BOOK REVIEW

This paper describes an investigation in Korea of the extent to which a new general science curriculum, reflecting a constructivist view, has influenced the classroom learning environment in grade 10 science. The Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) was selected for the investigation and translated into Korean. Other objectives of this study were to determine whether the Korean version of the CLES is valid and reliable, differences between students’ perceptions of their actual and preferred learning environment and associations between students’ perceptions of the constructivist learning environment and their attitude to science. The Korean‐language version of the CLES was found to be valid and reliable and grade 10 students did perceive a more constructivist learning environment than grade 11 students who had not been exposed to the new curriculum. This suggested that efforts of curriculum reform had produced some positive effects. Students tended to prefer a more positive environment than what was perceived to be present and statistically significant relationships were found between classroom environment and student attitudes. These relationships suggest that favourable student attitudes could be promoted in classes where students perceive more personal relevance, share control with their teachers and negotiate their learning.     

New Learning Environments and Constructivism: The Students’ Perspective

Research into students’ perceptions of their learning environments reveals the impact of these perceptions on the way students cope with these learning environments. Consequently, students’ perceptions affect the results of their learning. This study aims to investigate whether students in a new learning environment (NLE) perceive it to be more constructivist when compared with the perceptions students have of a conventional lecture-based environment. Using a questionnaire consisting of seven key factors of constructivist learning environments, the results show that students in the NLE perceive it to be more constructivist when compared to the perceptions of students in a conventional lecture-based environment. The difference was statistically significant for four of the seven factors. According to the effect size, as measured by the d-index, the difference in perception between the two groups was greatest for the factor ‘conceptual conflicts and dilemmas’. in final form: 31 May 2005     

PROMOTING STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF PLANT DEFENSE RESPONSES USING THE FIGHTING PLANT LEARNING UNIT (FPLU)

Most students think animals are more interesting than plants as a study topic believing that plants are inferior to animals because they are passive and unable to respond to external challenges, particularly biological invaders such as microorganisms and insect herbivores. The purpose of this study was to develop an inquiry-based learning unit, the Fighting Plant Learning Unit (FPLU), which focuses on plant defense responses to biological stimuli. The study also investigated students’ perceptions of the FPLU implemented in a constructivist classroom. A total of 31 Thai science majors from grade 12 participated in this study. Multiple data-gathering techniques (quantitative and qualitative) were employed: conceptual testing, concept mapping, the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. It was found that from their active participation, the students developed a better conceptual understanding of plant defense mechanisms. In addition, they appeared to have positive attitudes toward the FPLU as evidenced by their preference for inquiry-based teaching in a constructivist learning environment. Finally, their perspectives on and appreciation of plants as active organisms had been favorably changed by the experience.     

USING COMPUTER CONFERENCING IN TEACHING

For 3years, I have been teaching neuroscience courses by using computer conferencing to complement the traditional lectures. Typically, the conferencing involved local, on‐campus students, although one semester the class was combined from on‐campus and off‐campus students. For most of my 33‐year teaching career, I had used the teaching approach that most professors use, which is what educational theorists call “instructivist.” Critics call that “stand and deliver.” Lecturing is an efficient way to dispense organized information, but it does not ensure learning nor is it very effective in showing students how to learn on their own.

Instructivism can be enriched by complementing it with “constructivist” approaches. Constructivists argue that there is a direct relationship between the amount of learning that occurs and the extent to which the environment provides a rich source of engaging experiences in which students construct their own knowledge and understanding. I have found that such an environment is readily provided by computer conferencing.

In my teaching of neuroscience, I have used a network software system (FORUM) for small student groups to conduct a variety of constructivist learning activities. Within weekly deadlines, students worked in groups at their own pace and time of convenience. My impression of the advantages of such conferencing for constructivist activities include the promotion of socialization in “cyberspace,” providing an environment for team learning, the reduction of social problems in face‐to‐face instruction, increased teaching and learning efficiency, more comprehensive means for assessing student learning, and improved quality of student work.     

The interaction of learning environments and student discourse about knowing,learning, and the nature of science: Two longitudinal case studies

This is one of a series of studies conducted by a high school physics teacher, who used constructivist referents to plan and enact the curriculum, and to understand and improve the learning environment in his physics classes. Data were collected in the course of a two-year physics course including (a) repeated administrations of a classroom learning environment survey, (b) written essays on the topics of knowing, learning, and classroom learning environment, and (c) interviews. While there was a general trend for students to adopt more constructivist views of knowing and learning, there was also a small number who resisted to adapt to the constructivist learning environment in their physics course. Two case studies of individual students are used to illustrate the interactions of the learning environment, student understanding of scientific knowledge, and the nature of science, and students' views of their own learning.     

Constructivist learning environments and the (im)possibility to change students’ perceptions of assessment demands and approaches to learning

Recent research shows that, as students interpret the demands of the assessment tasks, they vary their approaches to learning in order to cope with the assessment tasks. Three research questions are central in the present paper: (1) Do students who participate in a constructivist learning environment change their perception of assessment demands towards more deep level demands? (2) Do students in a constructivist learning environment change their approaches to learning towards a more deep approach to learning? (3) Is there a relation between change in approaches to learning and change in the perceptions of the assessment demands? Students following the course ‘Education and psychology’ of the teacher training program at the University of Antwerp completed questionnaires during the first, the second and the final lesson of the course. One questionnaire measured their approaches to learning and the other their general perceptions of the assessment demands. The course ‘Education and psychology’ can be labelled as a ‘constructivist learning environment’ with congruent assessment methods. Results of the paired sampled t-tests indicated that students indeed do change their perceptions of assessment demands towards more deep level demands. However, the results also indicated that students did not change their approach to learning towards a more deep approach. On the contrary, students seem to develop more surface approaches to learning during the course. Correlation analyses indicated that only changes of perceptions of assessment demands towards less surface levels are significantly related to changes in approaches to learning, towards a more surface approach. Results of the stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that students’ approach to learning at the beginning of the course seems to have a higher impact on the extent to which they change their approach to learning than how students perceive the demands of the assessment within the course. These results point us to the complexity of the relationship between the learning environment, the students’ perceptions of assessment demands, and students’ approaches to learning.     

Towards expert knowledge? A comparison between a constructivist and a traditional learning environment in the university

This research monograph examines the potential of constructivist learning environments for developing prerequisites of expert knowledge during university studies. Drawing on recent theories of the development of expert knowledge and on the constructivist view of learning, an experiment was conducted in an educational psychology course. The primary purpose of the study was to compare the learning outcomes of students who studied the course material in a constructivist learning environment with those of students who learned it under traditional teaching and studying conditions. Students in the constructivist learning environment acquired more diversified knowledge. In addition, a theory will be presented about what actually changes when conceptual change occurs.     

Everyone already has their community beyond the screen: reconceptualizing online learning and expanding boundaries

A constructivist learning paradigm emphasises authenticity as a required condition for learning. However, the design of an online learning environment is ultimately separate from learners’ real-life environments, it is inevitably challenging to make online learning authentic. In this article, the author aims to propose an alternative way of conceptualizing online learning and its boundaries, based on a double-layered Community of Practice model as a means to facilitate authentically constructivist online learning. The model conceptualizes online learning as interlinked processes of participation and socialization in multiple communities across online- and offline-“layers” of learners’ lives. The model guides online course designers in expanding the perceived boundaries of the course environments they design to include learners’ offline learning contexts. Instead of having an exclusive focus on providing learners with constructivist learning opportunities within a non-authentic course environment, the model suggests helping learners to engage in more personalized social learning activities situated in their everyday lives. The paper presents data from a series of case studies drawn from the author’s work that has examined students’ learning experiences in different kinds of online courses, unpacking and answering the central question of what authentically constructivist online learning looks like in each case. With a more holistic conceptualization of online learning, which recognizes and supports online learners’ simultaneous presence across internal and external communities, instructional designers may be able to facilitate learners’ more authentically constructivist learning experiences.     

A Multilevel Analysis of Students’ Science Achievements in Relation to their Self-Regulation,Epistemological Beliefs,Learning Environment Perceptions,and Teachers’ Personal Characteristics

This study adopted a cross-sectional and correlational research design in an attempt to add our understanding of student- and teacher-level factors that help explain variability in students’ science achievement to the existing literature. More specifically, the present article examined students’ science achievement in relation to their constructivist learning environment perceptions, epistemological beliefs, and self-regulation as well as their science teachers’ characteristics. Data were gathered from both 137 science teachers and their 3281 seventh grade students via administering self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis was conducted to analyze the two-level data (student level and teacher level). Students’ learning environment perceptions, epistemological beliefs, achievement goals, and self-regulation constituted student-level data while teachers’ self-efficacy, achievement goals, and epistemological beliefs constituted teacher-level data. The findings indicated that students’ constructivist learning environment perceptions were significant predictors of their science achievement. Additionally, students with sophisticated epistemological beliefs appeared to be more successful in science. Also, performance avoidance goals were negatively related to science achievement. Among teacher-level variables, teachers’ self-efficacy and sophisticated epistemological beliefs were found to be positively linked to students’ science achievement.     

Online graduate students’ perceptions of best learning experiences

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of online master’s students regarding their best learning experiences. The authors surveyed 86 graduate students concerning what helped them learn in the online environment. Results indicate that although graduate students learned using the same technological tools as undergraduates, they desired a deeper level of learning that requires more instructional forethought and planning. Student experiences were consistent with the constructivist theory, and implications for improving teaching based upon the constructivist theory are highlighted.     

Constructivism-informed variation theory lesson designs in enriching and elevating science learning: Case studies of seamless learning design

The constructivist paradigm opens abundant opportunities for effective knowledge construction in which student build knowledge and continually evaluated and improved their knowledge. The teaching mode under constructivist pedagogy redefines the role of students and the teachers and their interrelationships by creating a nurturing environment. By adapting constructivist framework, this article demonstrates how the variation of learning practices was critical in facilitating Primary 4 students in Singapore to carry out seamless science learning. The variation of learning practices enables the students to explore a particular scientific concept through various learning experience across the contexts. The study adapted the framework of the Objects of Constructivist Learning Model for the improvement of the seamless science learning design. When redesigning the lesson, a conscious effort was made by the teacher to create relevant patterns of variation, that is, varying certain critical aspect(s) while keeping other aspects of the object of learning invariant in order to help students discern those critical aspects. The findings contribute knowledge to how the Theory of Variation can be used in analyzing seamless learning as well as designing for constructivist learning experiences. The findings have also demonstrated that the complementary practice of constructivist pedagogy with variation theory as a viable and effective approach in seamless science learning, at which it deepened students' understanding through constructing the critical aspects of a phenomenon. Engagement with primary school students in experiencing the variations allowed the translation of theory into practice.     

The constructivist classroom learning environment and its associations with critical thinking ability of secondary school students in Liberal Studies

In this study, we investigated-secondary school students’ perceptions of their constructivist learning environment in Liberal Studies, and whether their perceptions were related to their critical thinking ability. A convenience sample of Secondary Three students (N = 967) studying Liberal Studies in Hong Kong participated in this research by completing a self-administered questionnaire which included the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level X, and demographic information on age and gender. Students perceived their learning environment to be moderately constructivist in nature. Both age and school banding differences were identified in that younger students and students in band 1 schools tended to perceive a higher degree of constructivist characteristics in their learning environment. Multiple regression analyses indicated that three of the five scales of CLES were predictors of critical thinking ability. Shared Control was the strongest predictor and negatively associated with critical thinking ability, while Personal Relevance and Critical Voice were positively related to critical thinking ability. Findings of the study are discussed with reference to developing students’ critical thinking ability in Liberal Studies classrooms.     

Relationships between High School Chemistry Students’ Perceptions of a Constructivist Learning Environment and their STEM Career Expectations

Considerable attention has been devoted to factors affecting the persistence of women and historically underrepresented ethnic groups in their science education trajectories. The literature has focused more on structural factors that affect longitudinal outcomes rather than classroom experiences. This exploratory survey study described relationships among high school chemistry students’ perceptions of a constructivist learning environment (CLE) and STEM career expectations. The sample included 693 students from 7 public high schools within the San Francisco Bay Area. Students’ perceptions of a CLE predicted their expectations of entering a science career, but not engineering, computer, health, or mathematics-related careers. When all groups of students perceived the learning environment as more constructivist, they were more likely to expect science careers.     

Collaborative learning with Web 2.0 tools: analysing Malaysian students’ perceptions and peer interaction

Today, ICT, web resources and multimedia contents have become prevalent in Malaysian university classrooms; hence, the learning approaches need to be redesigned for enabling students to use these technologies in co-constructing new meaning. This study analyses student’s perception and their peer interaction in the constructivist–collaborative learning environment (CCLE) with multimedia contents and Web 2.0 tools, to address the research question: What is the impact of CCLE on student learning process? By using factor analysis on the questionnaire results, and applying content analysis on students’ comments in Web 2.0 tools and feedback given by 182 students at INTI International University, several components of constructivist–collaborative learning were identified. The discussion in this study focuses on “team” and its sub-components include group dynamics, students’ prior knowledge with team and group processing. The discussion provides more understanding on the impact on student learning process for enhancing the learning experiences in Malaysian university class environment.     

Teaching a discrete information technology course in a constructivist learning environment: is it effective for Malaysian pre-service teachers?

The purpose of this research was to measure pre-service teachers' attitudes toward information technology (IT) following their participation in a discrete IT course. The IT course was taught in a constructivist learning environment where the students collaborated to achieve their learning goals and problem solve on tasks [Educ. Technol. 35 (1995) 25]. The results of the study revealed that with the constructivist learning approach infused in the IT course, there was a positive shift in the participants' attitudes toward IT. Pretest results showed that participants who were competent had regarded IT as more useful; and they had more confidence and less aversion toward technology. The posttest results showed increased mean scores on all three dependent variables (e.g., usefulness, confidence, and aversion) with no differences between competent and incompetent participants by the end of the course. The responses obtained from interviews of course instructors indicated that participants were more independent, more creative, and used their collaborative learning skills. While an exploratory study, the results provide support for the premise that infusing constructivism into a discrete IT course can enhance positive attitudes towards IT and enable students to be active participants in their own learning process.     

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

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.     

Student Perceptions as Distance Learners in Internet-Based Courses

With the increasing prevalence of Internet-based courses in higher education, it is important to examine students' experiences to provide an optimal learning environment. This research found that students reporting positive attitudes about their online course experience exhibited attributes of constructivist learners, including self-direction. Students with negative attitudes seemed less able to understand the course content and to trust self-assessment of their learning, and reported the need for more guidance. In addition, students' expectations were a determining influence in their online course experience and strategies. This study also explored strategies that students use to be successful and discusses ways by which instructors can recognize and meet the needs of a wide range of learners.     

The effects of a constructivist teaching approach on student academic achievement, self-concept, and learning strategies

The effects of a constructivist approach on academic achievement, self-concept and learning strategies, and student preference were investigated. The 76 six graders were divided into two groups. The experimental group was taught using the constructivist approach while the control group was taught using the traditional approach. A total of 40 hours over nine weeks was used to implement the experiment. The instruments used were as follows; mathematics tests administered by the teacher, self-concept inventory, learning strategies inventory, and a classroom environment survey. The results are 1) constructivist teaching is more effective than traditional teaching in terms of academic achievement; 2) constructivist teaching is not effective in relation to self-concept and learning strategy, but had some effect upon motivation, anxiety towards learning and self-monitoring; 3) a constructivist environment was preferred to a traditional classroom.     

Active learning in a constructivist framework

An important tenet of constructivism is that learning is an idiosyncratic, active and evolving process. Active learning, operationalized by cognitive, metacognitive, affective and resource management learning strategies, is necessary for students to effectively cope with the high level of demands placed on the learner in a constructivist learning environment. Case studies of two students detail contrasting passive and active learning behaviours. Examples of their strategic learning behaviours illustrate that having students involved in activities such as discussions, question answering, and seatwork problems does not automatically guarantee successful knowledge construction. The nature of students' metacognitive knowledge and the quality of their learning strategies are seen to be critical factors in successful learning outcomes.     

Appraising the Qualities of Social Work Students’ Theoretical Knowledge: A Qualitative Exploration

Higher professional education aims to prepare students for entering practice with an adequate theoretical body of knowledge. In constructivist programmes, authentic learning contexts and self-directed learning are assumed to support knowledge learning and the transition from education to practice. Through an in-depth exploration, this case study aimed at defining and assessing the qualities of social work students?? theoretical knowledge at initial qualification. Participants were final-year bachelor??s students (n?=?18) in a constructivist professional programme of social work. Students?? knowledge concerning a real-life practical case was elicited through an interview and a form of concept mapping. A six-step procedure was used for a qualitative appraisal of students?? knowledge with the assistance of seven expert teachers. During this procedure an instrument for analysing knowledge qualities was developed, comprising 13 aspects representing four features of expert knowledge: extent, depth, structure, and critical control. Results showed that 13 students received high appraisals for their knowledge extent and depth. Only 4 students received high appraisals for knowledge structure and critical control. 5 Students who received overall lower appraisals seemed inhibited to show their knowledge qualities by preoccupations with self-concerns about their own professional role. Conclusion is that the majority of students needs more learning support for knowledge structure and critical control than offered by their constructivist programme. Further research is needed into the personal factors that influence students?? theoretical knowledge learning and which knowledge qualities can be reached by young adults in a 4?year educational programme.