Abstract
In this paper, I argue that educational psychology is deeply embedded in an objectivist epistemology, the consequences of which seriously undermine our ability to inform educational practice. In the remainder of the paper, I provide an introduction to semiotics, the doctrine of signs, and offer four global concepts (the sign, semiosis, inference, and reflexivity) that I believe set semiotics apart from other, more or less related, approaches within psychology and educational psychology (e.g., constructivism). I conclude the paper by responding to some of the more frequently asked questions I have encountered in attempting to define an educational semiotic.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, M., Deely, J., Krampen, M., Ransdell, J., Sebeok, T., and von Uexkull, T. (1984). A semiotic perspective on the sciences: Steps toward a new paradigm.Semiotica 52: 7–47.
Barthes, R. (1964).Elements of Semiology (Translated by Annette Lavers and Colin Smith), Hill and Wang, New York.
Bateson, G. (1972).Steps to an Ecology of Mind, Ballentine, New York.
Belenky, M., Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N., and Tarule, J. (1986).Women's Ways of Knowing: The Development of Self, Voice and Mind, Basic Books, New York.
Bouissac, P., Herzfeld, M., and Posner, R. (eds.) (1986).Iconicity, Stauffenburg-Verlag, Tubingen.
Bransford, J., Sherwood, R., Hasselbring, T., Kinser, C., and Williams, S. Anchored instruction: Why we need it and how technology can help. In D. Nix and R. Spiro (eds.),Advances in Computer-Video Technology, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, N.J. In press.
Brown, J., Collins, A., and Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning.Educ. Res. 18: 32–42.
Buchler, J. (ed.) (1955).Philosophical Writings of Peirce, Dover, New York.
Bush, V. (1945). As we may think.Atl. Month. 176: 101–108.
Collins, A., Brown, J., and Newman, S. Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the craft of reading, writing and mathematics. In L. Resnick (ed.),Knowing, Learning and Instruction: Essays in Honor of Robert Glaser, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, N.J. In press.
Culler, J. (1988).Framing the Sign, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma.
Culler, J. (1990). Fostering Post-Structuralist Thinking. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Boston.
Cunningham, D. (1987). Outline of an education semiotic.Am. J. Semiotics 5: 201–216.
Cunningham, D. (1989). Abduction and affordance: J. J. Gibson and theories of semiosis. In T. Prewitt, J. Deely, and K. Haworth (eds.),Semiotics 1988, University Press of America, New York, pp. 27–33.
Cunningham, D. (1991). Assessing constructions and constructing assessments: A dialogue.Educ. Technol. 31(5): 13–17.
Cunningham, D. Semiotic aspects of pedagogy. In R. Posner (ed.),Handbook of Semiotics, Walter De Gruyter, Berlin. In press.
Cunningham, D., and Shank, G. (1984). Semiotics: A new foundation for education?Contemp. Educ. Rev. 3: 411–421.
Cunningham, D., and Shank, G. (1989).Semiotics, a Short Course. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans.
Deely, J. (1982).Introducing Semiotic, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Deely, J. (1986). The coalescence of semiotic consciousness. In J. Deely, B. Williams, and F. Kruse (eds.).Frontiers of Semiotics, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, pp. 5–34.
Deely, J. (1990).Basics of Semiotics, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Deely, J., Williams, B., and Kruse, F. (eds.) (1986).Frontiers of Semiotics, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Derrida, J. (1984). Languages and the institutions of philosophy.Res. Semiot./Semiot. Inq. 4: 91–154.
Duffy, T., and Knuth, R. (1990). Hypermedia and instruction: Where's the match? In D. Jonassen and H. Mandl (eds.),Designing Hypermedia for Learning. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany.
Eco, U. (1976).A Theory of Semiotic, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Eco, U. (1979).The Role of the Reader, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Eco, U. (1983).The Name of the Rose (Translated by William Weaver), Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich, New York.
Eco, U. (1984).Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Fiske, J. (1982).Introduction to Communication Studies, Methuen, London, England.
Freire, P. (1970).The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Herder and Herder, New York.
Gardner, H. (1983).Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Basic Books, New York.
Gardner, H. (1985).The Mind's New Science, Basic Books, New York.
Hawkes, T. (1977).Structuralism and Semiotics, University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
Heisenberg, W. (1960). The representation of nature in contemporary physics. In Rollo May (ed.),Symbolism in Religion and Literature, George Braziller, New York, pp. 215–232.
Houser, N. (1987). Toward a Peircean semiotic theory of learning.Am. J. Semiot. 5: 251–274.
Innis, R. (ed.) (1983).Semiotics: An Introductory Anthology, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Jackson, P. (1986).The Practice of Teaching, Teachers College Press, New York.
Jakobson, R. (1960). Closing statement: Linguistics and poetics. In T. Sebeok (ed.),Style in Language, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 350–377.
Krampen, M. (1981). Phytosemiotics.Semiotica 36: 187–209.
Krampen, M. (1986). Developmental semiotics. InEncyclopedic Dictionary of Semiotics, Mouton, Berlin and New York.
Lakoff, G. (1987).Women, Fire and Dangerous Things, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Lakoff, G., and Johnson, M. (1980).Metaphors We Live By, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Landow, G. (1989). Hypertext in literary education, criticism, and scholarship.Comp. Human. 23: 173–198.
Lempke, J. (1984).Semiotics and Education, Semiotic Circle, Toronto.
Lempke, J. (1987). Social semiotics and science education.Am. J. Semiot. 5: 217–232.
Levi-Strauss, C. (1966).The Savage Mind, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Marshall, H. (1988). Work or learning: Implications of classroom metaphors.Educ. Res. 17: 9–16.
Mayer, R. (1983).Thinking, Problem Solving, Cognition, Freeman, New York.
Mertz, E., and Parmenter, R. (eds.) (1985).Semiotic Mediation: Sociocultural and Psychological Perspectives, Academic Press, New York.
Morris, C. (1946).Signs, Language and Behavior, Prentice Hall, New York.
Murphy, J. (1984).Dialogue as Semiosis: Paulo Freire's Adult Literacy Program. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Semiotic Society of America, Bloomington, Indiana.
O'Loughlin, M. (1990).Teachers' Ways of Knowing: A Journal Study of Teacher Learning in a Dialogical and Constructivist Learning Environment. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Boston.
Perry, W. (1970).Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years: A Scheme Holt, Reinhart & Winston, New York.
Roth, W. (1990).Collaboration and Constructivism in the Science Classroom. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Boston.
Saussure, F. de (1959).Course in General Linguistics Philosophical Library, New York.
Schon, D. (1983).The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action Basic Books, New York.
Sebeok, T. (1963). Communication in animals and men.Language 39: 448–66.
Sebeok, T. (1976).Contributions to the Doctrine of Signs Peter de Ridder Press, Lisse.
Sebeok, T. (1979).The Sign and Its Masters University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas.
Sebeok, T. (1981).The Play of Musement Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana.
Sebeok, T. (1986).I Think I am a Verb Plenum, New York.
Sebeok, T., Lamb, S., and Regan, J. (1987).Semiotics in Education: A Dialogue. College Press, Clairmont, California.
Shank, G. (1987). Abductive strategies in educational research.Am. J. Semiot. 5: 275–290.
Shank, G. (1988). Three into two will go: Juxtapositional strategies for empirical research in semiotics. In J. Deely (ed.),Semiotics 1987 University Press of America, New York, pp. 123–127.
Shank, G. (1989).The Impact of Semiotics on Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Educational Research Association, Chicago.
Siegel, M., and Carey, R. (1989).Critical Thinking: A Semiotic Perspective ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills, Bloomington, Indiana.
Solomon, J. (1988).The Signs of Our Time Jeremy P. Tarcher, Los Angeles.
Stewart, R., and Cunningham, D. (1990).Semiosic Relativity. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Semiotic Society of America, Norman, Oklahoma.
Suhor, C. (1984). Toward a semiotics-based curriculum.J. Curric. Stud. 16: 247–257.
Thomas, D. (1985).Educational Semiotics: A Timely Reminder. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.
Thomas, D. (1987). Semiotics: The pattern which connects.Am. J. Semiot. 5: 291–302.
von Uexkull, J. (1982). The theory of meaning.Semiotica 42: 25–82.
Vygotsky, L. (1978).Mind in Society Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cunningham, D.J. Beyond educational psychology: Steps toward an educational semiotic. Educ Psychol Rev 4, 165–194 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01322343
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01322343