Investigates how discursive practices in a physics class were constrained by social forces associated with the larger context. Reports that in addition to constructivism, belief sets that shaped the enacted curriculum related to time, content coverage, and examinations. Provides examples of students accepting the viability of scientific claims…

Explores students' conceptual understanding and conceptual growth in classical mechanics in the natural context of a grade 10 science classroom. Findings indicate that students' knowledge structures remained stable across the 10 weeks and remained unchanged 4 weeks after instruction ceased. Contains 30 references. (Author/JRH)

Discusses von Glasersfeld's view of constructivism in science and mathematics educational research and practice. Provides a social constructivist alternative to von Glaserfeld's subjectivist constructivism. Discusses the practical art of experimental construction and objectivity in science education. (Author/JRH)

Provides an historical perspective on the theory of constructivism and its application to science education in museum settings. Reviews the contributions of John Dewey and Jean Piaget to theories of learning associated with constructivist thought. (DDR)

Describes a study of college students that examined the instructional effectiveness of four text design strategies based on prescriptions derived from different perspectives: the Generic text approach, the Behaviorist-based approach, the Cognitivist-based approach, and the SOI (Structure of Intellect) Constructivist-based approach, on the…

Provides a background and several definitions for the topic of constructivism. Hopes to provide the public with a better understanding of what constructivism is and how it can be used to further successful instructional processes. (MVL)

Describes a study that explored the parameter-related misconceptions of two college students in an introductory programming course. Explains how they were able to construct correctly functioning modular programs by making adjustments to formal parameter lists; discusses results within a constructivist framework; and suggests implications for…

Explores the possibility of theory integration in career development and counseling, focusing primarily on bridging the gap between objectivist/positivistic and constructivist approaches. The potentiality of combining concepts from varied theories into a preliminary framework is discussed. (Contains 41 references.) (GCP)

This case presentation describes a Narrative- Constructivist Therapy approach for working with couples. The figure-ground metaphor is introduced as a way to understand how certain negative experiences and interpretations can become the predominant focus for couples. When couples become trapped in the troublesome same-old story of their…

Describes a case study of the social construction of knowledge when undergraduate students are engaged in collaborative analysis of repertory grids produced by themselves and their instructor. Results indicate that this approach motivates students to be responsible for their own learning, allows students to communicate their understanding, and…

Presents a review and analysis of major reform efforts in science education and summarizes the Constructivist Learning Theory. Contends that changes in teaching, not curriculum, are the key to effective reform. (51 references) (Author/MKR)

Reflective journal writing helps individuals garner information about themselves and construct larger meanings. Techniques include freewriting; list making; describing one-minute in-depth, writing dialogues; and envisioning the future. (SK)

Children who are taught a skill often fail to recognize that the new skills can be used to solve a similar problem in a different setting. Teachers need to help students develop conditionalized knowledge that includes information about the conditions and the restraints of its use. (JOW)

In this cross-cultural study, underlying constructs for environmental education were compared using faculty responses from Ohio State University and the National Taiwan University. Four constructs were identified as important elements for environmental education at both universities: environmental ethics, population and quality of life,…

Contends that constructivist teaching pedagogy helps children learn to reason about the world. Notes that children are encouraged to become active learners and to discover meaning in their own world, not only in preformed ideas or definitions of others. Discusses these issues and elaborates on them in form of dialogue. (Author/NB)