Continues the discussion of postmodernism, constructivism, and multiculturalism presented in several recent publications of the "Journal of Mental Health Counseling." Besides providing an analysis of the junctures and distinctions among these three major conceptual forces, discusses their implications for mental health counseling practice.…

Describes the R2D2 (Reflective, Recursive Design and Development) model of constructivist instructional design. Highlights include participatory teams; progressive problem solution; phronesis, or contextual understanding; dissemination, including summative evaluation; and a new paradigm that shifts from the industrial age to the information age.…

Shares experiences of teaching probability from a constructivist perspective. Discusses the role of cognitive conflict, teaching the unit, and evaluation processes. (ASK)

Critically reviews radical critiques of multicultural education from a pedagogical perspective, revealing agreement between radical and multicultural discourse about transformative pedagogy, exemplifying a body of literature about pedagogical struggles not recognized by radical critics, and encouraging interchange between these groups in regard to…

Dominant values of conventional research are rigor, precision, elegance, objectivity, and verifiability. Constructivist research is valued for being responsive, rich, emergent, subjective, and creative. Practitioner research is useful, reflective in action, interactive, and intentional. (SK)

Proposes that situational factors in communities of practice should be considered when examining the social origins of knowledge and individual construction of it. Suggests that, because existing knowledge interacts with that from history, culture, and community, the roles of particular social circumstances in the construction of individuals'…

Meta-synthesis of problem posing and creativity in technology education addresses the following: (1) constructivist and sociocultural frameworks; (2) the concept of problem posing; (3) problem posing in mathematics learning; (4) problem solving in technology education; and (5) implications for technology education. Contains 87 references. (SK)

This approach to culture and cognition highlights dynamics through which cultural knowledge becomes operative in guiding the construction of meaning from a stimulus. Cognitive priming experiments simulated how bicultural people switch between cultural frames in response to culturally laden symbols. Results illuminate how cultural constructs are…

Compares functioning in biracial youth to white adolescents and other minority adolescents. Results suggest that biracial/biethnic youth are particularly vulnerable in terms of self-reported delinquency, school problems, internalizing symptoms, and self-regard. Discusses why this group may be particularly vulnerable from a social-constructionist…

Reviews Literature on constructivism and adult learning in order to derive principles for technology-based professional development and curriculum design. (Contains 29 references.) (SK)

Outlines the origins of constructivism and its two perspectives: radical and social. Describes the roles of teachers and learners in constructivist learning environments. Explores constructivism's relationship to theory and practice in the context of the New Right political environment in New Zealand. Contains 41 references. (SK)

Analyzes perceptions of staff members concerning difficulties facing students in a first-year chemistry program. Results indicate that the staff have very different views of student difficulties and how they should be overcome. Suggests that it is important for staff to engage in conversation about such issues and to develop an awareness of…

Argues that the most productive future directions for theory building and research in applied linguistics derive from the extent to which the field's investigators can enrich their conceptual framework and methods with insights from "constructivist" scholarly approaches. Focus is on three arenas in which such approaches and additional scholarship…

Responds to a previous article on constructive and constructivist challenges for applied linguistics. (Author/JL)

Explores and challenges a number of assumptions and claims commonly associated with a constructivist approach to science education. Suggests that constructivist ideas are noteworthy within primary education because they help justify classroom practices and activities that primary school teachers regard as important. Greater clarity and precision…