Introduction
The paper addresses the constructivist perspective, which posits that individuals are active participants in developing their knowledge. Clark (2018) acknowledges that constructivism, which some education theorists define as a branch of cognitivism, is the study of a learner’s knowledge creation. Constructivists think people learn best when they proactively create their interpretations of new information (Clark, 2018). Kimmons and Caskurlu (2020) state that constructivism is divided into radical and social groups. The radical or cognitive constructivism version posits that generating knowledge is based on the individual’s perception of their active experiences. On the contrary, social constructivism asserts that human progress is socially oriented and that knowledge is formed via contact with others. Hence, the constructivist perspective is crucial to discuss and demonstrate awareness of arguments for and against it because knowledge building is an essential aspect of education and development.
Constructivist Psychology: Vygotsky, Piaget, and Dewey
Notably, constructivist psychology is founded on three psychologists’ theories and contributions. Jean Piaget belongs to the radical constructivism side, Lev Vygotsky focuses on the social elements of learning via experiences, and John Dewey balances the two approaches (Kimmons & Caskurlu, 2020). According to Daniels and Tse (2020), Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory emphasizes that individuals can affect their personal development via the use of artifacts, particularly discourses, that they and others produce or have constructed. Daniels and Tse (2020) state that humans educate themselves rather than being controlled by and within “external symbolic, cultural systems” (p. 5). Focusing on self-construction through and using the resources at hand brings two critical concerns to the spotlight (Daniels & Tse, 2020). First, it refers to the individual as an active actor in development. Second, it accentuates the importance of contextual impacts in that development occurs through the utilization of tools that are accessible at a particular moment and location. According to constructivism theory, there are psychological and other tools; for instance, psychological tools may be employed to influence the mind and behavior. On the other hand, technical tools are employed to influence modifications in other entities.
Culture is regarded as considerably more than a network of particular institutions and commodities. Skorc (2019) argues that it is a dynamically interacting field in which all humans, particularly newborns and youngsters, are active participants and co-creators. Vygotsky’s approach depicts humans’ reception of cultural mediators as an active process (Skorc, 2019). For instance, children acquire their parents’ language more than listeners and imitators; they want to engage in dialogical exchange with adults, establishing a symbolic space for discussion. Babies communicate long before they begin speaking, articulate themselves before mastering the expressive media of a specific social milieu, and play before comprehending the game’s rules (Skorc, 2019; MacBlain, 2018). According to Kimmons and Caskurlu (2020), radical constructivist Piaget emphasized the same notion that the person is at the center of knowledge generation and development; he presents proof that children are not intellectually inferior to adults. Dewey, the third constructivist, values inquiry and blending real-world and classroom activity (Kimmons & Caskurlu, 2020). As a result, the constructivist framework places individuals in charge of their knowledge acquisition and enables the educator to function as a facilitator.
Humans’ Active Role in Their Lives’ Shaping
Individuals may shape their development and life path by achieving long-term objectives such as acquiring a new skill, maintaining a job, meeting a life partner, and starting a family. Heckhausen et al. (2018) claim that each of these significant goals has a period of opportunity, and humans should adjust their goal-pursuit timeline to capitalize on these possibilities. Nevertheless, interruptions or impediments may divert an individual’s focus away from a particular aim. Heckhausen et al. (2018) acknowledge that people might use “metavolitional strategies” to overcome such hurdles by focusing on the desired aim (p. 196). Hence, they may anticipate the excitement and satisfaction of finally accomplishing a challenging objective, such as obtaining a college degree, and, thus, re-energize their attempts to achieve that goal.
Consequently, humans’ may play an active role in their life-shaping. According to Vygotsky’s constructivist approach, a kid might gain cognitive abilities within a limited range known as the proximal development zone by directed involvement, also called scaffolding, with a teacher or skilled peer (Beyer & Lazzara, 2022). Many educators have embraced this way of teaching; rather than evaluating pupils on what they are accomplishing, they should be understood in terms of what they are capable of completing given the correct direction (Beyer & Lazzara, 2022; Jitka et al., 2018; Anagün, 2018). As a result, teachers help pupils while they appear to need it, but once they know what to do, the educator should step aside. In a college context, for instance, instead of an instructor speaking most of the time, class time may be allocated to students working in small groups to solve complex issues (Barger et al., 2018). Therefore, this experience may encourage students to interpret domain knowledge as more complicated and derived from various sources.
Self-directed learning and development, a constructivist-based method, has been highlighted as a critical competency for preparing young people for adulthood. Morris (2019) states that constructivist learning settings emphasize the significance of involving students in solving real-world problems. Self-directed learning is a skill that is particularly crucial for living and functioning effectively in the modern world (Morris, 2019). Consequently, it increases an individual’s capacity to adapt to shifting social contextual settings.
Contrary Positions
Contrary to the constructivist perspective, individual power in defining one’s future is constantly formed and restricted by one’s biological status and location within a specific social system. Jung (2019) argues that one criticism is that constructivism does not respect what has been investigated and verified. Based on the learning setting and learner experiences, a teacher-centered method may be just as successful as a learner-centered, collaborative one (Jung, 2019). According to Zajda (2018), the constructivist approach to pedagogy as a way of learning and teaching is unlikely to be successful because other elements influence the learning process. Thus, cognitive, social, and cultural characteristics are critical factors influencing the quality of the development process.
When considering newborns’ development, the brains are very immature and pliable and require significant personal interactions to develop. Infants need solid connections with emotionally healthy, responsive caregivers, proper nourishment and care provided, and enough exposure to language (Immordino-Yang et al., 2019; Romeo et al., 2018). Immordino-Yang et al. (2019) assert that early childhood physical, cognitive, and social successes lay the groundwork for concepts and abilities. Hence, skills develop when children start to more formally articulate their knowledge of the interpersonal and psychological environment and self.
Many behaviorists believe that people are more passive in the developmental process. For instance, they see individuals as having less influence over their behavior from a passive perspective (Beyer & Lazzara, 2022). Development may be viewed as a result of the environment, social factors, or biological changes. For instance, Urie Bronfenbrenner offers a model of human development that tackles its multiple effects; a kid’s experiences are shaped by more prominent factors such as the family, schools, religion, and culture (Beyer & Lazzara, 2022). Dahl and Killen (2018) indicate that the constructivist approach to moral development varies from the learning or socialization views. For instance, moral growth is portrayed in socialization and learning viewpoints as a process of conforming to the norms and ideas of one’s community, resulting in a relativistic understanding of morality.
Conclusion
According to the constructivist viewpoint, people actively participate in their development. For instance, Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory stresses the use of artifacts by individuals to influence their personal growth. Additionally, children learn their parents’ language differently than observers and imitators; they aspire to participate in a dialogue with their parents, creating a symbolic platform for conversation and interaction. To summarize, the constructivist framework empowers individuals to direct their knowledge acquisition while allowing educators to serve as facilitators. A constructivist-based self-directed learning and development strategy has been identified as a vital competence for preparing young people for adulthood. Such an approach to education improves an individual’s ability to adapt to changing social contexts. In contrast to the constructivist viewpoint, individual power in shaping one’s development is continually produced and limited by one’s natural abilities and placement within a particular social structure. As a result, cognitive, social, and cultural qualities significantly impact the quality of the development cycle. Therefore, broader societal influences influence human development, and comprehending such forces is necessary for understanding a person.
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