ERIC Number: EJ1132336
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1387-1579
EISSN: N/A
Constructivist Learning and Openness to Diversity and Challenge in Higher Education Environments
Alt, Dorit
Learning Environments Research, v20 n1 p99-119 Apr 2017
The increasing calls for diversity research signal a need to explore contemporary learning and instruction strategies that respond to diversity in courses and curricula. The major objective of this research was to measure the level of openness to diversity and challenge (ODC) among college students as a function of their perceived constructivist learning environment in traditional lecture-based courses (LBE) and seminars (SM). The study included 243 undergraduate students. Data were gathered using the Constructivist Learning in Higher Education Settings scale (CLHES), which measures students' perceptions of the occurrence of constructivist practices in learning environments along three dimensions of "constructive activity," "teacher-student interaction" and "social activity," and the Openness to Diversity and Challenge scale. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results indicated a positive connection between the general factor of CLHES and ODC over and above several pre-entry variables such as gender and culture. According to a further SEM analysis, the "social activity" variable mainly explained the ODC variable whereas the "teacher-student interaction" factor was mainly connected to the "constructive activity" variable. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated that students enrolled in SM perceived this environment as more constructivist and reported having higher levels of feelings of ODC than LBE students. Interpretation of these findings, in conjunction with theory, applications, and implications for future research are discussed.
Descriptors: Constructivism (Learning), Higher Education, Structural Equation Models, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Measures (Individuals), Seminars, Teaching Methods, Teacher Student Relationship, Multivariate Analysis, Educational Practices, Lecture Method, Cultural Pluralism, College Faculty
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A