131 POL, Volume 2 (1) ISSN: 2320-9526 © KEC, HP, Website: www.krishma.org PEDAGOGY OF LEARNING, Volume 2 (1), pp.131-137, April 2014 (An International Journal of Education) ISSN: 2320-9526 © Krishma Educational Centre, Himachal Pradesh, Printed in India Effectiveness of Constructivist Approach in Science Learning at Elementary School Stage Shantanu Bhattacharjee* Chitralekha Mehera** Abstract : The present study seeks to assess the effectiveness of constructivist approach on Science learning at elementary school stage. For this purpose, non equivalent control group design was followed. The subjects of experiment consisted of 40 students each in experimental and control groups. The results of the study revealed that the constructivist learning approach has significant impact on the achievement of learners in science. Keywords: Constructivist Learning, Experimental Design, Academic Achievement. * PGT, Physics, River Side School, Burnpur, WB, India E-mail : shantnu_physics@rediffmaill.com ** Assistant Professor, Dept. of Education, University of Burdwan, Burdwan, WB, India Recommended Citation: Bhattacharjee, S. & Mehera, C. (2014). Effectiveness of constructivist approach in science learning at elementary school stage. Pedagogy of Learning, Vol.2 (1), pp. 131-137. Introduction Teaching is no more concerned with the mere process of imparting knowledge rather it is the process of generation of knowledge through the active interaction of children among themselves and the teacher as a facilitator. The traditional model of teaching based on objectivist paradigm has been shifted towards constructivist paradigm with the assumption that knowledge is subjective and children construct knowledge themselves in a free and fearless environment. The pioneers in the field of constructivism like Piaget, Vygotsky and Novak have propounded different theories on constructivism. According to Piaget children construct knowledge individually, Vygotsky believes that children construct knowledge through social interaction and according to Novak children construct knowledge through classroom interaction. Analysis of all these viewpoints reveal that knowledge construction is beyond from imposition of pre fixed ideas rather it is the free interplay of ideas and feelings about concepts. Constructivism is not a way of teaching rather it is a theory of learning based on the proposition that the children learn actively by means of creating, interpreting and reorganizing knowledge in a collective way. Here interaction among the children is the main focus. The teachers have to provide a very authentic learning situation where the children can be involved in inquiry activities, problem solving discussions with peers and discovery etc. Now in our country teachers are focusing on it since it has been highlighted by national Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in its National Curriculum Framework (NCF) in terms of a paradigm shift from rote memory to Learning by understanding. Very few research evidences are there with regard to the application of constructivist learning approach in Indian classroom set up. Padmanabhan and Rao (2011) in their study reported the positive impact of constructivist approach in enhancing the