While constructivism enjoys considerable popularity in higher education, both in Australia and internationally, it nonetheless takes a variety of forms. These different interpretations make it difficult to draw strong conclusions about constructivism as a whole. In this essay, we therefore take a psycho-philosophical approach: reviewing and…

New Internet-based educational technologies, platforms and applications are becoming increasingly popular among learners worldwide. Using them, students and learners are finding ways to make learning easier, more fun and more effective. However, the digitalization of education raises questions about the distribution of digital resources and who…

This book examines the structural and cultural factors that explain the persistence of an attainment gap between white and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students in UK universities. So-called 'deficit' approaches have long represented the orthodoxy in higher education strategy-making, yet they overlook the structural and institutional…

The aim of this paper is to propose a basic model to analyse processes of change in educational institutions taking into account both individual and contextual variables. It aims to identify the basic factors of change in order to contribute to reduce the dispersion of research projects, both from close subjects and one subject alone within human…

Background: Students in higher education are known to vary in their conceptions of learning, their approaches to studying, and the personal development and personal change that result. Aims: This study aimed to explore the relationships among these four aspects of students' experience; to examine whether there were variations across academic…

Describes a classroom simulation designed to allow students to directly experience the contradictory motivations underlying collective action problems. States this exercise provides students with tangible experience that is not usually found in pedagogical techniques. Discusses issues, such as rationality, self interest, social solidarity, and…

Describes an undergraduate sociology course that taught qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Focuses on two students and how they dealt with and overcame anxiety issues, subsequently achieving higher levels of learning and new learning strategies. (KDR)

Explores the nature, dynamics, and implications of the Dialogic, Participator, and Experiential (DPE) approach to teaching and learning. Contrasts three dimensions analytically, and compares their interrelationships in theory and practice. Discusses three goals of the article. (Author/KDR)

Examines textbooks (n=40), developed for introductory sociology, based on quantity and quality of material pertaining to traditional symbolic interaction ideas. Finds all textbooks discuss at least some of the ideas. Provides empirical study findings with illustrations. Focuses on how materials from symbolic interaction traditions can enhance…

Examines the core features of a group of related instructional strategies called modularized instruction. Key among the features is the extent to which modularized instruction makes explicit the dimension of the teaching/learning process. Several models are constructed and evaluated for the degree to which they remove ambiguity. (Author/DB)

Argues that students often memorize, without critical analysis, components and processes of subjects in the sociology curriculum. Suggests that using cross-cultural, comparative material is a means of stimulating the critical energy of students, and subverting the tendency toward uncritical acceptance of factual "nuts and bolts." (DB)

Presents an exercise in which students are required to develop assessment criteria for an introductory sociology class. Notes that students respond positively to being included in the class syllabus design. Describes some logistical concerns and pedagogical constraints of the exercise implementation. (Author/KDR)

This collection brings together many of the world's leading sociologists of education to explore and address key issues and concerns within the discipline. The thirty-seven newly commissioned chapters draw upon theory and research to provide new accounts of contemporary educational processes, global trends, and changing and enduring forms of…

Describes classroom exercises involving sociology students in the process of learning social construction of reality concepts. Focuses on stigmas and social interaction. States students gain deeper understanding of sociological concepts useful in real life situations. (KDR)

A hypothetical classroom discussion in an introductory college sociology class provides a focal point for discussion about teaching techniques and the process by which students learn. The interaction and subsequent reflections on it are described by the teacher. (MSE)