Dr. HughesTEDU 732Spring 2013
TEDU 732: (Loose) Glossary of Terms
Constructionism (Social): knowledge is constructed by, for, and in between members of a community; history and culture are part of the social context as well (associated more with Vygotsky)
Constructivism (Social): new knowledge is constructed internally with little or no influence from social context (associated more with Piaget)
Discourse: unit of language organized around a particular subject matter and meaning; signifies a particular awareness of social influences on language;[i]
…from a poststructural perspective, discourse communicates the social relatedness of the human world, and more specifically, our social relatedness as inscribed in and expressed through language.[ii]
Epistemology: The study of the nature of knowledge; what kinds of knowledge are possible
Ideology: set of beliefs characteristic of a social group; system of ideas and ideals, which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy[iii]
Ontology: The study of the nature of existence or being; the structures of reality
Objectivism: truth and meaning are independent of any consciousness; things have intrinsic meanings to be discovered or revealed by inquiry…researchers report little about themselves or their relationships to those in the setting. Participants are foregrounded, and self as researcher is backgrounded.[iv]
Paradigm: a collection of rules, domain assumptions, theories, discourses, and values that govern and shape a discipline at a particular historical moment…a general mind-set or perspective which dictates, for example, in which directions research might go, what constitutes legitimate knowledge, and who is a legitimate speaker for the field[v]
Positivism: basis of “positive science” (ie, that which is posited) lie in “direct experience” of “what is observed” via “scientific method”; investigator and investigated object are assumed to be independent entities; knowledge is factual; objectivist epistemology (truth and meaning reside in objects); scientific knowledge is accurate and certain (as opposed to opinions and feelings); replicable findings are “true”; reality is value-neutral, ahistorical, and cross cultural; “real” properties can be measured, counted, and quantified; importance of objectivity, validity, and generalizability attributed to findings[vi]
Post-Positivism: research outcomes are neither totally objective nor unquestionably certain; claims to validity are tentative and qualified; observer affects what is being observed—she is not detached; scientific findings are forever tentative; questioning of objectivity and value-free neutrality; reality is assumed to exist but to be imperfectly grasped because of basically flawed humans (bias, etc.); science is produced in cultural and political contexts[vii]
Text: the concept of text implies a specific piece of writing, and much more broadly, social reality itself.[viii]
Theoretical Perspective: the philosophical stance informing the methodology, thus providing context for the process and grounding of its logic and criteria.[ix]
Subjectivism: knower imposes meaning on the known; the known plays little role here; knower uses past experience, dreams, or other sources to attribute meaning to the known. Data gathered during research cannot be separated from the researchers’ selves and is inextricably linked to the perspectives of the researchers, who are the only instruments of data collection. Rather than seeking single meaning, researchers explore multiple, contradictory, and multilayered meanings inherent in a setting or event.[x]
[i]
[ii]From Pinar, Reynolds, Slattery, & Taubman, 2008
[iii]
[iv]Preissle and Grant, 2004, in deMarris and Lapan (Eds.). 2004
[v]From Pinar, Reynolds, Slattery, & Taubman, 2008
[vi]Crotty, 1998
[vii]Crotty, 1998
[viii]From Pinar, Reynolds, Slattery, & Taubman, 2008
[ix]Crotty, 1998, p. 3
[x]Preissle and Grant, 2004, in deMarris and Lapan (2004)