Editing Social constructivism (section)

{{Short description|Sociological theory of knowledge}}
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{{Distinguish|Social constructionism|Constructivism (philosophy of education)}}
{{Other uses|Constructivism (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use Oxford spelling|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{More footnotes|date=March 2010}}

'''Social constructivism''' is a [[sociological]] [[theory of knowledge]] according to which human development is socially situated, and knowledge is constructed through interaction with others.<ref name="McKinley">{{cite journal|last1=McKinley|first1=J.|title=Critical Argument and Writer Identity: Social Constructivism as a Theoretical Framework for EFL Academic Writing|journal=Critical Inquiry in Language Studies|date=2015|volume=12|issue=3|pages=184–207|doi=10.1080/15427587.2015.1060558|s2cid=53541628|url=https://www.jimmckinley.me/uploads/1/3/5/8/13582401/socialconstructivismmckinley2015.pdf|access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> Like [[social constructionism]], social constructivism states that people work together to actively construct [[Cultural trait|artifacts]]. But while social constructivism focuses on [[cognition]], social constructionism focuses on the making of [[social reality]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schwandt |first=Thomas A. |title=The landscape of qualitative research: theories and issues |publisher=Sage Publications |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7619-1433-4 |editor-last=Denzin |editor-first=Norman K. |location=Thousand Oaks (Calif.) London New Delhi |chapter=Constructivist, Interpretivist Approaches to Human Inquiry |editor-last2=Lincoln |editor-first2=Yvonna S.}}</ref>

A very simple example is an object like a cup. The object can be used for many things, but its shape does suggest some 'knowledge' about carrying liquids (see also [[Affordance]]). A more complex example is an [[online course]]—not only do the 'shapes' of the software tools indicate certain things about the way online courses should work, but the activities and texts produced within the group as a whole will help shape how each person behaves within that group. A person's cognitive development will also be influenced by the culture that they are involved in, such as the language, history, and social context. For a philosophical account of one possible social-constructionist [[ontology]], see the [[Representative realism#Criticism|'Criticism' section of ''Representative realism'']]{{dead link|date=April 2025}}.<ref>See also Wright, Edmond (2005) Narrative, Perception, Language, and Faith. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 103–120.</ref>