| In an effort to better understand constructivist practice in teacher education, the current study employed case study methodology with several sources of evidence including, interviews, questionnaires, observations, course documents and students' coursework to investigate the implementation of constructivist pedagogy in an educational psychology course. The study addressed student perspectives on the course, changes in students' perspectives over the semester, student learning, and processes that facilitate student learning. The study was conducted at a School of Education within a large, public, research I institution in the Great Plains.; The administration of the course was guided by psychological and sociocultural constructivist principles (Richardson, 2003), Buchanan and Smith's (1998) constructivist model, Bloom et al.'s (1956) cognitive taxonomy, and Reeve, Deci and Ryan's (2004) self-determination theory. Students completed a number of assignments including online journals, discussion board postings, three individualized projects, and a philosophy of learning paper. The primary teaching methods included discussions, role plays, activities, and workshops.; The students' beliefs about learning and teaching changed in much the same way as in previous studies (see Black & Ammon, 1992; Dangel & Guyton, 2003; Fosnot, 1993). The students developed an appreciation for constructivist practice, realized the importance of student-centered environments, came to value collaborative learning and social interaction, and moved away from the view that learning is acquiring facts towards a view that learning is constructing knowledge.; Students' attitudes towards the course remained stable over the semester, with some exceptions. The students indicated the course content was interesting and relevant; they felt comfortable sharing their thoughts; they disliked the lack of deadlines for the assignments; they were lukewarm about the discussion boards and online journals; and the class discussions, particularly hearing classmates' perspectives, were important for their learning. Student reactions that emerged as the semester progressed included concerns about inappropriate student behavior and confusion about the expectations for student performance.; Although the thick description in this study has enabled a greater understanding of what constructivist pedagogy can look like and students' reactions to constructivist pedagogy, far more research needs to be conducted among different populations in different contexts to expand on the implications identified in this study. |
