A Poststructuralist View on Student’s Project Groups: Possibilities and Limitations

TY - JOUR

T1 - A Poststructuralist View on Student’s Project Groups

T2 - Possibilities and Limitations

AU - Christensen, Gerd

PY - 2016/7/1

Y1 - 2016/7/1

N2 - The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how poststructuralism and social constructionism can contribute to the empirical research on groups in problem-based learning (PBL). The paper outlines the analytical complexity and shows, through empirical examples, the potentials and limitations of this perspective as an alternative to traditional group psychology. While the potentials of poststructuralism and social constructionism as an analytical complex seem to be the endeavor for relentless critique, the limitations are the ‘empty subject’ and the avoidance of any kind of normativity that leave no guidance for practice. Though both limitations raise serious problems for the practitioner, I intend to argue that the potentials of the analytical perspective are far more important than the challenges when it comes to social psychological research in groups in PBL.

AB - The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how poststructuralism and social constructionism can contribute to the empirical research on groups in problem-based learning (PBL). The paper outlines the analytical complexity and shows, through empirical examples, the potentials and limitations of this perspective as an alternative to traditional group psychology. While the potentials of poststructuralism and social constructionism as an analytical complex seem to be the endeavor for relentless critique, the limitations are the ‘empty subject’ and the avoidance of any kind of normativity that leave no guidance for practice. Though both limitations raise serious problems for the practitioner, I intend to argue that the potentials of the analytical perspective are far more important than the challenges when it comes to social psychological research in groups in PBL.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - roup work, poststructuralism, project studies, social constructionism, university education

KW - Group work

KW - poststructuralism

KW - project studies

KW - social constructionism

KW - university education

U2 - 10.1177/1475725716643925

DO - 10.1177/1475725716643925

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1475-7257

VL - 15

SP - 168

EP - 179

JO - Psychology Learning & Teaching (Print)

JF - Psychology Learning & Teaching (Print)

IS - 2

ER -