CONSTRUCTIVIST PARADIGM Anna Hebb Ann Johnston Lisa Webb

CONSTRUCTIVIST PARADIGM: Anna Hebb Ann Johnston & Lisa Webb Faith Wilkerson October 17, 2013 EDLP 711

Infinity

Paradigm Goals: Learning Objective 1: Students will be able to define and apply the concepts of the Constructivist Paradigm.

Expanding Your Thinking: You are chosen to create a public garden in an abandoned lot and teach nearby residents how to grow and cultivate fruits and vegetables. Because fresh produce is prohibitively expensive and of poor quality in the local grocery, it is assumed personal gardens could increase the amount and quality of nutritional foods in the neighborhood.

Axiology Evaluator is self aware of his/her values q Evaluator seeks to understand the values of participants q What is the influence of values on the research process?

Ontology Multiple socially constructed realities Reflection on experiences essential Interaction with others critical; interactive dialogue Reality revealed (hermeneutic process)

Epistemology Researchers and participants interact Dialogue is meaningful Knowledge is created through reflection

Paradigm Goals: Learning Objective 2: Students will identify and apply four evaluation methods of the Constructivist Paradigm

Goal-Free Evaluation Intended to be a bias-free evaluation method Assists evaluator in identifying unintended consequences of a program Can improve credibility of other evaluation findings

Case Study Evaluation Great way to uncover hidden meanings within programs Very clear in listing all steps leading up to final conclusions Allows open communication to flow between researcher and client.

Connoisseurship Evaluation Comes from evaluation of arts program Appreciation Critique Phenomena

Responsive Evaluation Begin study with observations Use observation data to prepare brief reports Stakeholders are asked to discuss � Value of report � Diversity of opinions that exist � Accuracy and relevance “Quantitative data is used to evoke discussions and to understand the world behind the numbers. ”

Wrap up Question: Given what we discussed… Would you change your thoughts about the “ologies” or keep them the same?