Constructivism And The Theory Of Constructivism

The labeling theory, an example of constructivist perspective is the theory put forth to define how deviance is experienced and why people continue to be deviant. The labeling theory was developed by a group of sociologists in the 1960’s. It is a version of symbolic interactionism defining deviance as a collective action involving the acts of more than one person, and the

There exists conflicting theories among sociologists in the area of determining why a person is considered to be a deviant, and the reasons behind why he or she has committed a deviant act. From a positivistic perspective, deviance is based on biological or social determinism. Alternatively, from a constructionist perspective, deviance is created and assigned by society. Both perspectives seek to give a theory for why a person may become known as deviant. Although they both view similar acts as deviant, the basic differences between positivists and constructionists theories are clear.

The discipline of international relations (IR) is one that has witnessed a multitude of variations and shifts. It has produced a fair amount of debate between academics within the international relations scholarship. Due to a plethora of circumstances scholars have subjected the traditional rationalist theories of neorealism and neoliberalism to critical re-evaluations. As a result, constructivism is a concept that has emerged as an alternative approach to dominant IR theories. It focuses on the importance of state identities in defining and gaining knowledge of state interests, actions and goals. There are theorists who purport that the rise of constructivism allows for a further understanding of another international theory, feminism.

Researcher Joseph Kenneth wrote a book arguing that stereotypes are a key factor in the theory of “Constructualism” (296). The theory of Constructualism is “the process by which people interact, exchange information, and consequently learn” (295). Constructualism argues that individual learning takes place on two levels. First, social interaction brings forth new knowledge that represents cultural customs over time. Second, as people share and receive knowledge with others, a perception of what is expected for them to know becomes apparent. “Paired with the assumption of homophily (Lazarsfeld & Merton, 1954; McPherson, Lovin, & Cook, 2001), that people tend to interact with others similar to them, constructuralism explains how social relationships evolve via interaction”(296). Joseph Kenneth wrote that while people may hold perceptions of other smaller groups, cognitive limitations prevent them from understanding people’s specific qualities. Rather, they use their perceptions by incorporating what they learn about others into generalized beliefs of what people are likely to know. Perceptions are based on past experiences and similarities, such as race or gender. These perceptions are the basis for stereotypes. Stereotypes can be useful because they help people navigate through the world to find others with common interests, but they are not necessarily true

Recent developments in South Australia have emphasised the importance of constructivism as a theoretical basis for curriculum development and implementation, and associated school reform, in government schools. This paper reports on some initial insights from a qualitative study investigating ways in which teachers who are committed to a constructivist philosophy construct teaching and learning. The study is a collaborative project between the University of South Australia, The Open University and the South Australian Education Department. It is based around the work of four primary teachers in two schools in South Australia. These teachers have been involved in a South Australian Education Department innovative curriculum redesign project entitled ‘Learning to Learn’. This project promotes a view of teaching and learning that values teaching and learning through: consciousness of who you are and why you do what you do, personal/social relationships and learning as construction. This paper will draw on examples to highlight a number of emerging themes in relation to the learning relationships, conversations and tasks that characterise classroom cultures that are moving towards a constructivist orientation.

Now at my age, I have come to the conclusion that many people in my generation got to do what they wanted when they were growing up. My generation did not have many rules, chores, or responsibilities. Hutchison stated, “Social constructionist perspective is understanding how people construct meaning, a sense of self, and a social world through their interactions with others.” People gather who they are as a person by interacting and socializing with their environment. While interacting with the environment people also shape reality and what the world truly represents.

Each of us builds a “picture” on how we feel and look at another person, which in turn outputs an opinion or stereotype. We will call this personal construct in this paper. Personal constructs are specific descriptions of others that people assigns personally from their own experience and knowledge. Similarly Trenholm (2014) defines personal constructs as “characteristics that we habitually notice in others” (p. 47). You know the old saying, “what you don’t know, won’t hurt you”? With personal constructs, if you don’t understand your own constructs it could hurt your ability to communicate with others by being unfair. For me to understand when I’m using personal construct constructively or negatively I must understand what kind of

Social constructionism was deemed an appropriate epistemology to use, as it views knowledge as being constructed as opposed to created (Andrews, 2012). That is, a person’s reality is shaped through their experiences and interactions with other people. Social constructionism rejects the notion that reality is objective and external to the mind and that knowledge is based on observed objects and events, and implies that both the object and the subject work together in creating meaning (Guba & Lincoln, 1998). Social constructionism used as an interpretive methodology is suited for this research given its exploratory focus in the ways that phenomena are socially constructed. It provides an emphasis on the multiple perspectives that are gained from individuals that have experienced the lived

The three main paradigms of international relations are liberalism, realism, and constructivism. In regards to a zombie outbreak, each paradigm will predict a different outcome for survival and cooperation. A liberal would argue that zombies represent a classic problem of dying and then coming to life in an undead state and trying to make others to do so as well. Undoubtedly, the zombie dispute would cross borderlines and affect all states, so the benefits from policy coordination would be massive. A realist would argue that international politics would not be remarkably affected, at its main, with the introduction of zombies into the mix of politics. Constructivism argues society is what we perceive it to be, so zombies are what we make of

Social constructivism is a worldview that argues that the nature of reality is based on the individual and his or her beliefs and experiences. Gergen (1985) stated, “From the constructionist position the process of understanding is not automatically driven by the forces of nature, but is the result of an active, cooperative enterprise of persons in relationship” (p. 267). This perspective acknowledges “historical and cultural biases” as primary influences on the construction of an individual’s worldview and suggests that “Descriptions and explanations of the world themselves constitute forms of social action” (Gergen, 1985, pp. 267-268). As a social constructivist, I recognize that when people tell stories of their lived experiences, certain phrases may be expressed through body movements, facial expressions, and gestures, and these actions further illuminate what the individual is communicating (Gergen, 1985). Using the social constructivist paradigm helps the researcher better understand the world in which each individual participant

It implies that social phenomena and categories are not only produced through social interaction but that they are in a constant state of revision (Bryman et al. 2006). Social constructivists hold assumptions that individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work. Individuals develop subjective meanings of their experiences-meanings directed toward certain objects or things. These meanings are varied and multiple, leading the researcher to look for the complexity of views rather than narrowing meanings into a few categories or ideas (Creswell,

Terrorism has many forms. Though society knows many of its vicious faces, little does the world acknowledge that these terror-spurred events are often encouraged and sponsored through the politics of well-known nations. I will be applying both the classical realism and constructivist theory to highlight ways in which the constructivist perspective better addresses state-sponsored terrorism’s effect on global relations.

People are often known to be storytellers, narratives are told about individual stories and what such experiences depict. Societies and cultures, generally, possess an understanding of past and future views in regards to conflicts, peace building or reconciliation. Similarly, organisational understanding and intervening of the culture comes from a concept of stories assisting organisational development on regular basis (Boyce: 1996). This view takes social constructivism, critical theory and organisational symbolism into account. Such stories form basis of management practices with varied intricate issues, but these help functioning of the organisation regardless of the challenges. This pragmatic organisational behaviour is a perspective’s consequence, but an interesting concept for present managers (Griffin: 1993: 27-42).

     The social constructionist perspective holds the view that the self is continuing "shaped and reshaped through interactions with others and involvement in social and cultural activities" (Wetherell & Maybin, 1996, p 220). Social constructionist is concerned with explicating the processes by which people come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world (including themselves) in which they live (Gergen, 1971). Thus, the social constructionist approach implies that the self is shaped by social interaction within historical, cultural and social contexts. Social constructionist's apply an analysis of societal level which explain the self through social relations. Conversely, the

Neo, Mai; Neo, Tse-Kian. 2010. Students' Perceptions in Developing a Multimedia Project within a Constructivist Learning Environment: A Malaysian Experience, Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, Retrieved from files.eric.ed.gov./filetext/EJ875781