The first step that I took in preparing myself to undertake what is in essence a piece of epistemological research was to divide the psychological therapies into two: the potentiality paradigm and the pathology paradigm. The former is based upon the potentiality model articulated by person-centred theorists like Dave Mearns and Brian Thorne, which is essentially a growth model, whilst the latter reflects a form of therapy that recognises people according to what may be considered 'wrong with' or 'deficient about' them, such as operates in the disciplines of medicine and clinical psychology. The main focus of this piece of research was to determine the epistemology that is at work with what actually goes on in the practice of potentiality paradigm therapy. In order to achieve this, I set about identifying, reading, analysing and eventually coding the most epistemologically rich writings that I could find from mainstream authors on potentiality paradigm therapy from the professional and the academic literature. It became clear from this analysis that the heart of what was actually going on in the practice of potentiality paradigm therapy as articulated in these theoretical writings could be coded into three main discourses: an experiential discourse, a relational discourse and a hermeneutic discourse, each of which I have considered to represent an epistemological discourse for the purposes of this piece of research. My next question was to ask myself how these discourses set about articulating the potentiality paradigm with respect to the practice of the psychological therapies, and the answer came back that they articulated the potentiality paradigm best when they worked concertedly rather than discretely. Indeed, it soon became apparent that the human brain integrates and synthesises the data that it receives by way of these three central discourses, and so it seemed only appropriate that I should work towards expressing these findings by creating a qualitative meta-synthesis of these three discourses: the experiential, the relational and the hermeneutic, which is exactly what I did. The epistemological mechanism by which these three discourses are integrated and synthesised needs to reflect the way in which the human brain integrates and synthesises the data that it receives, and the name given to this epistemological mechanism is dialectical constructivism. This is included along with the three epistemological discourses - the experiential, the relational and the hermeneutic - in the creative and interpretive synthesis in which this piece of research culminates, and is followed by an illustrative worked example showing how these discourses articulate the potentiality paradigm - concertedly - with respect to the practice of the psychological therapies. One of the advantages of applying this meta-model to the way in which we look at potentiality paradigm therapy is that it may be used to free us up to practice in the more dialogical ways which have been becoming increasingly favoured by practitioners in recent times. With our view of potentiality paradigm therapy mediated by this meta-model, we may find it easier to traverse across what many practitioners have tended to view as theoretical boundaries. It could also be viewed as a move towards a more functional and less structural form of governance or regulation, as expressed by Mearns and Thorne.

Tam Ha-ting. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-106). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Declaration --- p.2 / Acknowledgement --- p.3 / Abstract --- p.4 / 本文摘要 --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.8 / Chapter §1.1 --- The role of examination in the Hong Kong education system / Chapter §1.2 --- Examination-oriented approach and teaching / Chapter §1.3 --- Examination-oriented approach and learning / Chapter §1.4 --- Cross-cultural comparisons / Chapter §1.5 --- Evolution and impact of learning theories / Chapter §1.6 --- The layout of this thesis / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Behavioral and cognitive approaches to learning --- p.15 / Chapter §2.1 --- Introduction / Chapter §2.2 --- Behavioral approach / Chapter §2.3 --- Ivan. Pavlov: Classical conditioning / Chapter §2.4 --- B. F. Skinner: Operant conditioning / Chapter §2.5 --- Components of behavioral learning / Chapter 2.5.1 --- The role of consequences / Chapter 2.5.2 --- Schedule of reinforcements / Chapter 2.5.3 --- Shaping / Chapter 2.5.4 --- Stimulus control / Chapter §2.6 --- The impact of behavioral approach to teaching and learning / Chapter §2.7 --- Evaluation of behavior approach / Chapter §2.8 --- Rise of cognitive psychology / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Constructivism --- p.35 / Chapter §3.1 --- Nature of knowledge / Chapter §3.2 --- The acquisition of knowledge / Chapter §3.3 --- Constructivist view of learning / Chapter §3.4 --- Piaget and constructivism / Chapter §3.5 --- The impact of constructivism on teaching and learning / Chapter §3.6 --- Evaluation of constructivism / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Constructivist approach to statistics learning --- p.62 / Chapter §4.1 --- Constructivist approach to science learning / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Physics instruction / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Mathematics instruction / Chapter §4.2 --- Constructivism and ill-structured discipline / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Nature of ill-structured domain: Conceptual complexity and across-case irregularity / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Statistics as an ill-structured discipline / Chapter 4.2.3 --- "Example: Statistics in sociology, 1950 -2000" / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Constructivism based teaching strategies in ill-structured domain / Chapter §4.3 --- Development of on-line teaching / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Multiple representation of information / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Interactive between users and the information / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Case study --- p.83 / Chapter §5.1 --- Description of workshop / Chapter §5.2 --- Features of workshop / Chapter §5.3 --- Evaluation / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Conclusions --- p.91 / Bibliography --- p.93

This study comprises three parts. First, to validate the Oral Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (OICEQ) which is used to assess students perceptions of the learning environment in secondary chemistry classes in the U.S.A. The OICEQ is a modified version of the actual and preferred versions of the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ) (Fraser, 1990). Second, to investigate associations between three types of science educational assessments; predictors of performance, perceptions of the classroom environment, and chemistry academic performance. Third, to address the following two questions:1. Are chaos and constructivism allies of adversaries to assessments (predictors, perceptions, and performance)?2. Is action research a valid process of evaluating a constructivist chemistry classroom (examining associations between chaos and constructivism)?A sample of 473 students from 21 chemistry classes took the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (OICEQ), pretests, post-tests, and final examinations. The statistical analyses confirmed the reliability and validity of the OICEQ and ICEQ when used with senior chemistry students. Investigation of associations between predictors, perceptions, and performances revealed 29 significant associations with OICEQ and 21 significant associations with the ICEQ. Findings from the study indicated that: (1) chaos is an adversary to social assessment and personal constructivism is an ally to personal assessment; (2) action research is a valid process for evaluating a constructivist chemistry classroom it is a unifying concept for constructivism, chaos, and assessment; (3) through an action research-constructivist process and a cyberchaos research perspective, the impact of a constructivist teaching paradigm and chaos ++ / distort the assessment of data in a chemistry classroom.

The emergence of constructivist epistemology, as the dominant educational philosophy, has been very influential on the current movement to improve the quality of education. NSW has seen the establishment of the NSW Institute of Teachers (NSW Government, 2004a), the development and publication of a generic set of standards for teaching (NSW Institute of Teachers, 2005a) and the implementation of the NSW Quality Teaching model of pedagogy since 2003. In mathematics education, philosophies of mathematics and mathematics teaching that are consistent with constructivism, are reflected in current and previous NSW syllabus documents as well as the standards document published by the Australian Association for Mathematics Teachers in 2002. Within the context of these documents this research project investigated my efforts, as a novice teacher of primary school mathematics, to implement quality mathematics teaching. This research evolved from a Bachelor of Education honours project, which found that despite recently graduating from university preservice teaching courses which advocate teaching pedagogy based on constructivist learning theories, beginning teachers, along with their more experienced colleagues, use largely traditional methodologies in their mathematics teaching. From the narrative and analysis of my experience, it is my aim to demonstrate ways in which support might be implemented for beginning teachers in the subject area of mathematics. While the research literature has investigated beginning teachers, it has not done so in this unique and evolving context. In this thesis the components of effective mathematics teaching were identified from the mathematics education literature, with a particular focus on the work of Doug and Barbara Clarke (Clarke and Clarke, 2004; Clarke, 1997) and linked to the more generic elements of the NSW model of pedagogy (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2003e). The resulting picture of the quality teaching of mathematics was then used to analyse the data collected in video-taped lessons as well as the issues that emerged from my teaching diaries, daybook and programs, utilising the NVivo 2 (QSR, 2002) computer program. The first year of teaching was undertaken on a part-time basis teaching only mathematics to a Year 2 class. The second year involved teaching a Year 4 class on a full-time basis. The impact of teaching full-time had an immediate impact on the time available to focus on mathematics teaching. Efforts to implement elements of best practice were subjugated by my need to survive the crushing workload associated with undertaking the programming, planning, teaching, assessing and reporting of all KLAs, each involving significant content. In considering the implications of the findings of this self-study project it is important to consider the implications, not only for the support of novice teachers but also for the students they teach. Despite the positive experience of having taught part-time, improving on the skills developed in previous professional placement and casual teaching experiences including classroom organisation, behaviour management and programming, taking on a full-time teaching load with a new grade was overwhelming. Implications regarding the types of support that would have been of benefit in assisting my efforts to do more than survive the early experiences of full-time teaching, and improve the quality of mathematics education experienced by my students are drawn. These include suggestions of how university courses might assist in bridging the gap between the vision of quality and the realities of teaching; reduced workload to allow significant opportunities for lesson preparation; formal mentoring, from someone other than a supervisor, and structures to support the establishment of collegial partnerships; preservice and inservice courses that move the teacher from an image of reform to identifying and developing a specific component in their own teaching; and the provision of innovative mathematics programs to support both beginning and experienced teachers in improving the quality of their mathematics teaching. Recommendations for further research are made. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Accepted teaching and learning practices have undergone major changes during the past two decades. They have been underpinned by shifts in psychological and pedagogical theory, the most recent of which fit broadly under the heading of constructivism. During this time, there have also been significant changes in the development of Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) resources. These changes have tended to be driven by technological developments, such as the availability of desktop computers with multimedia capabilities, and more recently the increasing prominence of the Internet, rather than developments in teaching and learning theory. The aim of this research is to analyse the implications of a constructivist view of teaching and learning for the development of CAL resources. Specifically, the research attempts to describe the nature of constructivist CAL resources, before proposing a model for the development of such resources. The capabilities of existing tools for the development of constructivist CAL resources are also analysed. In looking at the nature of constructivist CAL resources, developments in pedagogical theory that have lead to the constructivist position are reviewed, along with constructivist theories of teaching practice. This body of theory is then synthesised into ten principles of constructivist teaching and learning. The implications of a constructivist view of teaching and learning for CAL resources are then examined. A range of constructivist CAL approaches are identified, and a classification scheme for constructivist CAL is proposed. This scheme involves the classification of a CAL approach according to the learner activities it facilitates, the input techniques used and the processing and output techniques used. The process of developing CAL resources is then addressed. The selection of CAL approaches that are likely to assist with the achievement of specific categories of learning outcome is recognised as being central to this process. Matrices relating categories of learning outcome to categories of learner activity and categories of learner activity to categories of input, processing and output technique are proposed. A model for developing CAL resources, that makes use of these matrices is proposed. In developing this model, instructional design models and software development models are reviewed. Finally, support provided by existing authoring tools, for the development of constructivist CAL resources using the proposed model is examined. Six of the most popular authoring tools, including tools designed primarily for CD-ROM based resource development and tools designed primarily for Web-based development are reviewed.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005

We live in an era where interactivity is gradually becoming more available, yet our schoolsare not catching up to this trend, instead we are faced with passive learning environmentswhere active construction of knowledge is limited. In this study we looked at theconstructivist approach to learning and compared it to the objectivist approach that iscommonly used in most schools of today. We looked at other successful interactive learningenvironment and how they may look like. We developed a passive educational video and aprototype of an interactive learning environment, where the interactive environmentworked as a supplement to the educational video. We further conducted a quantitative testthrough a questionnaire on these environments to see if the learning outcome of theinteractive learning environment outperformed the learners of the educational video. Thedata we collected did not show any significant difference between passive and interactivelearning, it did, however, show some interesting trends such as younger participants ingeneral performed better than older participants in our interactive learning environment.

This qualitative study answers the call to include students’ voices in research on learning by listening to students’ perspectives about their learning experiences. Student voice inquiries into learning typically explore students’ perspectives of their learning experiences in school for enhancing teaching practice. The present study explores students’ perspectives of their learning experiences both in and out of school and elicits students’ voices through written narrative, in combination with more common approaches to student voice inquiry. The purpose of which is to inform teaching practice that better supports and facilitates students’ learning. The two research questions that guide this inquiry are: What do senior high school students’ written narratives, focus group discussion, and related written comments about their most memorable learning experiences reveal about their learning? And what do these students’ voices reveal about what they have in common in their learning? The common themes across the 24 student participants are presented as a supportive framework for classroom discussion about most memorable learning experiences. Practical implications are discussed for teaching practice and research with participant co-researchers.

The purpose of the qualitative study titled An Investigation of Formative and Summative Portfolio Assessment Methods, is to explore the experiences of a self-described eclectic, primarily constructivist writing instructor who employs portfolio assessment methods in post-secondary writing classes taught to pre or in-service writing teachers. This Action Research study focuses retrospectively on the experiences of the instructors formative and summative assessment of post-secondary writing portfolios. The study also explores theoretical grounding of which educators are often not consciously aware and adds insight into the existing body of knowledge on portfolio assessment practices.<p>The research question is as follows: How does a post-secondary writing instructor employ formative and summative portfolio assessment methods within a constructivist writing community and how does s/he describe the teaching/learning relationship that consequently develops? <p>The goal of the study is to explore in depth one instructors experiences in post-secondary writing courses. I used the following questions as a guideline. <br> to discover how the instructor uses a formative portfolio assessment process of teaching to positively affect the development of writerly skills in a constructivist writing community<br> to discover how the instructor uses summative portfolio assessment of writing to provide accountable end-of-term numerical ranking of student achievement for educational institutions<br> to describe the perspective of a constructivist writing instructor on the use of formative and summative portfolio assessment practices at the post-secondary level<br> to discover the effect formative and summative processes and the constructivist writing community has on the teacher/student relationship <p>Upon analysis of the interview transcripts, I found that teaching, for my participant, is a colourful tapestry that stands alone as her well-crafted teaching practice, but can also be viewed as 4 distinct panels that fit seamlessly together. These four themes are: <br>1. Portfolio evaluation of writing provides for the Constructivist conditions for learning as identified by Driscoll (2000).<br>2. Portfolio evaluation is most effective when built on a foundation of Community within a group of writing students.<br>3. Portfolio evaluation promotes balanced transactional experiences that result in transformation for both student and teacher.<br>4. Portfolio evaluation of writing, as a teaching practice, shows promise for the successful education of marginalized students. <p> I also found that this research has only rippled the surface of a pool of anecdotal knowledge that invites full immersion. I am drawn to further exploration, discussion, development, implementation and assessment of models of formative evaluation that will benefit our students of writing. To this end I have included recommendations for further study specifically aimed at exploring the promising practices of portfolio evaluation for marginalized peoples, most particularly First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, at various levels of education, including primary, secondary and post-secondary levels.

The forensic focus has been a popular career choice and area of study for many of the health science disciplines. Forensic nursing education recently appeared in the curriculum at many colleges and universities. Now more than a decade from when some of the first forensic nursing courses were established, it was timely to explore rather than evaluate this unique specialty that has programs existing at every post-secondary educational level from certificate to doctoral programs. <p>The purpose of the study was to explore forensic nursing knowledge as a specialty area of study, and factors influencing educational development, as perceived by educators who were instrumental in establishing some of the earliest forensic nursing courses or programs. This predominantly qualitative study involved interviewing a purposive sample of nurse educators from Canada and the United States. Data collection involved an email survey to collect demographic information about the educators and course statistics about the programs they created, in addition to a qualitative, semi-structured telephone interview. <p>I utilized a thematic analysis to compare the data to literature relevant to the study, which included the historical evolution of forensic nursing along a sequential pattern of specialty development. I drew on my constructivist worldview to understand and interpret the responses. Although exploring forensic nursing provided a starting place for inquiry, the purpose of the research question was not only to describe what is but to consider the larger socio-technical, media, and economic forces influencing the educational development of this forensic specialty and then to link particular experiences into wider generalized and generalizing social relations. <p>One result of this study was a definition of forensic nursing constructed from the data and compared to earlier definitions in the literature. A further differentiation of forensic nursing determined knowledge that was different from nursing in general, and different from other forensic disciplines, a distinction that has significance for interprofessional education. In addition, it was determined that the unique knowledge content of forensic nursing may be the dual knowledge or dual roles of care and concepts specific to each subspecialty, for example: care and custody, care and collection of evidence, care and chain of custody, care and court room testimony, or care and crisis intervention. <p>In the early years of forensic nursing education development, it became evident that more than one positive factor was needed to create and maintain new specialty programs that were not then recognized as future mainstay programs. Therefore, from the constructivist worldview, multiple perspectives exist, and multiple and alternative factors are recognized to have influenced practice, education, and research in any discipline. From a constructivist interpretation to the findings of this study, all factors have relevance as all are needed for specialty programs to be developed and sustained.