Abstract
Many scholars in the instructional systems field have addressed the paradigm shift in the field of learning psychology and its implications for instructional systems technology (IST). This article analyzes the philosophical assumptions underlying IST and its behavioral and cognitive foundations, each of which is primarily objectivistic, which means that knowing and learning are processes for representing and mirroring reality. The philosophical assumptions of objectivism are then contrasted with constructivism, which holds that knowing is a process of actively interpreting and constructing individual knowledge representations. The implications of constructivism for IST provide a context for asking the reader to consider to what extent our field should consider this philosophical paradigm shift.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1988). Situated cognition and the culture of learning.Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42.
Bruner, J. (1986).Actual minds, possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. (1990).Acts of meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Champagne, A. B., Klopfer, L. E., & Gunstone, R. F. (1982). Cognitive research and the design of science instruction.Educational Psychologist, 17, 31–51.
Churchland, P. (1984).Matter and consciousness: A contemporary introduction to the philosophy of mind. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Collins, A. (1990). Cognitive apprenticeship and instructional technology. In L. Idol & B. F. Jones (Eds.),Educational values and cognitive instruction: Implications for reform. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Collins, A., Brown, J. S., & Newman, S. E. (1987). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the craft of reading, writing, and mathematics. In L. Resnick (Ed.),Learning, knowing, and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser (pp. 453–494). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
DiVesta, F. J., & Reiber, L. P. (1987). Characteristics of cognitive engineering: The next generation of instructional systems.Educational Communications and Technology Journal, 35, 213–230.
Duffy, T., & Jonassen, D. H. (in press).Instructional principles for constructivist learning environments. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Fodor, J. (1981).Representations: Philosophical essays on the foundations of cognitive science. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Gardner, H. (1985).The mind's new science: A history of the cognitive revolution. New York: Basic Books.
Goodman, N. (1984).Of mind and other matters. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Jonassen, D. H. (1985a). Learning strategies: A new educational technology.Programmed Learning & Educational Technology, 22, 26–34.
Jonassen, D. H. (1985b). Mathemagenic vs. generative control of text processing. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.),The technology of text (Vol. 2). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Jonassen, D. H. (1991a). Context is everything.Educational Technology, 31(6), 33–34.
Jonassen, D. H. (1991b). Evaluating constructivistic learning.Educational technology, 31(9).
Kuhn, T. (1962).The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lakoff, G. (1987).Women, fire, and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Rand, A. (1966).Introduction to objectivist epistemology. New York: New American Library.
Reigeluth, C. M. (1983). Introduction. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.),Instructional-design theories and models: The current state of the art. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Resnick, L. (1987). Learning in school and out.Educational Researcher, 16(2), 13–20.
Salomon, G. (1979).The interaction of media, cognition and learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Scriven, M. (1983).Evaluation models: Viewpoints on educational and human services evaluation. Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff.
Snow, C. P. (1960).The two cultures and the scientific revolution. New York: New American Library.
Spiro, R. J., Coulson, R. L., Feltovich, P.J., & Anderson, D. K. (1988).Cognitive flexibility theory: Advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains (Technical Report No. 441). Champaign, IL: University of Illinois, Center for the Study of Reading.
von Glasersfeld, E. (1984). Radical constructivism. In P. Watzlawick (Ed.),The invented reality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Watzlawick, P. (1984).The invented reality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wildman, T., & Burton, J. (1981). Integrating learning theory with instructional design,Journal of Instructional Development, 4(3), 5–14.
Winn, W. (1975). An open system model of learning.A V Communication Review, 23, 5–33.
Winn, W. (1989). Some implications of cognitive theory for instructional design.Instructional Science, 19, 53–69.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jonassen, D.H. Objectivism versus constructivism: Do we need a new philosophical paradigm?. ETR&D 39, 5–14 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296434
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296434