From Theory to Classroom: Constructivist Approaches and Their Impact on Teachers’ Professional Identity and Work Culture in Delhi NCR
Keywords:
constructivist pedagogy, secondary school teachers, learner-centred teaching, inquiry-based learning, teaching practicesAbstract
This paper presents the investigation of constructivist practices in secondary school educators with the focus on pedagogical awareness, classroom behaviors, and perceived limitations. Descriptive research design was used and 100 secondary school teachers participated through a structured questionnaire to provide primary data. The results demonstrate that the constructivist pedagogy awareness is quite high, but only half and baked and intermittent in secondary classrooms. Many teachers apply learner-centred strategies and collaborative activities though not very often and inquiry-based learning is still scarce. Intensity of curriculum, exam stress, time limitation and large classes came out as other important elements that affected the pedagogical decisions. The findings indicate that constructivist teaching in the secondary education is usually undertaken in blended ways alongside the classical teaching as opposed to being taken as an overriding method. The paper makes empirical contributions to the research on the quality of teaching and shows how systematic support is needed to enhance meaningful constructivist practices in secondary school classes.
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