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The authors observe that many research papers in engineering education do not explicitly state the theoretical perspective underpinning their work. In this article they argue for the value of theory in assisting researchers in communicating their research findings. Three theoretical perspectives that can be used to support one's research are described, namely; positivism, constructivism and critical inquiry, and in each case examples of research questions that best match the particular framework are given. Researchers are advised to be aware of the limitations of each perspective and to use the one that best assists them in understanding and solving the problems they wish to address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching and librarianship are interrelated. This paper explores the author's experiences and views of working as a librarian in higher education, within the Australian University context. It perceives Australian University libraries and librarianship as aligning with Social Constructivist views on learning. Through drawing on information from professional practice, this paper considers the professional identities of librarians in a third-space paradigm, including in contributing to doctoral supervision. It examines teachers as curators and sees this observation of teaching yielding the view of librarians as teachers explicitly. It touches on the author's new awareness of librarians and their role in supporting assessment for learning. The paper puts forward the author's use of reflective practice to enhance teaching, and shares experiences in using the Technology Pedagogy Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to ensure reflective practice is focused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators are responsible for developing generic graduate capabilities, but the theoretical justification for teaching techniques is infrequently articulated. This conceptual paper aims to provide theory-informed principles to guide teaching practice in developing future-focused generic capabilities. The paper describes future-focused generic capabilities and then considers how cognitive constructivist, transformational and social learning theories inform the development of these capabilities. From these theories, four principles (4Es) for teaching generic capabilities are identified: students need to 1) be Enthused to develop personally relevant generic capabilities, 2) have opportunities to Explore by intellectually and emotionally connecting learning to processes, topics and situations, 3) develop by purposefully Extending their capabilities within varied and progressively more complex contexts, and 4) be given opportunities to Exhibit their capabilities. We contend that the development of generic capabilities can be informed by this set of principles. By unearthing and researching them, educators can become more versatile, informed, and impactful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This follow-up study presents a design-based research (DBR) setting implemented over a three-year project called 'eKidZ – Teach Your Parents Well' which uses research-based learning and follows the four phases of DBR. In an iterative cycle, 20 teenagers aged 14–16 took on the role of researchers and investigated intergenerational learning and the multiplier effects of students participating in the Climate Change Education project 'k.i.d.Z.21 – Competent into the Future' on their parents, using the complete research process. Simultaneously, scientists implemented and tested the DBR setting to validate student research findings and to evaluate the quality of the educational setting. In this fully integrated DBR, using multiple methods (quantitative and qualitative), educational and scientific perspectives are brought together to evaluate students' findings and draw conclusions regarding their learning effects. These research results demonstrate that not only did students generate valid and reliable research, but – when changing perspectives – teenagers also contribute to the discussion about closing the gaps in science education and practice. By examining young people's research on Climate Change Education and recognising their contribution in scientific discourse, this paper offers a host of new insights. Teenagers take on the role of researchers and perform reliable and valid research results on intergenerational learning and multiplier effects in Climate Change Education, by completing all phases of research-based learning. Design-based research is an effective method to combine science and education and thus delivering novel insights into science education and practice. High-quality Climate Change Education fosters constructive cooperation among all participants with inter – and intragenerational learning and multiplier effects. Constructivism, transdisciplinarity and research-based learning form the basis for effective design-based research and Climate Change Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of Digital Competence in teacher education has increased in recent years resulting in a range of digital competency frameworks aimed at guiding national and regional governments in their integration of digital competence in teacher education. The discourses and assumptions underpinning digital competence frameworks are discussed in this paper using two influential supra-national competency frameworks, the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers and the DigCompEdu, as examples. The theoretical reflection argues that several influences have shaped the current discourse. These influences include the rise of teacher performance and competency frameworks, the tradition of ranking teachers' levels of technology use and the techno-centric education discourses that align technology use with constructivist practices. Through this theoretical reflection, the paper raises questions about their use in, and implications for, teacher education arguing that, while such frameworks provide helpful guidance for policy makers and teacher educators, they may stifle teachers' professional autonomy and straight-jacket technology use in a linear and deterministic manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss the potential transformations to teach K-12 geometry topics with the technology of 3D Pens, which enabled 3D models to be created instantly via one's moving hands. I draw on an example of using constructionist learning activities with 3D Pens to teach young children, 'how tall is the triangle?' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-directed learning and creativity are critical workplace competences that are important to foster in formal educational settings. Previous studies have identified a relationship between self-directed learning and creativity, but the specific nature of this relationship is unclear. The purpose of the present theoretical paper is to examine through a literature review the possibility that creative learning outcomes can be supported through a self-directed learning process. The importance of considering self-directed learning in the context of adult learning – as a pragmatic learning process – is outlined. A conclusion is drawn that (1) creative learning outcomes are potentially supported through self-directed learning, and (2) in the process, teachers can provide support to learners in three distinct different ways. A variety of pragmatic educational activities that may enable self-directed learning and creative learning outcomes are discussed, including experiential learning; workplace simulations; and problem-, case-, and (e-) portfolio-based learning. In these activities, teacher support seems advantageous for many learners. The three distinct dimensions of teacher support identified in the present paper are important to consider in further empirical studies on self-directed learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As teaching and learning processes evolve in the wake of COVID−19, fresh thinking about the role of remote online learning (ROL) is critical as part of a wider reimagining of education in a post-pandemic context. In this paper, attention is focused on ROL within teacher education. This study sought to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions of their ROL experiences in a Fijian teacher education programme. The qualitative study design was informed by transactional distance theory. Using a narrative inquiry approach, data from 15 pre-service teachers were collected and analysed. Via individual interviews conducted online, the prospective teachers shared their perceptions about the nature of interactions experienced whilst engaged in ROL during the pandemic. Data were analysed thematically, in relation to instructional dialogue, course structure, and autonomy. In-depth analysis of rich data allowed main themes to emerge that captured the participants' viewpoints. Prominent themes in instructional dialogue revealed some concerns about the precedence of textual communication over verbal in ROL and the perception of emphasis on product over the process of learning. In terms of course structure, volume of assessment and teaching style were among aspects which participants identified as affecting learner-content engagement. Comments about learner autonomy suggested that the pre-service teachers sought positives amidst the difficulties encountered, whilst maintaining a focus on completing the assessments and passing the course. The analysis of pre-service teachers' experiences offers insight into how aspects of ROL may challenge participant engagement within elements of teacher education courses. It highlights the support that needs to be provided to prospective teachers in order to reduce transactional distance, suggesting that effective course design and instructional dialogue to promote learner autonomy are both crucial to sustainable teacher education in the post-pandemic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independent work and silent classrooms appear to be part of a wider discourse adopted by some schools across England and promoted as good practice by England's Education Secretary. This paper explores the effect of grouped and individual seating on the engagement of four boys in small group sessions teaching the English Language GCSE. Observations show how behaviour was detrimental when pupils were sat independently and in rows but improved when they were grouped together. The social constructivist elements of learning facilitated by grouped seating helped pupils find English relevant to their own lives and made the lesson more accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the hegemony of developmentalism in early childhood education and care, this article uses a poetic juxtapositional approach to bewilder Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Critical consideration of how the theory of cognitive development has contributed to the imagining of a universal, ahistorical child and childhood(s) are discussed and analysed whilst providing a rationale for a more complex and nuanced understanding of how children develop, drawing on the theoretical concept of clocking practices. This paper analyses data from Piaget's writing in 'The Origins of Intelligence in Children' and micro-ethical events from research with children, teachers, families from an affirmative diffractive stance through the lens of bewilderment. Creative poetic vignettes are included which encourage readers to unsettle dominant and deficit assumptions made about children and their abilities, framed by Piagetian theory. The insights are shared via three propositions: following learning experiences of and with children requires openness, forms of resistance to linear understandings of time are generative, and resist the desire to chase secure meanings and intentions. These propositions and the corresponding questions offer possibilities for seeing children's ideas and contributions through a capability-oriented lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following calls to 'bewilder' (Snaza 2013) the pioneers of early education, this article positions Montessori pedagogy as a 'desire path' that acts as resistance to normative policy-driven pathways in early childhood education and care. Desire paths are alternative tracks made aside from officially established walking routes. In this paper I think with the metaphor of pathways and desire paths positioning an educator's choice to practice Montessori pedagogy as an approach which wanders outside of mainstream qualifications and education. To do this, I take fragments of a professional life story that chart the agentic nature of choosing Montessori pedagogy as a way to problematise how walking that desire line challenges, and defies normative pathways. I also propose a re-reading of Montessori's pedagogy, not as pioneering but as nomadic, and suggest that social desire paths enable Montessori education to be viewed as multiple, situated, alternative tracks to prescribed pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research, primarily from pre-service teachers' perspectives, has found that teacher education programmes are not providing adequate preparation for constructivist pedagogy using information technology. This subject is pronounced in Ghana's teacher education programmes, where local research that investigates knowledge patterns in technology training methods and competencies pre-service teachers mainly acquire is also scarce. In addressing this gap, this paper describes a qualitative study that examined the reflective views and experiences of 20 in-service teachers regarding what was offered and missing in their pre-service training for digital pedagogy. Findings revealed teachers benefit from standalone educational technology courses, teacher educators modelling technology use, and curriculum activities requiring technology use. The knowledge pattern in these training methods suggests a prioritisation of technical skills acquisition that mostly supports traditional, teacher-centred teaching tasks. Factors impeding pedagogical development training are unpacked, along with the reasons behind misalignments between teacher education policy requirements, and actual pre-service technology training practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several student-centred and game-based approaches have developed in the last 40 years. Publications intended to describe the underlying theory and/or mechanics of each particular teaching/learning model have usually focused on modalities related to teacher-student interactions, taking into account the particular pedagogical content knowledge pertaining to the activities concerned. The extent to which a particular approach has students taking charge of their learning varies from one model to the other. Underlying learning theories, such as constructivism and nonlinear pedagogy, play an important role in explaining or justifying reasons for pedagogical choices. However, whatever approach is favoured by a teacher, there remains the matter of the regulation of learning in a student-centred teaching/learning environment. Purpose: The main purpose of this paper was to discuss the regulation procedures implemented in a particular team-sport related teaching/learning strategy called the 'Tactical-Decision Learning Model' (T-DLM). A second and preliminary objective was to examine various AfL models with regard to the regulation of learning. Scaffold of the paper: In the first section of the paper, a review of the literature is presented with regard to the diversity of the student-learning regulation construct, spreading from self-regulation to co-regulation and to shared/socially-shared regulation. In the second part of the paper, the authors discuss the regulation of tactical learning in team sports through the lens of T-DLM, considering the contribution of four basic features of the model: game-play in a small-sided game format, student observation, debate, road map, and their iterations. Conclusion: In a team-sport teaching/learning context, cooperative learning becomes, by definition, the pivotal characteristic of the learning and learning-regulation processes. Although ever present, self-regulation is intermingled with socially shared regulation in the sense that each student's self-regulation activities voluntarily mingle with that of his/her teammates to bring about a collective action plan. Due to its socio-constructivist foundation and particular features, T-DLM offers many opportunities for socially-shared regulation of learning and may, given the right conditions, open the way for socially-shared metacognitive awareness of learning-regulation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University libraries are constituted in the literature by a range of overlapping and shifting conceptual models that are deployed to capture, express and legitimise their repurposing, progressive status and function within the university campus. Over the last two decades university libraries have been increasingly characterised as highly responsive and receptive to the fast-moving currents of technological innovation, and emergent teaching and learning paradigms. This paper charts and discusses the evolutionary trajectory of the university library set within an historical context, exploring the discursive influences that have both stimulated and propagated what might be described as progressive transformation. The paper seeks to portray and unpack the Zeitgeist of the academic library that has been cultivated in contemporary times; positioning the university library against a backdrop of global developments that have shaped the university sector from the early 1990s, and offering a macro-level exploration of the increasing status of the university library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, there has been a strong focus on moving university teaching away from a so-called 'instructivist', lecture-centred mode, in which the focus is on what teachers are doing, towards a more student-centred 'constructivist' approach, centred on active learning and students' own constructions of knowledge. This paper considers the tensions and challenges raised by the ways in which constructivist ideas are being taken up in higher education, highlighting two particular issues (1) the positioning of curriculum knowledge as settled and easily transferable across modes of teaching; and (2) the neglect of important disciplinary differences as a result. These issues are explored in relation to two particular case studies of universities introducing new online learning reforms. These case studies show the problems potentially raised by the limited attention to curriculum in the push for more constructivist pedagogies, including a limited interpretation of what constructivist teaching entails and an inattention to the conditions required for its practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to contribute to the field of knowledge surrounding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) curricula with a view to filling a gap in ESD literature by identifying features that may help ESD course designers. The study asks the questions: what is taught in ESD courses in higher education? and what content do students say they like? Working within the constructivist tradition, this study involved two groups of participants: 13 ESD design/delivery participants from six universities based in five countries (Group One) and 737 ESD students (Group Two) from three of those universities. The overarching methodology of comparative analysis was used to address the research questions. Data collection included course learning materials, participant questionnaires, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and feedback on teaching. Group One data was analysed using comparative/descriptive analysis and reflexive thematic analysis was used for Group Two data. The methods were complementary to de/reconstruct data for comparability of features. NVivo software was employed to acquire results which are presented visually using tables and concept maps. The study identifies common content taught in stand-alone ESD courses and makes recommendations for course modelling based on Group One data contributions and what content Group Two say they like. The recommendations are presented as seven categories of consolidated curricular themes including science and sustainability based, contextually relevant, and futures hope. Consideration is given to student internal/external motivational domains and possible connection to curricular themes. Recommendations are practical and flexible, not prescriptive. The original contribution to knowledge lies in suggestions for ESD course content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental psychology has come a long way since Piaget proposed the first major theory of cognitive development. Although he laid much of the groundwork for understanding children's thinking, Piaget's notion of age-related stages has largely been refuted. Surprisingly, however, much of the literature concerning children's understanding of TV advertising is still couched in Piagetian terms, frequently in an attempt to identify the age at which children understand a particular aspect of advertising. In this paper we argue for the utility of more recent theories of development in furthering understanding of the nature of children's knowledge about television advertising. The models of Karmiloff-Smith (1992) and Siegler (1996) are discussed, providing a valid alternative to older age-stage models of development and placing more emphasis on non-verbal representations and cognitive variability. In the past an over-reliance on children's verbal responses may have led to an underestimation of what children really know. In this paper we argue that children can have knowledge that they are unable to articulate and that 'ways of knowing' is a more appropriate framework than 'age of knowing'. The study described investigated 73 children's understanding of the advocatory nature of messages produced for the purposes of self-promotion and for advertising. The findings suggest that, although young children may show a lack of understanding in their verbal responses, the use of non-verbal measures can reveal some implicit understanding in children from 4 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on children's response to advertising is dominated by positivistic and quantitative approaches and often addresses children's failure to understand advertising in an adult manner. This paper suggests that reliance on Piaget's theory of child development has restricted research on children and advertising, and calls for more attention to be given to theorists such as Erikson who offer broader accounts incorporating social and cultural issues. The paper builds a case for viewing children as active, socially and culturally situated consumers of advertising by reviewing meaning-based, reader-response and literacy approaches to advertising. It reports on a qualitative study (using photo diaries, individual interviews and small friendship group discussions) which sought a child's eye view of advertising experiences among 10-12 year-olds. The children shared a drive to obtain and demonstrate power in their everyday lives, and this led them to seek mastery, control and critical distance in their dealings with advertising. The study's implications are considered for advertising practitioners, researchers and public policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital play is a pedagogical construct used in early childhood to explain young children's engagement with technologies. Digital play draws upon theories of play to explain young children's learning with technologies. This paper proposes the further development of digital play by examining how the digital aspect of digital play may also be interpreted. This is achieved using the notion of technical code from critical constructivism to show how historically-valued knowledge shapes technology use in practice. Technical code illustrates how alternative knowledge sources can be used to remediate technological understandings in practice, known in sociocultural terms as new knowledge formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the redesign of an MSc module to enhance students’ engagement and learning through embedding social media technologies into the academic curriculum as a learning and assessment strategy, and in a complementary manner that facilitated and enhanced the achievement of the module’s learning outcomes. This paper describes the process and some of the components of the module redesign. Although the eventual redesign allowed for incorporation of social media both as a learning strategy and for assessment purposes, this paper is focused on use/application of social media in academic curriculum as a learning strategy. Grounding the new module in constructivist pedagogy, and an enquiry-based action learning model, the redesign leveraged the use of social media to expand the interrelational dimensions of students’ learning. This increased the students’ engagement and the depth and breadth of their learning, while enhancing their appreciation for e-professionalism and personal learning networks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Interest in the flipped classroom in higher education has burgeoned despite the literature revealing that the effects on assessment outcomes remain elusive. In this paper, we present the results of an empirical analysis designed to compare the impact on assessment outcomes of different approaches to the flipped classroom (didactic and non-didactic). Focusing on a cohort of Intermediate Economics students we investigated the influence of these approaches on their examination results by utilising an OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regression and probit followed by quantile regression. Our analysis revealed small positive effects when students were exposed to the 'non-didactic' flipped classroom but no effect when pre-lecture materials were used didactically to mimic the material given in traditional lectures. This study demonstrates the need for further meta-analysis and longitudinal studies to investigate the relationship between different forms of the flipped classroom and student assessment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream approaches in comparative education have paid more attention to trends in donors' priorities than to policy processes in recipient countries, overlooking the agency of national governments in the institutional configuration of vocational education and training (VET) in developing contexts. Drawing on constructivist political economy and historical institutionalist frameworks, the paper analyses the role played by global development paradigms and ideas in the VET policy reforms adopted in Chile during the period between 1964 and 2005. The study shows how the selective adoption of international development ideas in Chile was mediated by the ideological orientation of national government administrations in each historical period. It also shows how the main goals of VET policies evolved as the economy tertiarised and the demand for education grew among lower social classes. Finally, the paper identifies the military dictatorship as a path-shaping moment in the institutional configuration of VET in Chile, as it was able to impose a radical transformation of the system from central planning to decentralised market competition. This profound transformation generated institutional path-dependencies that restricted the capacity of future democratic governments to reverse the market model in VET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science is concerned with understanding the world. As such, engaging with the materiality of that world is integral to both empirical experimentation and theorising within science. However, it has been recognised for some time that the way scientists learn about the world and the way that young people learn about science cannot be simply equated. This difference has been pronounced in recent decades by the dominance of constructivist and social-constructivist theories of learning, which focus on the development of concepts in the minds of people. Whilst these theories have yielded insight into the complexity of learning, the role of the material remains undertheorised, not only within practical science inquiry, but also in relation to the broader materiality of classrooms. Through a detailed critical literature review, this paper demonstrates the need for a stronger theoretical frame through which to understand the role of the material in the learning and pedagogy of science. Building upon the gaps and possibilities that this review reveals, we outline a new material-dialogic theory via a synthesis of Barad's Agential Realism and Bakhtinian dialogic theory. The significance of this paper lies in offering a theoretical basis for more effective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer group mentoring can serve as a meaningful developmental experience and outlet for women. Historically, as well as in contemporary contexts, women have been excluded from traditional mentoring relationships and developmental opportunities. In this paper, the authors utilize the lived experiences and voices of one dozen executive-level professional women to highlight how peer group mentoring can serve as a valuable developmental experience. This study illuminates that these peer group mentoring experiences were a catalyst for development due to (a) mutual engagement by the mentoring collaborators; (b) shared dialogue and learning; and (c) support for one another within and beyond the Circle gatherings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilized textual analysis to investigate 27 articles published by Japanese scholars from various disciplines regarding constructivist approaches. The results found that many of the collected articles in this study reported the need for and effectiveness of a constructivist approach in language, STEM, and social sciences education. The most popular topic found in the collected articles related to English language classrooms with 13 of the 27 articles discussing English language classrooms. Only 11 of the 27 articles reported the actual implementation of a constructivist approach, while the other 16 were theoretical papers that asserted the need for and effectiveness of constructivism. These results indicate that constructivist approaches in Japan are still an underdeveloped area. Japanese educators will be required to spend further time and effort to actually implement the approach, especially in STEM and social studies classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cognitive Acceleration (or Let's Think) approach to mathematics teaching is a Piagetian programme drawing on Vygotsky's research, developed at King's College London over 30 years ago, along with its associated professional development (PD) programme. This project sought to replicate the original studies conducted 10–15 years earlier and before much national curriculum change, through a professional development project with 41 teachers of children aged 6–12 from London in 2014. Results of pre- and post-test of mathematics attainment are reported for 232 students. Despite a shorter duration, data shows increased teacher efficacy, improved teaching and a mean gain equivalent to 2.6 months learning for benefitting students, which broadly mirrors cognitive effects of original trials with twice the duration. This evidence corroborates the impact demonstrated in several original CA research papers, and additionally details specific impact on teacher confidence and classroom practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within teacher education in England, self-reflective practices commonly function as a tool for student development. However, with current philosophical thought tending towards social-constructivism whereby understanding is deeply influenced by social context, the extent to which student teachers can objectively express 'themselves' must be carefully considered. This paper presents a philosophical and empirical account of student teacher self-reflection, exploring the extent to which these are personally or contextually defined. Through a discussion of theoretical debates surrounding discourse, I draw on Žižek's notion of ideology as subjectively maintained and apply a Critical Discourse Analysis to analyse this within individual texts. Student reflections from two contexts are thus analysed and findings highlight stark differences in the educational priorities expressed in these different settings. This implies that students simultaneously adopt conflicting and therefore untenable sets of professional values. By drawing attention to this, I aim to encourage individual resistance where necessary towards healthier future professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Slade ["Do the Structures Used by International Hockey Coaches for Practising Field-Goal Shooting Reflect Game Centred Learning Within a Representative Learning Design?" The International Journal of Sport Science and Coaching 10 (4): 655–668] argued that because no two students learn or conceive knowledge in exactly the same way, teaching contexts require a flexible approach to instruction, based on a methodological continuum of empirical to radical constructivism. In short, providing novice learners with sufficient opportunities to learn requires flexibility and a holistic experiential approach to teaching that is appropriate for the learner, activity and context. Purpose: This paper examines an evolving understanding of TGfU and Game-Centred Learning (GCL). The medium for articulating this is through the presentation of a proposed model of GCL. At the heart of this model is the notion of play, invented games and its attendant qualities of creativity, fun, affiliation and exploration. The process of arriving at this model of GCL has involved an evaluation of various models of GCL, and exploring associated questions related to teaching games, especially for the generalist teacher. Discussion: This proposed model also reflects a discussion of arguments along ideological continuums of instruction in games; for example, should fundamental movement skills (FMS) be taught before game instruction or should game pedagogy be solely based on GCL? In this paper, these positions are brought together through reference to Fundamental Game Skills [Smith, W. "Fundamental Movement Skills and Fundamental Games Skills Are Complementary Pairs and Should be Taught in Complementary Ways at all Stages of Skill Development." Sport, Education and Society 21 (3): 431–442], the application of complexity theory [Ovens, A., T. Hopper, and J. Butler. 2013. Complexity Thinking in Physical Education: Reframing Curriculum, Pedagogy and Research. Oxon: Routledge], and complementary learning in skill acquisition [Kelso, J. A. S., and D. A. Engstrom. 2006. The Complementary Nature. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press]. Smith's practitioner position provides further justification for a GCL model from a skill acquisition perspective. Conclusion: The proposed model of GCL focuses on flexibility and pragmatism, with the intent of making a GCL approach accessible to those who teach games to novices or to more experienced athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the modus operandi of a game, the so-called Game of Shapes, which can be used as an active learning tool to teach Constructivism to introductory International Relations courses. While sharing our own experience of the development and application of the game in a laboratory with International Relations students, this paper aims to provide a teaching template that can assist in the problematization of the statist and individualistic ontology of rationalist theories. Hence it is an interactive dynamic that helps to introduce and open up the discussion of the contingency of the social world, which is the base to understand any of the several and intricate tenets of Constructivism and any other critical approaches. Most of the students' feedbacks were very positive regarding their comprehension of the content presented. They provided important feedback on how the activity was valuable in order to grasp complex concepts, important to constructivist theories in International Relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to understand key dimensions of reflection in experience-based workplace learning for research being collaboratively undertaken by scholars in Dutch and US research institutions. We systematically explore and compare Tara Fenwick’s analysis of five perspectives on cognition to distinguish among constructivist, psychoanalytic, situative, critical-cultural, and enactivist perspectives on reflection. Our aim is to examine how to conceptualize reflection so that one or more perspectives can complement our understanding of learning through experience at work. We position reflection not only from a practical but also from a theoretical perspective that moves beyond the individual focus of the constructivist perspective. Fenwick’s five perspectives are described in terms of whether and how reflection is utilized, key activities in the process of reflection, relative focus on the individual and/or the context, triggers for reflection, role of power and positionality, role of emotions, and reflection outcomes. We conclude that adding other lenses to the dominant constructivist perspective helps expand our understanding of reflection as well as identify and attend to other tools, people, and factors in the work situation that influence reflection processes and learning outcomes. The paper closes with a discussion of promising new approaches that have emerged since Fenwick’s analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As a response to what I see as the challenge posed by constructivist and narrative pedagogies, this paper seeks to sympathetically reconstruct Bernard Williams' Absolute Conception from the scattered texts in which he briefly sketched it. While ultimately defending the Absolute Conception or something close enough to it, the paper criticizes and distances itself from some aspects of Williams' version, notably his conception of philosophy as insurmountably perspectival. Williams' understanding of perspectival knowledge as contrasted to absolute knowledge is illustrated with the concrete, if fictional case of the Dr Manhattan character from Zack Snyder's Watchmen (2009). Adrian Moore's reading, and Hilary Putnam's criticisms of Williams' Absolute Conception are amongst the positions engaged with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What can we learn from K-5 science teachers who have integrated science and creative dance for a five-year period? In this paper, the preliminary findings of the qualitative research conducted by a constructivist elementary charter school principal, a university dance professor, and an educational researcher is presented.This research highlights the experiences of science teachers who were given professional development in science/creative dance integration each semester and implemented arts integration strategies in the science classroom. To conclude the five-year period, the six teachers completed a questionnaire and participated in a videotaped interview to document their reflections on the project, Dance of Science Project (DoS), which serves as the primary data source for this paper. An interpretive methodology is used as a framework for interpreting the interviews of the teachers. Of interest is how teachers developed arts integration practices on their own in the classroom without being in partnership with a dance educator, and how arts integration in the science class supported their constructivist teaching practices which include elements of co-operation, autonomy, experimentation, play, and interest. In addition, the article discusses how creative dance aligns with the elements of constructivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the enlargement of the initial conception of formative assessment with reference to constructivist, sociocultural and situated theories of learning and the concept of co-regulation. It reviews research on student involvement in formative assessment practices (self-assessment, peer assessment, whole-class discussions of criteria and exemplars) in the area of writing, with a focus on primary school classrooms. Student participation in the co-construction of formative assessment is illustrated by qualitative observations from a study of a writing activity carried out in grades 5 and 6. The observations are discussed in relation to findings from other research and implications are presented for teacher professional development and for future studies of formative assessment of writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the contribution of a physical learning space to student engagement in social work education. Drawing on a constructivist methodology, this paper examines the findings of a survey conducted with students and staff in a social work and human service programme about their experiences of a Social Work Studio learning space. The analysis identified that students and staff who used the Studio reported that students were emotionally, cognitively and behaviourally engaged in the space, which enriched their development as social work and human service practitioners. The researchers concluded that the Social Work Studio is a useful tool for enhancing social work student engagement and increasing their confidence to address the ‘real-life’ challenges they may face as social work practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past 40 years have been characterized by an ongoing shift in the rationale underlying the use of educational technologies – an earlier emphasis on efficiency and engagement has been overshadowed by a vision centered on educational technologies' capacity to facilitate authentic learning in the inauthentic school context. However, despite its intuitive appeal, authenticity is a vague and contestable concept that warrants further scrutiny. Accordingly, this theoretical paper sets out to offer a conceptual analysis of the various meanings of authenticity in educational discourse, and to examine how these both shape and obfuscate arguments concerning educational technologies. To do so, I identify two key ambiguities inherent in the concept of authenticity: (1) whether authenticity relies on correspondence to real-world contexts (is), or aims to tap into a deeper essence of an individual or phenomenon (ought); (2) whether authenticity is mainly viewed from a supposedly objective perspective (external), or aims to capture individuals' subjective experiences (internal). The depiction of technology as authentic, along with the conflations between its various meanings, serve to naturalize existing patterns of technology use, while obscuring the ways in which they are shaped by social, political and pedagogical considerations that should remain open to evaluation and critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the practical implementation of constructivist grounded theory principles in a study of widening participation in Irish higher education. Following a brief introduction to the research study upon which this paper draws, a rationale is provided for the use of grounded theory and the objectivist–constructivist nexus is examined. Grounded theory was regarded as a valuable methodology to employ in the area of social justice-oriented widening participation research; however, objectivist approaches were found to be problematic. This paper identifies key principles informing a constructivist grounded theory research design and subsequently focuses on what these principles might ‘look like’, in practice, through an exploration of three key processes I employed in my grounded theory study. These processes provide examples of how researchers might adapt grounded theory methods, in a constructivist fashion, to better align the methodology with social justice-oriented research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper posits a move "toward the concrete" as a specific combination of curriculum studies and Cultural Studies, placing it squarely within the frames of postqualitative research (Lather & St. Pierre, 2013; St. Pierre, 2011, 2013b, 2014). In addition to examining the theoretical legacies of the aforementioned fields, this paper focuses on four areas, posited by Helfenbein (2003), in which Cultural Studies can inform postqualitative educational research: materialism, (anti)antiessentialism, social constructivism, and radical contextuality. In doing so, this paper contends that for researchers, a sound theoretical base is needed if one is to engage in postqualitative research and offers toward the concrete as one such possibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demystifies the process of open and distance learning (ODL) policy development in a dual-mode university after existing without one for 50 years. The two-pronged critical questions this paper addresses are: What does it take to successfully develop an ODL policy? And what aspects constitute an ODL policy applicable for a dual-mode context? To address these, the study adopted a qualitative constructivist approach to generate evidence on policy development process and content. In using the constructivist approach, the researchers focused on policy development records, such as proposals, correspondence, speeches and workshop reports. Four lessons emerged for dual-mode institutions with a similar context to replicate, two of which are the need for high leadership level sponsorship of the policy development process and product; and the need for total involvement of staff to minimise sabotage at the implementation stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet technology provides a new approach to how gambling is conducted in postmodern times. Drawing on constructivist research and utilising a single case study strategy, this paper examines online social gambling and real money gambling marketing communication practices, as well as offering some insights into the development and implementation of effective marketing communication programmes. In contrast to existing studies, this paper, in part, proposes integrative and higher levels of marketing communication programmes between online social gambling and real money gambling environments. The paper reveals the implicit structure of meanings underlying the link between online social gambling activity and real money gambling practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study of the practices of a cohort of traditionally appointed teacher educators with the responsibility for facilitating teacher learning and learning teaching. The approach used in this investigation involved a practice-to-theory field experience (PTE), a reflective paper analyzing the PTE, and a shared set of readings on pedagogy for facilitating teacher learning and learning teaching with the PTE as context. The participants in this study were 21 students enrolled in an education doctorate program at a Research I university in the Western United States. The findings from the study revealed that the number of years of experience as a teacher educator was not related to competence or effectiveness. Further, it was found that the combined processes of documenting practice, writing a reflective paper, and engaging in focused dialog with peers based on a shared set of readings, and incorporating the PTE as context enabled participants to think critically and co-construct deep knowledge and understanding of the role of the teacher educator and practices for facilitating teacher learning and learning teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how authentic co-created role-play may assist audit students in developing creativity, a much-needed aptitude for auditors. Role-plays used in audit education are often structured, formal case approaches, limiting student creativity. In contrast, this role-play allows students to interact with a performance artist and encourages students to bring their interests, lived experiences, and audit context into the development of a storyboard and role-play performance. A total of 650 students at a large Australian University participated in this innovative role-play assignment and 313 (48.2%) responded to a follow-up survey. While some students experienced difficulties with the ambiguity and relatively unstructured nature, most students perceived enhanced creativity and human skills and reported high levels of engagement, motivation, and enthusiasm. Overall, this study contributes to accounting role-play literature by showing that co-created role-plays can be effective teaching tools to enhance creativity skill development and provide students with an enriching educational experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how culture impacts upon pedagogic practice in Cambodian primary schools. Acknowledging that there is an increasing homogeneity of ideas focusing on constructivist pedagogical approaches as the most effective means of achieving improvements in education quality globally, this study investigates the extent to which the Cambodian Ministry of Education's constructivist pedagogy embedded in its Child Friendly Schools policy was adopted in the schools in this study. Using a case study methodology data were collected, primarily, through student focus groups and interviews with educators in three government primary schools located in different geographical areas. Findings identified that CFS policy not only fails to take into account the local cultural situation but appears to side-line the significance of local forms of pedagogy. To develop teaching and learning in the schools in this study, the findings point to a more nuanced approach that acknowledges and accommodates varied forms of pedagogic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incident reporting systems (IRSs) are used in many organisations as tools that promote safety by allowing to collectively learn from incidents. In this paper, we propose a social constructivist approach to learning from incidents, in which the focus is not purely on safety, but on the technology of incident reporting itself. We employ Wiebe Bijker’s work on the Social Construction of Technology to open up the analysis of a specific IRS in use at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center. For this purpose, we carried out 28 interviews with key local actors and collected documents and observation notes. Such social constructivist perspective provides detailed insight into the practices of reporting and the meanings of learning from incidents. Our research shows that various actors within the organisation frame the IRS differently. These framings each have their own implications for the vulnerability of the organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The dynamism of Environmental Management in the 21st century has predicted the need for students to emerge from tertiary programmes with a set of skills that are functional and more widely applicable in the contemporary workplace. To foster the development of such tools and skill sets, there has been an increasing trend amongst teaching practitioners to move from objectivist to constructivist views of learning and teaching. Using the theoretical heritage of constructivism, we in this paper offer an example of the effectiveness of constructive alignment in teaching tools and assessment methods for first year Environmental Management students. Drawing inspiration from the successes reported by Biggs et al. (2010) and Park (2003), we offer further discussion on the merits of such approaches, but from a first-year undergraduate cohort. Through a discursive analysis of student writings and formal feedback received through course evaluation questionnaires, we in this paper demonstrate how this combination of teaching methods led to a cohort that actively participated in their own learning. The results revealed that such methods could be successfully implemented at earlier stages of Environmental Management degree programmes, to encourage normally pragmatic, minimalist work ethic, first-year students, to be active, enthusiastic learners both within and outside the University. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses an oral assessment intervention in environmental education at two tertiary institutions in South Africa. A qualitative study grounded in a social constructivist framework, the inquiry locates learning and assessment of environmental education based on practical activities and first-hand experience within the framework of situated learning, and explores processes of constructing and assessing knowledge within the learner's community of practice. The paper focuses on how communities of practice can be used as a possible learning approach in environmental education to address the diversity and challenges of classrooms, and on the efficacy of oral assessments structured to encourage thinking through dialog in such settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews some of the relevant background findings against which the empirical studies reported in this special issue were designed. Particular attention is given to previous findings on the development of children's national knowledge, national attitudes and national identifications. The paper also reviews five existing theories, which have been proposed to explain the development of children's intergroup attitudes: cognitive-developmental theory (Aboud, 1988, 2008), social identity development theory (Nesdale, 2004, 2008), social identity theory (Tajfel, 1978; Tajfel & Turner, 1986), societal-social-cognitive-motivational theory (Barrett, 2007, 2009; Barrett & Davis, 2008) and integrative developmental-contextual theory (Bar-Tal & Teichman, 2005; Teichman & Bar-Tal, 2008). The paper concludes by describing the shared methodology that was utilized by all of the following studies that are reported in this special issue. These studies were designed to examine how children's attitudes to other nations develop within a range of different national contexts, some of which have not experienced violent conflict in the recent past (England, The Netherlands) but others of which have recently experienced, or still are experiencing, conflict, violence or warfare (Basque Country, Bosnia, north and south Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Israel). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the potential benefits of education about intercultural issues for improving a student's future job employability. From the perspective of discourse theory, both job employability and intercultural competence as job qualifications may be taken as discursive constructions. This paper delineates understandings of these concepts from the perspective of several social groups concerned, such as European politics, research on human resource management, students and graduates as well as employers. Considering mechanisms from discourse theory, this paper pleads for a growing awareness of constructivist processes involved as a sound basis for an adequate form of intercultural competence enhancing people's employability. Der vorliegende Beitrag erortert das Potential interkultureller Bildung auf Hochschulniveau zur Steigerung der Berufsbefahigung (employability) von Hochschulabsolventen. Aus diskurstheoretischer Sicht konnen sowohl Konzeptionen von employability als auch von interkultureller Kompetenz als diskursive Konstruktionen aufgefasst werden. Der Beitrag zeichnet die Perspektiven der europaischen Politik, der Personalwirtschaftslehre, von Studierenden und Hochschulabsolventen sowie von Arbeitgebern nach. Um Hochschulabsolventen eine interkulturelle Kompetenz vermitteln zu konnen, die ihre employability tatsachlich gezielt steigern kann, pladiert der Beitrag abschliessend fur eine grundlegende Sensibilisierung der beteiligten Gruppen fur die diskursiven Implikationen der nachgezeichneten Debatte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present the rationale and principles that guided the design and development of PARENTS, a multimedia case-based environment. Following a development research approach, the tenets of constructivist learning, and the advantages of case-based instruction, we developed a multimedia program in which we utilized and incorporated the findings of the longitudinal study Ecologies of Parental Engagement (EPE). EPE focused on parents in high-poverty urban communities and the roles they play in elementary schools that are active in implementing reform-based science education. The main purpose of the multimedia program PARENTS was to help preservice science teachers to explore and reflect on themes of parental engagement in high-poverty urban school settings. In this paper, we present the design and conceptual framework behind the first prototype of PARENTS... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current distance education practices can be susceptible to the types of content-heavy, top-down instruction often seen in physical classrooms. These practices are similar to the activities of corporations, which use recommendation systems and game theory to mold the public sphere and fragment it. We propose that free knowledge creation through open, multichannel communication needs to be used in distance education to permit both individual and collective agency for students to process knowledge and develop higher order reflectivity. Such frameworks would help students of distance education and instructors to use critical thinking to discuss concepts as equal stakeholders and develop varied ideological outcomes that could contribute to creating social change. This conceptual paper places current distance education practices within Habermasian theory, discusses ways in which the Internet and its educative potential has come to be viewed thus far, and suggests platforms that could open distance learning to new possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last two decades, the polysemous notion of 'scale' has drawn an increasing amount of attention among scholars studying heritage policies and practices, often with regard to UNESCO conventions. Significantly, in many of these works, terms such as 'global', 'national' and 'local' are connected to categories of 'scale' or 'level' that are taken for granted by the scholars who use them to guide their analysis. This paper, in contrast, promotes a different, constructivist understanding of the notion of scale. From our perspective, there is an added value to be found in focusing—without using any preconceived or external conception of scale—on the ways in which stakeholders conceive of and use scale throughout the processes of heritage making. Using the case of alpinism and the creation of its file for submission to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, we show that the interest of this approach lies in its comprehensive ability to highlight how people define, elaborate and use scale in order to qualify their practices or to achieve specific goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]