflict’s bases and psychosocial dynamics help to better understand these obstacles, but also to find out answers to better manage this pressure. Colombia’s case and water conflicts in the “Sierra de Santa Marta” above all will allow us to give an illustration of this matter.

  9. Content Analysis of Suicide Notes as a Test of the Motivational Component of the Existential-Constructivist Model of Suicide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, James R.; Bromley, Jamie L.; McNally, Christopher J.; Lester, David

    2007-01-01

    A sample of 40 suicide notes were analyzed for motivational content in relation to an existential-constructivist theory of suicide. Results generally supported the 4 theoretical categories of somatic, relational, spiritual, and psychological motivations, with 39 notes having content that could be classified according to the aforementioned…

  10. Teacher and student reflections on ICT-rich science inquiry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Williams, John; Otrel-Cass, Kathrin

    2017-01-01

    and different ways for students to engage with, explore and communicate science ideas within inquiry. Sample: This project developed case studies with 6 science teachers of year 9 and 10 students, with an average age of 13 and 14 years in three New Zealand high schools. Teacher participants in the project had...... varying levels of understanding and experience with inquiry learning in science. Teacher knowledge and experience with ICT were equally diverse. Design and Methods: Teachers and researchers developed initially in a joint workshop a shared understanding of inquiry, and how this could be enacted. During......Background: Inquiry learning in science provides authentic and relevant contexts in which students can create knowledge to solve problems, make decisions and find solutions to issues in today’s world. The use of electronic networks can facilitate this interaction, dialogue and sharing, and adds...

  11. The (non)making/becoming of inquiry practicing science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Ajay; Muzaffar, Irfan

    2012-03-01

    Teacher education programs have adopted preparing science teachers that teach science through inquiry as an important pedagogic agenda. However, their efforts have not met with much success. While traditional explanations for this failure focus largely on preservice science teachers' knowledge, beliefs and conceptions regarding science and science teaching, this conceptual paper seeks to direct attention toward discursive practices surrounding inquiry science teaching in teacher education programs for understanding why most science teachers do not teach science through inquiry. The paper offers a theoretical framework centered on critical notions of subjection and performativity as a much needed perspective on making/becoming of science teachers through participation in discursive practices of science teacher education programs. It argues that research based on such perspectives have much potential to offer a deeper understanding of the difficult challenges teacher education programs face in preparing inquiry practicing science teachers.

  12. Rejecting renewables: The socio-technical impediments to renewable electricity in the United States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sovacool, Benjamin K.

    2009-01-01

    If renewable power systems deliver such impressive benefits, why do they still provide only 3 percent of national electricity generation in the United States? As an answer, this article demonstrates that the impediments to renewable power are socio-technical, a term that encompasses the technological, social, political, regulatory, and cultural aspects of electricity supply and use. Extensive interviews of public utility commissioners, utility managers, system operators, manufacturers, researchers, business owners, and ordinary consumers reveal that it is these socio-technical barriers that often explain why wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydroelectric power sources are not embraced. Utility operators reject renewable resources because they are trained to think only in terms of big, conventional power plants. Consumers practically ignore renewable power systems because they are not given accurate price signals about electricity consumption. Intentional market distortions (such as subsidies), and unintentional market distortions (such as split incentives) prevent consumers from becoming fully invested in their electricity choices. As a result, newer and cleaner technologies that may offer social and environmental benefits but are not consistent with the dominant paradigm of the electricity industry continue to face comparative rejection.

  13. Rejecting renewables. The socio-technical impediments to renewable electricity in the United States

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sovacool, Benjamin K. [Energy Governance Program, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (Singapore)

    2009-11-15

    If renewable power systems deliver such impressive benefits, why do they still provide only 3 percent of national electricity generation in the United States? As an answer, this article demonstrates that the impediments to renewable power are socio-technical, a term that encompasses the technological, social, political, regulatory, and cultural aspects of electricity supply and use. Extensive interviews of public utility commissioners, utility managers, system operators, manufacturers, researchers, business owners, and ordinary consumers reveal that it is these socio-technical barriers that often explain why wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydroelectric power sources are not embraced. Utility operators reject renewable resources because they are trained to think only in terms of big, conventional power plants. Consumers practically ignore renewable power systems because they are not given accurate price signals about electricity consumption. Intentional market distortions (such as subsidies), and unintentional market distortions (such as split incentives) prevent consumers from becoming fully invested in their electricity choices. As a result, newer and cleaner technologies that may offer social and environmental benefits but are not consistent with the dominant paradigm of the electricity industry continue to face comparative rejection. (author)

  14. Rejecting renewables: The socio-technical impediments to renewable electricity in the United States

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sovacool, Benjamin K., E-mail: bsovacool@nus.edu.s [Energy Governance Program, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (Singapore)

    2009-11-15

    If renewable power systems deliver such impressive benefits, why do they still provide only 3 percent of national electricity generation in the United States? As an answer, this article demonstrates that the impediments to renewable power are socio-technical, a term that encompasses the technological, social, political, regulatory, and cultural aspects of electricity supply and use. Extensive interviews of public utility commissioners, utility managers, system operators, manufacturers, researchers, business owners, and ordinary consumers reveal that it is these socio-technical barriers that often explain why wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydroelectric power sources are not embraced. Utility operators reject renewable resources because they are trained to think only in terms of big, conventional power plants. Consumers practically ignore renewable power systems because they are not given accurate price signals about electricity consumption. Intentional market distortions (such as subsidies), and unintentional market distortions (such as split incentives) prevent consumers from becoming fully invested in their electricity choices. As a result, newer and cleaner technologies that may offer social and environmental benefits but are not consistent with the dominant paradigm of the electricity industry continue to face comparative rejection.

  15. Panel Discussion: Creating a Spirit of Inquiry in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leh, Sandra Kundrik; Melincavage, Sharon M.

    2012-01-01

    A paucity of published literature exists related to the use of panel discussion as a teaching strategy. This article describes the panel discussion, the underpinnings of constructivism and the use of panel discussion to create a constructivist classroom environment. Details of planning, evaluating, and challenges of a panel discussion are also…

  16. How is the Inquiry Skills of Biology Preservice Teachers in Biotechnology Lecture?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayat, M. S.; Rustaman, N. Y.

    2017-09-01

    This study was to investigate the inquiry skills of biology pre-service teachers in one teachers college in Central Java in biotechnology lecture. The method used is a case study of 29 biology preservice teacher. Data were collected using observation sheets, questionnaires, and interview guidelines. Research findings collected through questionnaires show that most students are accustomed to asking questions and formulating biotechnology issues; Skilled in conducting experiments; Skilled in obtaining relevant information from various sources; As well as skilled at processing, analyzing and interpreting data. Based on observation: lectures are not dominated by lecturers, students are able to solve problems encountered and conduct investigations. Based on the interview towards lecturers: students are always actively involved in questioning, investigation, inquiry, problem solving and experimenting in lectures. Why do most students show good inquiry skills? Because students are accustomed to invited inquiry in biology lectures. The impact, the students become more ready to be invited to do more advanced inquiry, such as real-world application inquiry, because the skill of inquiry is essentially trained.

  17. Bridging Theory and Practice: Developing Guidelines to Facilitate the Design of Computer-based Learning Environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa D. Young

    2003-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. The design of computer-based learning environments has undergone a paradigm shift; moving students away from instruction that was considered to promote technical rationality grounded in objectivism, to the application of computers to create cognitive tools utilized in constructivist environments. The goal of the resulting computer-based learning environment design principles is to have students learn with technology, rather than from technology. This paper reviews the general constructivist theory that has guided the development of these environments, and offers suggestions for the adaptation of modest, generic guidelines, not mandated principles, that can be flexibly applied and allow for the expression of true constructivist ideals in online learning environments.

  18. Overcoming the socio-technical divide: A long-term source of hope in feminist studies of computer science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corinna Bath

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available The dichotomy of the technical and the social is strongly gendered in western thought. Therefore, potential dissolutions of the socio-technical divide have always been a source of hope from a feminist point of view. The starting point of this contribution are recent trends in the computer science discipline, such as the new interaction paradigm and the concept of ‘social machines’, which seem to challenge the borderline of the technical as opposed to the social and, thereby, refresh promises for changes in the gender-technology relationship. The paper primarily explores the entanglement between the socio-technical divide and the structural-symbolic gender order on the basis of historical academic discourses in German computer science. Thereby, traditions of critical thinking in the German computer science discipline and related feminist voices are introduced. A reflection of these historical discourses indicates that ‘interaction’ and ‘social machines’ are contested zones, which call for feminist intervention.

  19. Peer Inquiry: Discovering What You Know through Dialogue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wix, Linney; John-Steiner, Vera

    2008-01-01

    The article discusses a dialogical peer inquiry process as a practice of co-constructing knowledge in graduate coursework. The process, formerly structured as an exam, was developed by Dr. Vera John-Steiner more than 30 years ago and has been implemented in adapted forms by her students in their teaching. The dialogical peer inquiry process…

  20. FILE: a tool for the study of inquiry learning.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hulshof, C.D.; Wilhelm, P.; Beishuizen, J.J.; Beishuizen, J.J.; van Rijn, H.

    2005-01-01

    A computerized learning environment (Flexible Inquiry Learning Environment; FILE) is discussed. FILE allows researchers in inquiry learning to design, administer, and analyze learning tasks in which content domain and task complexity can be configured independently, while other factors (e.g., the