Social constructionism as the basis for collaborative writing instruction

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Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

The paper defines social constructionism as "a philosophy of knowledge whichasserts that truth is not something eternal" but a product of human activity, holding that "meaning is not privately constructed but is generated by social interaction". It draws the view from Vygotsky, Kuhn, Rorty, Geertz and Fish, and uses it to ground collaborative learning in the composition classroom.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Meaning is treated as generated through social interaction carried out in language, so learners need to take part in the conversation of a community; the paper cites Vygotsky's account that socialized speech is turned inward to become inner speech or thought.
• Learning is framed, following Rorty as the paper reports him, as a shift in a person's relations with others rather than a change inside the person.

Constraints

• The paper presents the view as a synthesis of other thinkers' positions and reports no empirical test of it.

Target Learners

• Students in college composition courses

Target Learning Objectives

• Writing effective discourse by learning the language of the community students hope to enter

Claims

• Collaborative Learning Is An Extension Of Social Constructionism Into Composition [+W]

Related Theories

• Sociocultural Theory
• Constructivism
• Co-constructionism requires an active individual, an active environment, and culture
• Constructivism as a theory of knowledge and learning with individualistic, social, and combined branches
• Vygotsky's social constructivism: psychological phenomena emerge from social interaction

Examples

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Key Sources

• DeCiccio, Albert C. (1988). Social Constructionism and Collaborative Learning: Recommendations for Teaching Writing. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED294201

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	theory
title	Social constructionism as the basis for collaborative writing instruction
description	The paper defines social constructionism as "a philosophy of knowledge whichasserts that truth is not something eternal" but a product of human activity, holding that "meaning is not privately constructed but is gener...
status	review
canonical	True
generated	by claude/unspecified on 2026-09-24
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — deciccio-1988

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