Constructivist Theory as the Framework for Student Strategies

This chapter provides a reappraisal of the literature used to inform the little research undertaking described in this study. To roll up literature for my thesis, I accessed the web sites for Zunia, ERIC, UNICEF, MoEYS, UNESCO, and the e-journal aggregation at James Cook University. There were troubles in deriving entree to some beginnings because some(prenominal) another(prenominal) were password protected. at any rate a challenge was turn uping articles written for the Kampuchean context, which has limited the range of the literature reappraisal for the local Cambodian context. Furthermore, many of the articles I searched were secondary informations beginnings, so it was sometimes inviolable to mention or cite because some secondary beginnings did non supplying elaborate information. At times it was a description of a reexamine written by soul other than the individual who conducted it. I besides had problem in finding which articles were relate straight to my subject to b e included ( Gay, Mills, & A Airasian, 2009 ) . Besides utilizing assorted databases, I besides read books about the student-centered theory and old surveies conducted by UNICEF ( United Nation Children s Fund ) every bit skillful the Cambodian-based undertaking rating written by VVOB.The cardinal words used to turn up literature were student-centered, learner-centered, constructivism, social constructivism, the zone of proximal development, scaffolding, student-centered dictation, and student-centered schoolroom. The mention subdi visual modalitys of relevant articles were besides used for placing other surveies that would be relevant to this reappraisal.The chapter has been structured following several subjects that emerged as literature was reviewed. It will depict the relevant literature concentrate on the issues environing the research aim. This chapter has been classified into several sub subdivisions based on the subjects that emerged during reading.2. 1 Constructivist T heory as the Framework for Student-Centered SchemesWithin the past two decennaries, the construct of constructivism A has been pulling attending from pedagogues ( Airasian & A Walsh, 1997 ) . Since constructivist theory is an epistemology and doctrine and non a theory of achievement, constructivist t to each oneing method has been actual by pedagogues influenced by the thoughts of cognition building form within constructivist theory ( Yilmaz, 2008 ) . Constructivist teaching method is informed by the thoughts of John Dewey and William James the latter work of Jean Piaget and the sociohistorical work of Lew Vygotsky, Jerome Bruner, and Ernst von Glasersfeld ( p. 165 ) .Harmonizing to Dewey, the relationship of the person to his or her environment and the edifice of experience through action ar really of import. This importance has besides been recognized by constructivism, particularly social constructivism ( cross & A Saye, 2000 ) . Piaget s work dealt with the phases of development which people go through and the importance of find in acquisition ( Alexander, 2006 ) . Vygotsky s work focused on societal interaction as an agent of acquisition every bit good as the importance of a pupil s bing experience and cognition ( Alexander, 2006 Yilmaz, 2008 ) . Among constructivism s third foundational bookmans, Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky, Vygotsky s work has had a clear influence on the construct of societal constructivism and played an of import function in contemporary constructivist idea because two of his four key rules argon collaborative acquisition and student-centeredness ( Yilmaz, 2008 ) . His first cardinal construct focuses on the societal nature of larning hence the consideration social constructivism and the 2nd is that jollys learn best the constructs that argon within their zone of proximal development ( ZPD ) .The ZPD is a construct used to depict how a kid s acquisition and kid s cognitive development degrees develop together in s ocietal state of affairss ( Vygotsky, 1978 ) . The ZPD is considered among the most utile both theoretically and practically of all the constructs that be created by Vygotsky ( Chenyne & A Tarulli, 1999 ) . The construct of ZPD, which focuses on the relation between human larning and development, is the 2nd foundation for scaffolding schoolroom commissioning ( Stuyf, 2002 ) . The ZPD is defined as the distance between the existent developmental degree as determined by independent job resolution and the degree of workable development as determined through job work outing under grownup counsel or in coaction with more loose equals ( Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86 ) . Alexander ( 2006 ) , Shear ( 2007 ) , and Stuyf ( 2002 ) depict the ZPD as the country between what a scholar crumb carry through mentally and make singly by themselves, and what the scholar washstand carry through with the aid or the support of a more knowing other grownup or equal. The lucifer portions knowledge with the scholar to construct the spread between what is known and what is non known ( Shear, 2007 ) .The construct of ZPD is now widely applied in instruction and larning in many subject-matter countries ( Willis, 1996 ) . The thought of the ZPD informs teacher theatrical production of larning to make effectual learning environments. It means effectual larning takes topographic point within the kid s ZPD. Vygotsky stated that ALearning awakens a assortment of internal developmental procedures that are able to run merely when the kid is interacting with people in his environment and in cooperation with his equals. When these procedures are internalized, they become portion of the kid s independent developmental accomplishment. ( Vygotsky, 1978, p. 90 ) .Similarly, Wilhelm, Baker & A Dube ( 2001 ) argued that the ZPD is the cognitive country in which effectual direction and acquisition can go on. Teacher, equals, and instructional environment are the aid and support which pupils can la rn with and this lies within the ZPD. A kid s bracing capacities can merely be developed in the ZPD through coaction in existent, concrete, located activities with an grownup or more capable equal ( Wilhelm, Baker & A Dube, 2001, p. 3 )For constructivist oriented instructors, the importance of planing an instructional activity is to place a job and supply pupils with resources to assist to work out the jobs thereby supplying chances for pupils to suck in jobs from a assortment of positions, leting pupils to join forces and negociate solutions to jobs and prove those solutions in a existent universe context ( Bednar et al, Duffy & A Jonassen, Brown, Collins & A Duguid as cited in Brush & A Saye, 2000 ) . Similarly harmonizing to UNESCO ( as cited in Mtika & A Gates, 2010 ) , student-centered instruction helps to fix pupils to run into society s outlooks, to plan educational experiences to progress pupils acquisition, and supply chances for pupils to show their success in ac complishing social outlooks.2. 2 What is Constructivism?Constructivism is non a theory about instruction, but it is a theory about cognition and acquisition ( Haney & A McArthur, 2001 ) . Harmonizing to Airasian & A Walsh ( 1997 ) , constructivism is non an instructional attack it is a theory about how scholars come to cognize or how people learn. Brady ( 2006 ) & A Staver ( 1997 ) stated that constructivism comes from traditional epistemology, which offers a philosophical account about the nature of cognition. Constructivists believe that cognition is created from the interaction between bing experiences or cognition of people and new thoughts or state of affairss they encounter.In the constructivist schoolroom, scholars are encouraged to do connexions between their bing cognition and new experience this is the procedure of building cognition ( Airasian & A Walsh, 1997 ) . Furthermore, over the last decennary, constructivism has significantly influenced scientific groom peda gogues because it links pupils bing thoughts to new experience and new information ( Haney & A McArthur, 2001 Staver, 1997 Yilmaz, 2008 ) . Similarly, Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer, and Scott ( as cited in Hand et al. , 1997 ) stated that societal constructivist attacks in scientific discipline instruction are non new. The execution of constructivist larning theory has helped to develop the interaction between pupils and instructor and supply chances to build scientific discipline cognition in the schoolroom. Similarly, Mtika and Gates ( 2010 ) argued that this pedagogic theory helps to promote pupils interaction with the topic s contents and with one another while the instructor facilitates the acquisition procedure.Constructivism has been divided by some theoreticians into three classs ( Alexander, 2006 Yilmaz, 2008 ) . They are Cognitive constructivism, Extremist constructivism, and Social constructivism. These three classs emphasize that cognition and significance are co nstructed by the human head ( Yilmaz, 2008 ) , nevertheless there are differentiations between them ( Hirumi, 2002 ) . Cognitive constructivism focuses on person s interactions with the environment. Extremist constructivism emphasizes the person s cognition building which is based on old cognition and experiences, and societal constructivism dressed ores on persons within groups and their sociocultural contexts ( Alexander, 2006 Yilmaz, 2008 ) .Though constructivism has been categorized into three, harmonizing to Staver ( 1997 ) , the two most comprehensive and celebrated classs of constructivism are extremist and societal constructivism. The two divvy up call have much in common. First, cognition is created by the thought of a individual and a community. Second, societal interactions between and among scholars are cardinal to constructing cognition. friendship is built by persons within their communities, societies, and civilizations. Furthermore, the agencies of societal inter action is chiefly linguistic communication because linguistic communication is a manner that worlds communicate and understand each other. Third, the character of knowledge is functional and adaptative, that it is in an active procedure ( Staver, 1997 Yilmaz, 2008 ) . Finally, the intent of knowledge is to function the persons organisation of his or her experiential universe. However, the two trade names are chiefly different. Extremist constructivism focuses on knowledge and the person, whereas societal constructivism focuses on linguistic communication and the group.2. 3 Constructivism in the ClassroomAirasian & A Walsh ( 1997 ) argued that constructivism is accepted in many instruction systems because it helps to advance higher order believing accomplishments of pupils. Similarly, harmonizing to the survey of Hand et al. , ( 1997 ) , engagement of pupils thoughts or thought is the most of import factor that influences pupils acquisition. In the survey of a group of junior se condary college pupils in Australia, pupils reported that they enjoyed larning through little group work, category treatment, developing their ain thoughts, less note pickings, and they developed a greater apprehension of constructs. These are all larning schemes that reflect the usage of societal constructivism in the formal acquisition context. Among the classs of constructivism, societal constructivism attacks are utile for pupils because pupils can be required to work in a group or separately and make non necessitate to wait for a instructor to direct their acquisition. The vision of the constructivist pupil is one of activity, engagement, creativeness, and the edifice of personal cognition and apprehension ( Airasian & A Walsh, 1997, p. 446 ) .Whether societal constructivists emphasize cognitive development or societal interactions, there are several specific things that instructors can make to assist scholars to build their apprehension, structural staging is one of these t hings ( Killen, 2003 ) . Literally, scaffolding is a structural support that is set up around a edifice under building. In instruction in a metaphorical sense, stagings are the support structures that are provided by others such as parents, equals, and instructors to pupils to enable them to finish a undertaking and experience accomplishment in their acquisition ( Yang & A Wilson, 2006 ) . Harmonizing to Hammond & A Gibbons ( as cited in Yang & A Wilson, 2006 ) , effectual staging is both high challenge and high support. Vygotsky stressed that pupils need to prosecute in disputing undertakings that they can successfully finish with appropriate aid ( Wilhelm, Baker, & A Dube, 2001, p. 4 ) .Scaffolding is a procedure whereby a instructor or peer gives assistance or support to the pupils in their ZPD as it is necessary and removes this assistance when supernumerary ( Killen, 2003 ) . Scaffolding must get down from what is close to the pupils experience and construct to what is farther from their experience ( Wilhelm, Baker, & A Dube, 2001, p. 4 ) . Similarly, at the beginning of a new acquisition undertaking, the staging should be fix to be concrete, seeable, and external, so learning can get down from the concrete to the abstract.The construct of staging is closely related to the ZPD because staging was developed by other socio-cultural theoreticians using Vygotsky s construct of ZPD to educational contexts ( Yang & A Wilson, 2006 ) . In other words, the thought of scaffolding originally came from Vygotsky s socio-cultural theory ( Stuyf, 2002 ) .Mitchell and Myles ( as cited in Yang & A Wilson, 2006 ) stated that societal constructivism focuses on larning that occurs in socio-cultural environments and scholars become active builders of their ain acquisition environment. Vygotsky s socio-cultural theory proposes that societal interaction plays a cardinal function in the development of knowledge. Learners are non hence stray persons they are active scholars because of societal interactions ( Stuyf, 2002 Yang & A Wilson, 2006 ) .