Using Constructivism in Technology-Mediated Learning: Constructing Order out of the Chaos in the Literature

TLDR

Constructivism learning theory encompasses diverse epistemological positions. The study aims to identify, categorize, and relate constructivist learning theory positions and their instructional implications. The authors differentiate constructivist positions along two continua: objective versus subjective reality, and socially versus individually constructed knowledge.

Abstract

There are a variety of epistemological positions underlying constructivism learning theory in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to identify and categorize the positions of constructivism learning theories, their relationships to each other, and the implications for instructional practice for each position. This paper clarifies these positions by differentiating the major forms of constructivism along two dimensions. The first dimension defines the constructivist position along a continuum between an understanding of reality as being objective at one end, and a view of reality that is defined subjectively at the other end. The second dimension defines each position on a continuum where knowledge is either socially constructed at the one end, or individually constructed at the other end.