Innovative Strategies to Support All Qualitative Methods Students' Empowerment and Success: A Social Constructivist/Transformative Teaching Approach

Over the past decade, interest has developed in social constructivist pedagogies that position students of qualitative research as independent and collaborative meaning makers rather than passive receivers of qualitative information. Grounded by theory originated primarily by Lev Vygotsky (1978) and supported by Jean Piaget (1977), social constructivism asserts knowledge is acquired through social interactions in particular social contexts "in which language plays a significant role" (Edelen et al, 2022, p. 29). In social constructivism teaching/learning strategy groups, students engage together in conversations and exchange ideas about complex topics, supported by an instructor when necessary. There is a lack of research-based strategies in the extant literature that adhere to social constructivist teaching perspectives. Therefore, with this book, we add to the small body of work that offers explicit directions appropriate for instructors to add to their qualitative teaching and learning pedagogical repertoires.

Contributors are: Christy Bebeau, Lynn Butler-Kisber, Michelle Lindquist, Taiwo Ogundapo, Darlshawn Patterson, Kathleen Pithouse-Morgan, Janet Richards, Anastasia Samaris, Jessica Shotts, Patriann Smith and Dianne Wellington.