Review by: Holm, Chandra (2005-04-14)

This exploratory study is the result of a collaborative work carried out by a team of specialists from different faculties of education situated at the Florida State University, USA, Universities of Melbourne and of Southern Queensland, Australia as well as the Open University of Hong Kong. The study was conducted with the goal of identifying the key features of constructivist pedagogy, and to examine the extent to which the principles of this pedagogical theory is actually put to practice at university level. Students and tutors of open and distance learning courses in Australia were the basis of this study.

The authors address primarily instructional designers and educators but the work should be of interest to all such faculty members who are interested in knowing how far a given learning/teaching theory is actually being practiced.

The study was carried out in two parts. The first part, in which qualitative methods were used, was divided into three stages. To start with an electronic discussion group made up of 12 experts belonging to various English speaking countries, documented their answers to questions such as (a) what is constructivism and how are learning and knowledge viewed from this perspective? (b) How does one facilitate constructivist learning? (c) What are the implications of constructivist principles for designing courses of university level study, especially in distance learning modes? Based on their answers to these and other related questions 17 telephone-mediated tutorials conducted with distance education students were analysed in the following stage. Finally study materials from 20 units offered in distance education mode during semester one in 1996 were critically evaluated to determine how well they fulfill the principles of constructivistic pedagogy.

The information won by the first part of the study were supplemented by the second part of the study in which quantitative methods were put to use. In this stage 642 students from an Australian university participated in a survey comprising of 150 statements, and were asked to identify how far their learning environment confirms to the principles of constructivistic pedagogy. Detailed statistical analysis of the results of the survey is presented in the paper.

Results from both parts of the study showed that there is a wide gap between how teaching processes should foster and encourage learning processes according to the constructivistic pedagogy and how far the theory is actually practiced. Tenenbaum et al conclude that this gap might be the result of a lack of knowledge of these principles by instructional designers and educators, and call for the stake holders to try to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The publication makes it clear that very little of what is normally preached is really practiced. The finding does not come as a big surprise to any one who is actively involved in teaching, and is constantly trying to make the best of available time and resources. At the end of reading the paper if one tends to question the added value of such detailed statistical analysis in such an exploratory study, one is justified.