CHAPTER FIVE
4.3. THE RESULTS
4.3.1 Conceptualisation of the Phenomenon “Knowledge Construction”
To reiterate, Strauss and Corbin (1990) define a phenomenon as the central idea, event or, happening about which a set of actions/interactions is directed at managing or handling, or to which the set is related. Data sources revealed that there were different determinants through which the process of knowledge construction in CBSL
programmes was manifested. These factors include that knowledge construction: (a) is grounded on authentic health related problems; (b) enhances academic discourse dialogue; (c) requires cognitive coaching (scaffolding); (d) is interactive and takes
place in communities of learners; (e) requires active learning; (f) promotes reflective learning; (g) is collaborative in nature; and (h) requires inquiry-based learning.
Knowledge construction is grounded on authentic health related problems:
Participants revealed that all learning activities, both in the classroom and in community settings, were based on solving real-life problems which had been identified in the communities. The use of authentic health problems from the community was the core in the process of constructing knowledge in CBSL programmes. It emerged that identified community health needs served as a drive behind the whole process of knowledge construction. The rich and diverse community environments promoted learning through the investigation of
community problems within authentic contexts and encouraged students to draw on live experiences. Real-life community problems became the tools for learning as, within the communities, students were exposed to the various stages of problem solving and were encouraged to practice their problem solving skills whilst they acquired substantive contextualized knowledge. Some excerpts from the
participants state that:
In authentic context, students acquire content and skills through the resolution of realistic problems... the knowledge and understanding that are developed in their realistic and complex situations are more easily retrieved when needed.
The use of real life problems relates the educational environment to future professional practice and thus helps bridge the theory/practice gap.
The identified authentic health needs form the basis of the content covered in class… knowledge construction is directly based on these real health needs.
Concepts are grounded in experience and practice, and this is deemed to enhance motivation and lead to a deeper approach to student learning…
community-based education and service helps the students to appreciate the communities in their realistic environment in which they will work.
Knowledge construction enhances academic discourse dialogue: In class, the participants guided the discussion process to ensure that the focus of students’
dialogue was on the theme or learning issue at hand, not on other unrelated issues.
It was revealed that the class discussions were theme-oriented. Within the themes discussed, it emerged that the process of knowledge construction was
characterized by the exchange of ideas, viewpoints, arguments and debates of issues until a consensus was reached on what was regarded as relevant within the context of the discussion.
Group discussions and arguments were based on scientific or research-based literature which students brought to class to share with colleagues and to use in supporting their arguments. Students brought in their own resources (such as reports of personal experience, literature citations and data collected) which they used to explore their differences and negotiate new meanings through the
discussions. It became evident that these interactions within the groups resulted in enhanced understanding and the creation of new personal constructions of
knowledge. There were a variety of cognitive activities performed by the students and their facilitators which included questioning, clarifying, negotiating,
synthesising, arguing, and sharing facts and statements in class. Some of the participants explained as follows:
We have an important role to guide the nature and success of the discussions in class... We have to assist students in brain-streaming.
All students should be actively involved in this process for effective knowledge creation… By providing equal opportunities, all students develop a sense of ownership to newly constructed knowledge and reduce the tendency to think unidirectional.
Students’ interactions during classroom discussions encourage students to critically analyse the data at hand for the purpose of constructing meaning and then validate knowledge through discourse and action.
During active dialogue in class, students remember the core content better, and are able to align the data they have at hand with the with new information they didn’t know before shared by their colleagues thereby expanding their knowledge base.
The more inquisitive and talkative some students are, the more the whole group or class will learn.
Knowledge construction requires cognitive coaching (scaffolding): Participants
the use of scaffolding. Scaffolding was done to guide, support and coach students so that they were able to cope with the learning issues at hand. Participants gradually and purposefully facilitated the process of learning to a stage where the students were capable of managing their own group processes, such as
contributing to discussions and accepting criticism. This was done by identifying the period and content within which scaffolding (support) was needed during class interaction and the appropriate time to implement such support. It was also
necessary to devise a method to assess the progress of the students and determine when the scaffold could be removed. The support was gradually removed as students progressively developed their own cognitive learning skills and developed autonomous group processes. Some of the participants revealed that:
We provide some form of supportive guidance to students that help them to engage in group tasks… to discuss up to the level that would normally not be possible to accomplish by working independently.
Cognitive coaching is purposive support given to students for the purpose of academic achievement… in our case; it is performed within groups in the classroom and in the communities.
Through our coaching and guidance, students are actively engaged at their current level of understanding until the point where the support is no longer required… they are guided in the process of mastering a group task or concept by stimulating their thought processes and assist them draw knowledge from previous experiences… they need someone to stimulate that reflective process.
Knowledge construction is interactive and takes place in communities of learners: Participants revealed that knowledge construction in CBSL was manifested through sharing, negotiation and joint problem solving. Through the process of interaction between facilitators and their students, each identified community health problem, situation and/or learning issue was viewed from different perspectives, in order to jointly construct new meaning and
understanding and, therefore, new knowledge. It emerged that the participants endeavoured to facilitate effective classroom interactions during teaching and learning, as they believed that such an interactive teaching and learning style promoted group discussions which helped the students to learn from their own experiences and from the experiences of their peers. Such interactive learning enabled the students to engage in the process of constructing knowledge from varied community-based clinical experiences, as well as the reflections of others through sharing and the exchange of knowledge. It emerged that when students engage in group processes, they form communities of learners who share the same goals of solving community health needs and/or problems, as evidenced by some of the following excerpts from the participants:
Students learn together by interacting with each other and with the facilitator… they work together to solve community identified problems…
all possible perspectives are considered jointly to find a common solution to problems identified.
We strive for student interaction during learning in our approach…
students learn from their experiences and those of their group mates, they also learn from their inputs during the classroom sessions and group
discussions… I say interactive because they learn together and from each other… In such a learning environment we should allow the students to question and challenge through reflections… ask for clarity and be open to justifications of their thinking or feelings… the same goes to us,
challenging their perspectives so that we generate meaning and understanding of the situation together.
Working as a team over a problem allows all of the students to look at different ways of solving it because you explore various alternatives and debate them until a consensus is reached on the best solution that will solve the individuals, clients, families or community problems. This sharing and exchange of ideas and reflections contribute to increased construction of knowledge and problem solving skills.
Knowledge construction requires active learning: It emerged that active learning implied that students accepted more responsibility for their own learning.
Participants revealed that the students constructed knowledge as they engaged in active learning by deliberately or consciously seeking out solutions for the
learning issues at hand or the community problems that needed solutions. Some of the participants mentioned that:
Students learn actively and accept more responsibility in community contexts… through careful deliberations in the community and in class, students look for meanings in identified problems and learning issues.
In essence, learning is more effective when it is an active process rather than a passive process.
Knowledge construction promotes reflective learning: Data revealed that a student is perceived as a person who creates new understanding for him/herself.
Participants revealed that during community intervention projects, the facilitators were there to facilitate learning through questioning and suggestions, and allowed the students opportunities to practice, ask questions, try new things or experiment in the community as they constructed knowledge. It emerged that an important part of the knowledge construction process was that the students reflected on, and talked about, their learnt activities to confirm the knowledge they had constructed.
Participants revealed that students kept learning journals where they recorded their community experiences, how they felt about specific encounters, the verbal reactions of others to the learning experiences and how they viewed certain individuals, families and even the communities to which they were allocated.
From time to time, the learning journals were read and students were encouraged to reflect and then assess, if given the same scenario, whether they felt they had gained any new knowledge. Participants revealed that students should be allowed to control their own learning process and to lead the way by reflecting on their experiences. Such reflection helped students to make connections between their community service and their learning experiences. Some participants mentioned that:
Reflection makes students be experts of their own learning… our role as facilitator is to help create situations where students feel safe to question
and reflect on their own learning processes, either as individuals or as groups.
Students keep journals in a writing class where they record how they felt about the encounter with the community and about their community projects, the visuals and verbal reactions of others to the experience.
Periodically, we read these journals and holds conferences with the student where we assess what new knowledge the student has created, how the student learns best and the learning environment and our roles as the facilitators in it.
As facilitators, we follow an approach to teaching and learning, designs learning experiences where the student reflect-on and evaluate their learning experiences… also build on previous learning experiences to construct new knowledge and meanings.
Thinking about learning experiences in terms of what one understands and how one learns is a critical feature because it allows for knowledge to be created.
Knowledge construction is collaborative in nature: Participants revealed that an environment that promoted knowledge construction relied heavily on
collaboration amongst students. It emerged that the students learned about learning, not only from themselves, but also from others such as peers, clients,
families and/or other members of the community. Collaborative learning emerged as a collection of perspectives based on the principles of interpersonal interaction.
Through collaborating with each other, students became active partners and active participants of the reflective learning environment, and hence actively participated in the knowledge construction process. Participants revealed that collaborative learning involved grouping, or pairing, of students for the purpose of achieving a common learning goal, and in this way students become responsible for one each other’s learning in the process of knowledge creation. Thus, the success of one student helps other students to be successful which, in turn, enhances the development of positive relationships for both the students and the communities and enhances the process of knowledge construction. Positive relationships were viewed as necessary for the effective facilitation of knowledge construction in community settings. This was indicated in the following quotes from some of the participants:
Collaboration amongst students themselves promotes knowledge to be constructed collaboratively... when students review and reflect on their learning processes together, they can pick up strategies and methods from one another… it doesn’t stop from them alone but from different
stakeholders including individuals, families, aggregates and the community at large.
Working together is necessary… consultation and cooperation with each other is imperative. Collaboration helps students to be active participants of the reflective learning environment… it involves forming of partnership, sharing of information, co-operation and consultation amongst the
students themselves, with different stakeholders in the community and with different university departments.
The development of positive relationships among all stakeholders in a teaching and learning situation is a significant aspect in the facilitation for effective knowledge construction especially in CBSL context.
Knowledge construction requires inquiry-based learning: Participants revealed that students used inquiry methods to ask questions and investigate topics. They also used a variety of resources to find solutions through explorations that led to more questions and answers until, eventually, new knowledge would be
constructed. A few excerpts from some participant are as follows:
As students explore the topic, inquiry into the topic comes in, and students will use different means to reach solutions… then conclusions are drawn by students and as exploration continues, they revisit those conclusions.
Exploration of the questions through inquiry leads to more questions and, eventually, to new knowledge.