Constructivist and developmental metatheories offer foundations for prevention- and health-oriented counseling approaches that target the whole population. Proposes an assessment model in which the counselor is directed toward four specific dimensions of human construction and development: social context, life phase, constructive phase, and…

Used a systematic interpretive analysis of preschoolers' spontaneous narratives over the school year to study the development of their conceptions of the person. Found that girls constructed a socially embedded and interdependent person who becomes increasingly individuated and self-consciously responsible. Boys created a separate and agonistic…

Focuses on a current research project that examines the measurement of learner characteristics (multiple intelligence, learning style, learner ability), learner perceptions of the classroom (constructivist learning environment survey and views about teaching and learning), and learner constructs. (Author/MM)

Reports on a study of the impact of an initial teacher education program on the development of a conceptual change model of instruction in prospective biology teachers. Analyzes the performance of prospective teachers in teaching practices and achievement in the skills related to the instructional model. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/YDS)

Discusses a recent study of the nature of today's college students that revealed the importance of teaching hope as a means of empowering the transitional generation now attending college. This qualitative study reveals the nature of hope and despair and its effect on the learning process from the perspective of 32 college students. (Contains 19…

Within-group similarities and between-group differences are used to illustrate the socio-cultural nature of the concept-building process in highly collaborative computer science classrooms. Simultaneously, a social constructivist perspective is used to describe the individual aspects of this development. The study uses written explanations from…

An urgent need exists in teacher education programs to discern how technology-enhanced instruction with a constructivist orientation can be utilized in the design of dynamic, powerful learning communities. This article provides a conceptual framework that augments understanding of the effectiveness of technology infusion in teacher education. The…

This article presents a brief overview of developments in educational psychology over the last twenty-five years. It firstly presents an historical context by reviewing four basic emphases in educational psychology; cognitive psychology, behavioural psychology, social cognitive theory and humanism. The article then reviews the growth in cognitive…

In classroom settings, most problems are usually well defined, so students have little experience with open-ended problems. Technological design problems, however, are seldom well defined. The design process begins with broad ideas and concepts and continues in the direction of ever-increasing detail, resulting in an acceptable solution. So using…

A social constructivism model of ethical decision-making is summarized and related to the Canadian Counseling Association Code of Ethics. Social constructivism is described as an intellectual movement that allows for a biological and social conception of human understanding, thereby superceding or displacing psychological theory. The theoretical…

This article examines the role of professional judgement in the ethical decision-making process. Drawing on the personalist philosophy of John MacMurray, and the CCA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, the authors propose that a social constructivist approach involving dialogue and relationship complement the current internal psychologically…

In the spirit of the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996), many teachers attempt to have their students experience science in a constructivist, inquiry-oriented manner. The egg bungee jump activity will certainly support that mode of teaching, and has the added benefit of providing a concrete context within which students can explore…

This study was an exploration of the extent to which higher education tutors' perceptions of assessment were consistent with the construct of authenticity. Depth interviews with 12 academics sought views on what might constitute desirable assessment tasks and scoring methods to use with students. Summaries of transcribed interviews suggested that…

A few kilometers from the shores of Palm Beach County, Florida, is the Gulf Stream current--a remarkable "river" within an ocean. The current's journey across the Atlantic Ocean connects southeast Florida and southwest Great Britain as it streams steadily north at speeds of 97 km a day; moving 100 times as much water as all the rivers on…

In this paper, the author presents his arguments to Fox's premise that functional contextualism has an implications for designing instruction. Fox argues that functional contextualism is an alternative to constructivism because constructivism has not empirically demonstrated its effectiveness. However, the author finds this assertion troubling for…