International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Constructivism refers to the philosophical perspective that human beings actively participate in creating their psychological selves and social worlds. Translated to the social sciences, where it is often known as “social constructivism” or “constructionism,” Constructivism is commonly considered to be a paradigm of its own (→  Paradigm ), with epistemological tenets and methods of inquiry that contrast sharply with those of objectivist science (→  Communication Theory and Philosophy ). Many varieties of Constructivism have been developed in the social sciences and humanities, most of them adhering to the tenet that reality is actively constructed – that is, created, maintained, and transformed – by human actors, not passively assimilated from the environment. As a corollary to this tenet, most forms of Constructivism reject the idea that meaning is materially fixed in time or place (→  Meaning ). Instead, meaning is considered to be prolific, ever-changing, and subject to negotiation. Humans are conceived as cognizing subjects who construe the world according to their purposes, stocks of knowledge, and semiotic resources. This meaning-making activity establishes the “factual” nature of the world (in the form of institutions, policies, laws, rules, objects, technologies, and so forth) at the same time that it justifies belief in those facts. Whenever constructivists speak of a ... log in or subscribe to read full text