By exploring selected Western epistemologies and Lutheran theology, this thesis argues for an approach to Lutheran Confirmation centered on the meaning-making process. Specifically, it is argued that meaning coemerges as an amalgam of inherited content, life experience and community interaction. For Confirmation to be a resource and catalyst for lifelong learning, curricula and teachers must account for the complexity and contributions of learner-formed meaning.<p> Confirmation is analyzed as a rite and a process of ordered learning: constructivist theory guides a concise study of the epistemological roots of Piaget, Dewey, Polanyi and Whitehead. Luthers intent, contemporary theology and the assumptions of constructivism are consistent with coemergence. Essential, fallible and gracious knowing are offered as epistemological-theological pillars to guide the intent of confirmation.

Perceptions concerning training and development continue to appear in practitioner literature; however, the fact that those perceptions are not explored in HRD literature is a problem. The purpose of this study was to examine perspectives of participants in organization-sponsored training. A general qualitative methodology was utilized in this study. Then, through a social constructivism lens, the researcher looked closely at the interactions described in the trainees? experiences in order to understand their assumptions and how they made sense of their experiences. The researcher collected 10 interviews from participants representing various types of training experiences. The 10 interviewees identified shared experiences that led to the formation of four themes: (1) relevance and applicability, (2) attitudes and preferences, (3) immediacy, and (4) relational learning. Within the first theme, there were three subthemes: (1) responsibility for relevance and application, (2) communicating relevance, and (3) trainees? recognition of relevance and application. Theme 2, immediacy, consisted of three subthemes as well. Immediacy was explained by trainees as verbal, nonverbal, and environmental. No subthemes emerged from the other two themes. Finally, the themes revealed two episodic narratives. The two narratives were "Time is money--Is this worth the time?" and "If you don't care, I don't care." The two episodic narratives, pieced together, disclose the idea of the desired training described by the 10 participants. In conclusion, the findings of the study lead to a number of implications for practice and research. This study demonstrated the importance of trainers and instructional designers to develop clear understandings regarding what trainees think of face-to-face and online training and why they hold those opinions. Also, trainers and/or instructional designers should explore the use of communication and technology theories to develop training modules. In addition to practice, scholars should conduct more qualitative studies exploring trainee perceptions in online organizational training. Finally, the findings of the study showed that instructional communication researchers have not explored the issue of the importance of out-of-the classroom learning experiences in the field of human resource development.

Among the various theses in the philosophy of mathematics, intuitionism is the thesis that numbers are constructs of the human mind. In this thesis, a historical account of intuitionism will be exposited- - from its beginnings in Kant's classic work, Critique of Pure Reason, to contemporary treatments by Brouwer and other intuitionists who have developed his position further. In chapter II, I examine the ontology of Kant's philosophy of arithmetic. The issue at hand is to explore how Kant, using intuition and time, argues for numbers as mental constructs. In chapter III, I examine how mathematics for Kant yields synthetic a priori truth, which is to say an informative statement about the world whose truth can be known independently of observation. In chapter IV, I examine how intuitionism developed under the care of Brouwer and others (e.g. Dummett) and how Hilbert sought to address issues in Kantian philosophy of mathematics with his finitist approach. In conclusion, I examine briefly what intuitionism resolves and what it leaves to be desired.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of History, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-213). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Taiwan has over the past thirty years experienced a substantial political transformation. Being ruled by Chinese nationalists since World War II, Taiwan started its democratic transition in the late eighties. The new democratic system did not only provide people with freedom to vote, it also marked the beginning of a search for a new national identity. Based on the international theory of constructivism, this paper defines and studies the Taiwanese people’s progression away from a dominant Chinese national identity towards a uniquely defined Taiwanese identity. The purpose of this study is to understand the causes of the shifting national identity from a constructivist point of view. By using keywords within the theory of constructivism this paper studies major historical events that shaped and altered the national identity of Taiwan. These events include the democratization process as well as Taiwan’s changing relations to mainland China. Constructivist theory primarily suggests two important aspects in order to understand the shifting identity. These include the importance of the constructed political institutions in the form of political parties during the democratization process, as well as the cultural influence on the Taiwanese people correlated with the lifting of the ban on travel to China in the late eighties.

This study is a response to the need to support literacy development in an increasingly diverse and complex culture. Some school boards have identified early literacy as a priority for school improvement and there has been much debate about what constitutes effective literacy instruction. The Quebec Education Program (2001) recommends adopting a constructivist approach that embeds literacy instruction within interdisciplinary learning situations. Some teachers ask what a constructivist classroom looks like in practice. In light of teacher and school board concerns this study examines the literacy practices of a grade two/three elementary teacher in order to address the question, how does literacy learning occur within an espoused constructivist classroom? Besides describing the literacy events themselves, the role of context and the teacher in the literacy learning are examined. / Using a qualitative research methodology, the dynamic interactions between and amongst teacher and students were documented. Participant observation utilized photographs, audio and video taped lessons, semi-formal interviews as well as student work and teacher materials to provide a rich description of classroom practice. The researcher used both categorizing and contextualizing strategies to complement each other in a rigorous and systematic analytical process. Visual research methodology augmented the richness of the study. / The researcher discovered four major steps in a dance between teacher and students that developed literacy skills in a caring environment by nurturing self-esteem and self-regulation in learners. The teacher designed a peer tutoring program with first grade students in which literacy skills instruction was embedded within an authentic context that responded to second language learners with learning challenges. The teacher's roles as director, philosopher, enabler and connector were explored and a mirror image of students and teacher were provided through a narrative tracing of three focus students. / Besides describing the literacy practices of the teacher, this study uncovered a spiritual dimension of the teacher's role in that she began from the sacred space of teaching from the heart. Using gentle judgment and praise she built self-esteem by reflecting back to her students an image of competent, intelligent, human beings. Her spiritual epistemology enabled her to create a harmonious balance of responsible freedom within a flexibly structured environment. The spiritual dimension that emerged through the study suggests that research of literacy practices needs to include an examination of the role of the teacher in developing students' identities as self-confident members of a literacy community.

A sequential exploratory design (Creswell, 2003) was used to measure how a social-constructivist oriented educational psychology course could move beyond the inert knowledge Mandl, Gruber, and Renkl (1996) reported to be the outcome of student teacher engagement with formal university courses. Biggs' 3P model (Biggs, & Moore, 1993) provided the framework for qualitatively categorizing 26 student teachers' (16 female, 10 male) conceptions of meaningful learning, and allocations of responsibility for learning. Categories were tested for independence and subsequently predicted learning outcomes as identified by Bloom's revised taxonomy (Anderson, & Krathwohl, 2001). All students held qualitative conceptions of learning. Participants who attributed responsibility to both the professor and students understood and applied course content more than those who attributed responsibility to either solely the professor or student on measures of understanding and application. Results lend support for Biggs' 3P model of classroom systems.

The intent of this record of study is to examine the effectiveness of the Defense Support of Civil Authorities program through the theoretical lens of adult learning. The study explores the program graduates’ individual and organizational attempts to make sense of their new role of support of civil authority during a national crisis. Using a case study approach, selected aspects of the program were observed, reviewed, and analyzed. This approach included a series of interviews and a focus group discussion that allowed graduates to describe both their program experiences and the potential impact on their understanding of their roles during a national emergency. These experiences were then interpreted through the lens of adult learning theory. The findings suggest graduates must create a new definition of competence based upon their emerging role of supporting others in charge, rather than their previous notion of self-direction. The main conclusions drawn from this study provide preliminary evidence that suggests these adults must construct new meaning for themselves and for their organization in order to make coherent the complex arena of homeland security. Recommendations for further research include a focus on adult knowledge construction and the role of perceived individual and organizational contributions as a means of enhancing perceived adult competence.

Thesis (MEd)--University of South Australia, 1997